There's been a lot of firsts lately. A real treat was getting hired to score an upcoming indie game, and to start off by writing elements of a theme for the game's first level that would also work well with the game's teaser. The catch? The teaser will be largely in the dark. Almost like a very short audio drama.
And that means sound effects. Lots of sound effects. Something I've never done. I've also not scored a trailer. I know there are a lot of talented folks out there writing "trailer music," which is what you typically find in early trailers or teasers before the score is written. It's that bombastic, action-packed, adrenaline-pumping stuff that can be sliced and diced to synch up with any trailer and get the audience excited.
Unlike that, this was written precisely with the actions of the story in mind, while also using melodies that I can pull from later to use in the game proper. This is something I undertook when writing Undertow: telling a story with just the music. How quickly can I convey curiosity, fatigue, a feeling of being lost, but also that there's something greater out there to be discovered...in just 45 seconds? And sync is all up with sound effects to give the listener a sense of presence?
I hope I've succeeded. Hopefully you'll get to have a listen for yourself in the coming weeks!