Check out my new animation re-score! Done with EastWest Sounds!

I used orchestral sounds with some exotic bell hits (Englehart Bells, Ghanain Bells, and Ice Bells), as I was trying to evoke the ancient power of nature.

The title scene has a preparation in the context session with some dulcimers, strings, harp, and flutes, to finally hit the title melody theme.

Fan fact: the percussion that sounds louder than the music, is not my instrument, it's the sound FX made by the girl's staff. I noticed 3 notes: C#, B natural, and F#. Then, I prepared the theme and bars to match these notes, sometimes in "A pentatonic" or using "F# suspended chord" at other times, to the nature theme. The F# suspended comes back in the short film's final scene.

After that, I decided to keep the music as low as possible, with only the piano, to keep it intimate. As she puts the magic stone in the staff, the music growls.

I used Lydian and Dorian mode with modulation by mediants, to keep it interesting and with a magic feeling.

As the accident happens, the mood changes, and a different scale is used: a kind of octatonic with minor feeling (C - D - Eb - Fb - G - Ab - Bb - B - C) allowing to use of contrasting triads and minor chords with major 7, or the dissonance G-Ab

The running part prep was a difficult one, as I was figuring out if I should change the tempo or not and how would I connect those scenes. Minor triads with mediants: thriller and the sense of urgency.

I used a lot of effects in the running part: parallel minor 3rd strings, brass rips, trills, and dissonance.

The main goal was to reduce the orchestra and tempo feeling when the dog gets hurt and then come back when they show the girl again. And it was difficult.

For the final staff hit, I made runs to sinc with the hit and then started the relief feeling of the spring, like in the short's beginning.

Hope you all like it!

My references were Spiderwick, Ice Age 2, Brave, Harry Potter 4, Narnia, Shrek 2, Frozen, Rite of Spring, Wall-E, Tangled, and Tomb Raider. Check the composers later if you like!
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