Gaolta

Gaolta is a sound design project I completed in a virtual sound design class during the fall of 2020. I used sound libraries to find all the atmospheric sounds, sound effects, and the music in the bars. I edited all the sounds and stock music to fit into the world of the film. I also composed three original pieces for the beginning, middle, and end of the film, emphasizing an ethereal and distant feel that I automatically received from my initial impression of the story.

PLANNING

Planning out Gaolta included watching the film many times through to make sure I was receiving the correct feeling that the director meant to communicate. Then it was a matter of finding out which places in the film would be the best to implement melodies or just chords to enhance those specific feelings. I referenced "Anything Can Happen" in my notes, which is from "The Holiday," scored by Hans Zimmer (the ultimate legend).

PADS & STRINGS

I decided very early on that I was going to score this film using mainly pads. Something about the film made me feel a bit helpless and lost, even though there is a happy ending. I wanted to mimic that feeling of being lost in the sound of the score, and some pads have a way of making you feel uneasy and warm at the same time. So, what better instrument to build than that for a film that is about growing up and moving on? I added strings to the more emotional parts because strings can easily evoke a lot of emotion. There are only a few moments with prominent strings, however, due to my caution not to overuse them which I feel I've done in the past.