Sea Song, by Doves

There are some bands & musicians that carry with them a really particular mood and feeling. It's why I love Neil Finn, and consider some of his music to be the most influential for me (with the exception of his new project, The Pajama Club. Sadly boring and un-Neil like in it's efforts). I grew up listening to his moody, minor chords and they played soundtrack to some of the first stories and visual concepts I ever conjured.

As my musical tastes have grown, my love of music in the minor chords has stuck. I was in love with "Sea Song" by English band Doves, way before OFF SEASON was even a concept in our heads. But the moment it popped onto my iTunes soundtrack as I scribbled away on my storyboards, I knew it was a perfect fit:

It's extremely cinematic, provoking feelings of claustrophobia, emptiness, longing. As it turns out, even the lyrics seem to mirror Sylvie's plight and internal processes:

Drive with me

Do the things you won't believe

Drive with me

Past the city and down to sea

Crushing dreams

Leave me be, I cannot sleep

Drown with me

Past the city, down to sea

Rush of dream

Leave in peace, let me be

Oh, it's the pain

It's ingrained i me

Oh, I soothe my pain

it's ingrained in me

Drive with me

Drive with me...

So Far, by The Occasion

I've always found music to be highly inspirational to what I create. Sometimes the music precedes and directly inspires the idea. Other times it magically fits into something already created, making the mood feel even more complete. With OFF SEASON, our script was pretty much done before I jumped into the storyboarding and writing of shot lists, and having the right soundtrack to mirror the mood of the film helped immensely.

Here below is one such piece of music, by the band The Occasion. "So Far", the opening track of their album "Cannery Hours" was actually used as a placeholder piece of music in the opening titles of OFF SEASON. The track (and album, really) invokes feelings of emptiness, loneliness, of something organic and rhythmic -- much like the tides of the ocean. It's a dreamy track that holds a lot of emotion, and paired with the images of the film I had wanted to create, reinforced the solitude Sylvie Stone was feeling in that moment she first arrived at the beach house.

BUY the album on iTunes

The Finish Line

Summer has begun to fade and the air is just starting to hint of the coming chills ahead. The timing, one might say, is just about right for the release of an equal chilling indie thriller.

OFF SEASON is in the final stage of post-production. Our spine-tingling score is currently being produced by the uber-talented west coaster Justin Schornstein, and the color correction and fine-tuning of visual effects is being orchestrated by our very talented and capable friend Scott Cipu.

Once we have all these beautiful pieces completed, our movie will be finished. What was once an idea, formed into words on a page, given to actors to make real, captured by skilled technicians, cut and sliced into coherence, polished, and set to music, will soon be a movie. It's like Magic, but really, it's just lots of people doing what they love and doing it well.

We cannot wait to share this movie with you. That moment draws ever so near...