Pre-Production Unit: Research - Setting the Tone Part 1: Music Examples

Below are some songs and films that are similar in tone or style to Grit: I will request to my cast and crew that they listen and watch these to help get a better understanding of Grit and where it’s mind-set is. This post will look at just the music examples and most likely grow throughout the next few weeks.

Music:

1. Crystals by Clam Casino

This song is very manic and feels like a bunch of noises mashed together. These uneven and seemingly random sounds help convey the feeling of disorientation. A complete collapse of the mind which is exactly what I think Grit portrays. Out of all of the examples this song is the closet to the thematic style I want from the film.

2. Lead Me Home by Jamie N. Commons

Lead Me Home has a sense of travelling inside it's calm, brooding tones. As if you were on a journey or there was a building up of something. This song, I feel, fits the film because of the brooding. A lot of thinking goes on in Grit and there is a 'journey' of sorts that Sean undertakes in learning what happens. I aim to have a growing sense of 'something is going to happen' in the film and listening to this song helps with that.

3. Dream by John Cage

This song feels like an audio representation of the happy lifestyle the TP has created in his false world. You can get a sense of sadness and tragedy: like he’s not ready to let go yet; holding on to whatever he can get to prevent the pain and guilt from returning. The almost repeating notes help enforce this fact: he’s been reliving the same thing. The occasional lower notes that play suggest a darker side to the song or that there’s more to this than what we can hear. Therefore this song, I believe, is similar to the tones Grit will utilise: the calm before the storm.

4. Retrograde by James Blake

The song starts peacefully enough but it’s second half that really makes it stand out. I feel this is reminiscent of the plot of Grit. More importantly this second half of the song is how I picture the breaks in the film when aspects of the TP come through Sean. The almost monotonous sounds becoming white noise to Sean as his brain struggles to comprehend everything. The second half is, to me, a very accurate representation of the TP's mind. The lyrics themselves are strangely reminiscent to the film too: as if Vision were having a conversation with Sean.