Jason1

 Hi Jason! Thank you again for your consideration.

Here you’ll find a scattered treatment of my thesis film, which is still in early development. Major production begins Aug ‘22 at the latest, and the goal is to wrap by May ‘23. The film will run about 3-4 minutes long with credits, and like last time, I have a slightly unconventional music composition request.

More outlined below!

INSPIRATION / REFERENCE

Inspiration comes heavily from the imaginative rush I get watching vg cutscenes and promotional trailers that completely blow their in-game visuals out the water. I want to both chase that feeling and ground it in a story about two brothers who stay up late playing a silly racing video game.

There are, necessarily, two different “worlds” or visual treatments to account for : The actual in-game CG, and the 2D ”animated adaptation” version that represents what they’re imagining as they race.

Below is a collection of tone references (more visual + conceptual than musical)

WIP test sequence (not necessarily in final cut)

WIP character motion / tone test

P1 older brother ; P2 = younger brother

Up late playing a RACING video game

Majority of film happens in what Boys imagine the game to play like in their heads (2d animated, cinematic)

• ACT I

  • [in-game footage] very end of RACE —> results screen: P1 wins again, P2 is in dead last (even behind CPU).

  • [silhouette in front of TV] P2 throws tantrum, P1 tells him to be quiet “or mom will hear us”.

  • P1 is a dick to P2 — “Get good” type energy

  • As consolation they play One More Round

    -WOOSH INTO THE IMAGINATION HEADSPACES OF BROTHERS—CINEMATIC GAMEPLAY OF THIS ROUND

  • Build up to the 3..2..1.. GO introduce the characters formally

    • P1 RUSHES off in perfect timing — he’s a natural at this game

    • P2 messes up the start because he was distracted

  • P1 and P2 argue in the first leg of race because P2 wants to restart already (NO!)

  • P1 is far ahead—he can do this blindfolded.

  • P2 is grumpy and dicking around with controls instead of actually racing.

    • P2 discovers that pressing a specific button triggers a “dog bark SFX” (vids 27-30 in YouTube Playlist)

    • In dicking around he realizes he has hundreds of boost items stored up that he didn’t know how to use.

    • Starts spamming boost items

  • By stroke of luck / glitch / fuckery, P2 actually clips FAR AHEAD and has a chance of winning????

    • P1 is PISSED because losing his precious high score is now actually a threat

    • For the first time since they got the game it’s an actual COMPETITION / RACE —neither is giving in
      

• ACT II

  • SECOND LEG of race — they prove to actually be a good match for each other

  • fighting / banter while they race

  • WARP ZONE —> P2 almost beats P1 into the last leg of the race

  • they transport to final leg of race

  • Stand-off rising in tension into final race / fight (7:06 - 8:06 in Tone reference video)

  • In this buildup P2 learns that P1 was withholding info about how to use all those boosts he had saved up

    • “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO TEACH ME THESE THINGS!!” or somthing idk yet

    • He is genuinely hurt / pissed at P1 , this last part doesn’t feel as friendly

  • They FIGHT / RACE, tension builds and builds and builds and then BAM

  • Some sort of climactic fist-fight unfolds RIGHT before the finish line
    

• ACT III

  • SOMEHOW they reconcile and P1, having finally matured, decides to let P2 have this victory for once.

  • But P2, also having matured, says that this is really P1’s victory, and that he earned it fair and square and besides he should keep his high score anyway etc etc

  • They get into yet ANOTHER fight about who should win 1st place

  • They agree to just quit the game and start a new file instead — fresh slate, only fair races from here on out

    • BUT, in all this time wasted, the CPUs cross the finish line and OBLITERATE P1’s high score—which actually puts P2 ahead in the leaderboard

    • P1 is like “ok whatever let’s just wipe the file now” and P2 goes back on his word, mirroring P1 in beginning: “lmao maybe you should stop whining and Get Good instead”

  • P1 (irl, not in-game) throws himself onto P2— loud fight in front of the game results screen as credits roll.

  • Mom also comes in and tells them to turn the damn game off and go to bed (while credits roll).

YouTube playlist of VG tracks (click the image below)

• Tracks 1-4 are key examples of tone

• Tracks 5-8 are tone / instrumentation / sampling

• Tracks 9-13 model ACT I

• Tracks 14-21 model ACT II

• Tracks 22 + 23 model thematic counterparts?

• Tracks 24-26 are lighter, resolution-y

• Tracks 27-30 have a dog bark SFX that I LOVE

Spotify playlist of other tracks (click the image below)

• Tracks 1-4 are key examples of tone

• Tracks 5-11 are different speeds/sub tones for score?

• Tracks 12-16 are sound motifs for P1 (COOL)

• Tracks 17-20 are sound motifs for P2 (SILLY)

• Tracks 21-27 are loosely Act I / III related?

• Tracks 28-34 are good examples of race loops

• Tracks 35-40 are loose percussive / instrumental examples

The IN-GAME SOUNDTRACK would involve 1 race track, a start + finish fanfare, and a Results screen track that can also function as credits.

And the CINEMATIC PSEUDO-SCORE would be a more organic reinterpretation of that main race track.

This can be done by either a more conventional cinematic score, or perhaps instead, a collection of short looping tracks to be implemented like for TV.

I’m open to either:

• hiring 1 person to do it all, or

• hiring two composers (one in-game, one cinematic) to collaborate.

Given that this is a pretty big ask, I’m offering $1200 and am open to going higher!

And that’s what I have to share so far!

As you can see, a lot still needs to be ironed out, so as far as production schedules go, there really isn’t anything set in stone aside from the projected May 2023 wrap. I remember you saying you like to be involved as early as possible, so this is me trying to keep that in mind.

Would be more than happy to discuss anything and everything further in whatever way works best for you :-)

Please let me know your thoughts!