ManyĀ great films have an equally great soundtrack to accompany the picture. It is the music that can elevate aĀ film to the next level. Originally used as a tool to mask the sounds of the projector, musical scores have since become synonymous within film. No doubt every person can name their favorite film score, whether itās aĀ Zimmerman,Ā Williams,Ā Elfman, or any other offering from the many great composers in the industry. This weekās Featured FearMaker not only writes scores, but he actually made a short film just to practice his music writing abilities.Ā Brian DavisĀ and his team atĀ Grave Tone ProductionsĀ are making waves with their music, but first, hereāa little more aboutĀ Brian.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas,Ā BrianĀ has always had a love affair with the horror genre. Ever since first watchingĀ John CarpenterāsĀ HalloweenĀ at the age of eight, he has been fascinated by the genre. It was the 80ās horror that really turned him into a fan. āI simply liked the uneasy feeling and the anticipation.āĀ BrianĀ has been a professional musician, specifically drumming, since he was 19 years old. His path to film making came through his work providing musicĀ for haunted attractions. This seguedĀ in into a career scoring short films. Along with a some friends,Ā BrianĀ startedĀ Grave Tone Productions, a company designed specifically to score horror films.
ThroughĀ Grave Tone,Ā BrianĀ was able to make some great music, which was acclaimed by critics. They made a couple music videos to showcase their works, but there was still something missing.Ā BrianĀ and his team decided that they would have to make a short film to get some practice at making a score. This is like saying youāre going to build a car engine to practice changing the oil. They gathered up all they could and set out to make their first short filmĀ Whose There?
āI was blown away by theĀ attention to detail that it required to take itĀ from an idea on paper to an actualĀ short filmā -Brian Davis
Under the company name ofĀ iKILLu Media, theĀ Grave ToneĀ team set out to make a film. Written and directed byĀ Brian DavisĀ andĀ Jay Brooks, The sixteen minute short film takes place on Halloween night, we follow a man giving out treats, played byĀ Jay Brooks. A mysterious young masked person keeps returning for treats, but gets a couple tricks as well. The short film, which was originally made purely to practice scoring, took on a life of itās own as it traveled from one horror site to another, gathering critics attention.
Itās no surprise thatĀ Brian DavisĀ is heavily inspired byĀ John Caprenter. āIām inspired by anyone taking the time and effort to write and create music and/or films to keep the horror genre alive!ā Each specialty career within film (i.e. director, writer, composer, etc.) changes the way they watch films. For example, a director might notice some interesting camera angles, while a gaffer might point out some cool lighting trick they plan on using in their next project. Writing, directing, and scoring your own film changes the way films are watched entirely. ForĀ Brian, that meant noticing much more detail in films, as well as catching inconsistencies, mistakes, and interesting camera tricks. This change in the film watching dynamic is a side effect which has its perks. Much like horror iconĀ John Carpenter, who famously scored his own filmĀ Halloween,Ā BrianĀ is building himself a one man creative team. This allows for specific planning of moods and swells within the music, as well as designing the film to flow flawlessly between score and screen.
WhileĀ Brian DavisĀ is on a similar path career-wise toĀ Carpenter,Ā there is a huge distinction.Ā Carpenterwas a filmmaker turned composer,Ā BrianĀ is a composer turned filmmaker. The latter is much more difficult, as there are a lot more moving parts in creating a film. With this kind of dedication to his craft, along with an insatiable work ethic,Ā Brian DavisĀ is shaping up to be a powerhouse filmmaker.