When it comes to powerful voices in the storytelling process then music is one of the most powerful there is. Of all the narrative voices within a film music is arguably one of the most potent tools for enhancing their emotional connection to the “moments” which happen in your film.

I first met our composer William Goodchild twelve years ago when Matt and I were living in Bristol and our daughters were at school there. William was at that time involved in teaching music at the school and I was always incredibly impressed with the standard of music that he produced. After the girls left school we moved away from Bristol. I reconnected with William again following my involvement in a short film called Bubbles – I was struck by the young composers work and I think I sent the music to William to listen to. A dialogue ensued and after that we maintained connection via various social media platforms. Then when it came to the time when I was looking for someone to score my short I approached William and he said yes. He’s waited patiently for several years to score the final edit, for which I am indescribably grateful!

Being able to watch the process of recording the score was incredibly moving. As a musician myself I’ve always been fascinated by the process of bringing things “more” alive through the use of music and sound. Vicky (our behind the scenes ninja) and I travelled Bristol to The Department of Music at Bristol University to observe William and his team bring the music to life and shape the score. I love watching teams working together and William, Juliet McCarthy (cello) and Jonathan Scott (sound mix/master engineer) are experts in their field. I learned a huge amount simply through observing how they navigated the technical side of the recording process together.

Creating a score requires a shedload of time, a shedload of emotional listening and hearing, a shedload of hard graft both musical and technical and a shedload of passion and commitment. And a sense of humour. One of the joys of the (very long ) day was the dry humour which manifested itself every now and again, punctuating the emotional musical rollercoaster happening around us!

Sitting in a room listening to the heart of your characters communicating to the audience through music is a profoundly moving experience. I do slightly get sick to the back teeth of people using the phrase “it was very humbling” but honestly, on this occasion, that is exactly how it felt. Humbling and magical. As I listened to the score for piano and cello being fitted together through the various layers of composition and sound mixing it took me again through the beats of my story, this time with William’s own connection to the characters built into the music. Magical is not too strong a word. That alchemy of diverse creative hearts and minds uniquely shaping a single story together is what makes filmmaking so very, very exciting.

It still floors me when I remember how many incredible artists have trusted in the story of Seeing Him enough to want to add their own voice to it. I can’t wait to share the complete story, and its many voices, with you on the big screen!

You can find out more about William here: https://www.williamgoodchild.com
Follow him on Twitter: @WGoodchildMusic

Vanessa Bailey
www.SeeingHimFilm.com

PS – Join us for the premiere of the film on June 17th 2017 in London. More at www.SeeingHimFilm.com/premiere