AUDIO AND MUSIC FOR VIDEO

Things by things (CUSTOM MUSIC, and voiceover)

This video is a great example of how well curated music, a good voice-over performance, and an even better audio edit can inform and elevate even the simplest of animations.

The music

After seeing the storyboard and branding, I thought about what vibe this video needed. I landed on wanting something playful and spunky. I created this music from scratch and was able to customize the tempo and pacing of the track to keep people’s attention and create a sense of the story evolving.

Voiceover Perfomance

Yep, I recorded my own voiceover for this one. That’s me! When someone experienced with audio and video records the voiceover you get a lot more opportunity for creativity where the audio inspires the video, just as much as the video inspires the audio.
My favorite moments are:
1. The extra sound design sauce on “unlimited.”
2. The dramatic pause on “…or two or three with a few sprinkles on top.”

ARCADIA: LAKEHOUSE (custom music)

This project was my baby. I spent a few late nights in bed just thinking about how to make this video better and I kept landing on: “This video needs its own 80 synth-wave soundtrack.” So I got out my synthesizers and electronic drum kits and cooked this up. The client loved it... except for one thing. This, however, turned out to be a cool moment. The client asked if we could “end the video on a more positive note.” Since we were ending on a minor chord it did feel a bit villainous initially… but hey, most synth-wave music is in a minor key. In this scenario with stock music you’d most likely have to go back to the drawing board and find a whole other track and hope the client likes the new vibe, and that the new song it fits the edit… Not so with custom music. For us it was as easy as changing the last chord that the video lands on. Literally moving a couple of notes around. Easy!

2024 Demo reel

That’s right! I made the music for my demo reel too. Soulful, uplifting hip-hop is a very in-demand genre for brands right now so I had to make sure to showcase one of my best compositions in this genre, front and center in my portfolio.