Expanding the Palette

We live at a very interesting moment in the world of the creative arts. Never before have we been so challenged and so blessed at the same time. The availability of inexpensive technology has permitted artists to realize their work at qualities never before seen. And the Internet has allowed communication with others who share our interests. We can speak with and exchange ideas, worldwide, with the click of a button.

CINE Golden Eagle The other side of that equation has challenged old business models by changing the rules of the game. Artists, and their capacity for adaptation, are being asked to grow and expand in ways we've never had to before. Fortunately, as artists, we are well used to challenging times.

While none of us knows where this is ultimately going to land, what is clear is that musicians, actors, dancers, visual artists, filmmakers and writers all are playing in an all-inclusive, creative media environment. Interesting cross-polinations can take place where they weren't possible before. My own project The Path of Peace was just such an exploration (musical improvisation and visual art & painting).

As a composer, this means that my compositions can and will end up becoming a part of someone else's work - opening possibilities that stretch both artforms. At the apex of this development, filmmaking becomes one of the most interesting and powerful candidates for creative musical and conceptual exploration.

Our work is to stretch into areas that offer high potential for artistic and social good. If you are an artist who is also interested in this idea, get in touch with me or post to the blog. I just think we should be talking about the historical imperatives of this time - while that history unfolds around us...

Below are a few examples of music I've composed for visual media (film, TV, documentary, etc.). Just click on the images to start the video. To get a better idea of the variety of music I compose, please listen to the musical examples at the bottom of this page and elsewhere on the site:

Spiritual Liberation Movie - featuring Michael Beckwith

United Nations 50th Anniversary Documentary - Winner of CINE Golden Eagle

Powershift Documentary - featuring Cameron Diaz

Submission Music for Film/TV:

When scoring to picture, my first step is defining the instrumentation setting for the overall piece. I find that there is a magic set of instruments that make supporting the overall feeling tone of the film ridiculously easy and provides the consistency required to hold the scenes together into a cohesive whole. I also find that the right instrumentation provides lots of interesting musical ideas - with harmonies and melodies suggesting themselves.

To show what I mean by this, take a listen to the following three pieces of music, which I submitted (unsuccessfully) to an ABC movie called, Netforce. It was a military-industrial-complex piece that needed modern synth elements combined with the traditional orchestral approach - all done on synths back in the early 90's. The instrumental model I used was a Jan Hammer score I had on cassette. All three pieces share the same basic instrumentation. Once I had nailed down the sonic pallet, tons of ideas started pouring through.

• Netforce Theme :: Submission: ABC Pictures
• Netforce Credits :: Submission: ABC Pictures
• Netforce Tension Cue :: Submission: ABC Pictures

Below are several other instrumental settings I've submitted for use:

• Different Dancer Theme :: Submission: Sony? - about a Downs Syndrome girl at a school dance class.
• Dance Factory TV Theme :: Submission: Independent - you get the picture...
• New York Cue :: Submission: New York Cue
• Blues Source Cue :: Submission: Independent
• Heart Theme :: Submission: Independent

Attention Directors!

I develop scores that are traditional to electronic, simple to complex, and scalable in terms of budget. Please feel free to contact me to discuss your project.

Various Works by Ben Dowling is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at bendowling.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://bendowling.com.