Task 6 – American Beauty

Task 6 – Percussion

Report

My objective was to create a score for the ‘Dream Sequence’ in American Beauty using percussive techniques. I wanted to use the start of the dream sequence and the underlying rhythm to simultaneously be movement of the girl and the heartbeat of the man.
I also used a part where the girl is unzipping her top and looks up, to pause completely until the next frame. I have been influenced heavily by Thomas Newman’s music from American Beauty (1999) and I personally think Aphex Twin’s Bucephulus Bouncing Ball has had a massive impact on the way I have structured my rhythms. Numerous Indian and African musicians have also influenced the way I think about rhythms and polyrhythms. I have not used any particular new audio technique but I have learnt to use complex rhythms underneath a simple, slow tempo and standard time signature.
I have tried to use Thomas Newman and Aphex Twin as a template for approach this piece and I have tried to implement techniques acquired from lots of different cultures and influences. I would give myself about 50% for this because I could have researched a bit more into other composers and tried to use alternative techniques for different parts of the composition.

References

Aphex Twin, 1997. Come To Daddy [CD]. Sheffield: Warp Records.

American Beauty (1999) [DVD] dir. Mendes,S. USA: DreamWorks Pictures.

Thomas Newman, 2000. American Beauty OST. USA: DreamWorks SKG.

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