The Movie Music Project

I have trouble doing things halfway.

Once I get started on a project I want to keep slamming through it until I'm at the end, even if I have to stay up until 2 in the morning or skip breakfast. The movie music project has been that for me through quarantine, and now it's just about over.

If you aren't on Facebook, J and I have been posting a performance every week of the two of us performing some of our favorite movie music. But Facebook videos aren't the point--the idea was, and is, to do a recital of all movie music (all flute/trumpet features) at one or both of our churches. We've talked about this for years. I've had a note in my phone since 2015 with a repertoire list. (The core rep of the recital was always going to be Princess Leia's Theme, Wall Rat, J.F.K., and the Lincoln soundtrack.)

But nothing ever happened because we didn't have the time to put it together. To write the arrangements would take a massive listening effort, plus tracking down scores and then figuring out how to use Finale. (We've owned a copy of Finale since 2012, but only used it in a very limited way.)

And then quarantine happened, and it was as good a time as any to finally sit down and try to work out the arrangements. The first one was Princess Leia's theme. It was incredibly frustrating. It took me the better part of a week, and I found a score to work with relatively early on in the process. I had to learn how to make tuplets, how to generate multimeasure rests, where all of the expressive markings were, and countless other notation shortcuts.

But it kept on getting easier. And then it got easier faster and faster. And before I knew it, I was writing multiple arrangements a day. The original goal was to have 10 charts, because that would be enough to justify a full recital. We passed 10 in the third week of quarantine, and by then I had figured out that this project was going to keep me sane.

I neglected my blog, hogged the computer, and probably got too little sleep. But Phase 1 of reopening starts tomorrow and I had something to do that got me through it. As of right now, this is our rep list.

Aunt Marge's Waltz (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
The Big Race (Cars)--this one was for the boys
Binary Sunset (A New Hope)
Boo's Going Home (Monsters, Inc)
Main Title from Born on the Fourth of July
A Bridge to the Past (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Burning Homestead (A New Hope)
Cadillac of the Skies (Empire of the Sun)
Closing In, Reflections, and Joy Ride (Catch Me If You Can)
Cinque's Theme (Amistad)
Concerning Hobbits (The Fellowship of the Ring)
En Bateau (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
The Face of Pan (Hook)
Family Portrait (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
Suite from Far and Away
Flight to Freedom (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Gabriel's Oboe (The Mission)
The Grail (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
Great Pumpkin Waltz (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown)
Hagrid's Friendly Bird (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Han Solo and the Princess (Empire Strikes Back)
The History Lesson (Jurassic Park)
The Hologram (A New Hope)
Theme from Il Postino
The Incredits (The Incredibles)
Prologue (J.F.K.)
Life's Incredible Again (The Incredibles)
The Long Road to Justice (Amistad)
Love Theme (Chinatown)
Luke and Leia (Return of the Jedi)
Maid Marian at the Waterfall/Maid Marian (Robin Hood Prince of Thieves)
Main Title (Apollo 13)
Married Life (Up!)
Minas Tirith (Return of the King)
Main Theme (Monsters, Inc)
Main Theme (The Natural)
Parade of the Ewoks (Return of the Jedi)
Main Theme (The Patriot)
Princess Leia's Theme (A New Hope)
The Prologue--Arrival of Baby Harry (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
Riding the Hippogriff (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Main Theme (Rudy)
Skateboard Chase (Back to the Future)
Soul Bossa Nova (Austin Powers)
Thinking of Marion (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
A Tree for My Bed (Jurassic Park)
Wall Rat (Ratatouille)
With Malice Towards None (Lincoln)
Yoda Raises the Ship (Empire Strikes Back)
Yoda's Theme (Empire Strikes Back)

Whenever it is that we are finally allowed to play in public again we'll be putting together a recital--if you are reading this you are probably a family member, so let me know what you would want to hear if you're coming! And if we missed some obvious movie cue that has a prominent flute or trumpet solo, let me know. Although I don't think I'm going to do any more--it feels nice to be done.

But, then again, I said that two weeks ago. It can be hard to stop once you get going.