Stephen Pryke - STUCK [Rescore] This is a piece of coursework I submitted for the “Soundtrack in Narrative Film” module of my "MSc Music & Sound for Film & Games" course at the University of Hertfordshire. We were tasked with rescoring this short student film by Ali Doruk Zengin. I took a hybrid approach to composing this score, combining traditional musical elements with experimental sonic elements. This work is yet to be graded. CUES: 01:03 Title 02:24 Insomnia 03:54 Eureka 05:34 Party 09:25 Incentive 11:35 Car ‘Title’ introduces the main theme, a descending motif in F# minor. The bass note alternates between D and F#. When the D is played, the first two notes of the theme act as the major 3rd and minor 3rd respectively, creating an unsettling clash. But when the F# is played, they become the octave and the major 7th, which creates a clash that this time feels more sombre than unsettling. This is analogous to how the Voice’s harsh critiques leads to Frank’s unhappiness. I created a feedback loop and applied various effects to generate noisy textures that surround the piano melody. Using a frequency shifter/echo plugin, I managed to manipulate the piano and make a descending texture to reflect how the Voice is always bringing Frank down. ‘Insomnia’ is a sonic representation of the thoughts keeping Frank awake. I made some distorted swirling textures using panning, like the thoughts are swirling around his head. The percussive hits add tension and a sense of exhaustion as these gruelling thoughts continue, eventually blending into the sound of the ticking clock. ‘Eureka’ reintroduces the title theme, but it becomes more hopeful as Frank finally gets some inspiration and begins to take control. A major version of the main theme develops, accompanied by a new sparkling pad-like texture, but as the Voice tries to stop Frank, the minor elements start to return, thus as the two are battling for control, the cue’s tonality is battling between major and minor. Eventually, the sparkling texture grows distorted and chaotic, overwhelming the other instruments until all that remains is a resonant drone. ‘Party’ starts as purely diegetic music that is coming from a party downstairs. It’s only when Frank meets Liz and has the motivation to change that the music becomes non-diegetic. An upbeat EDM track, the cue presents the theme in a new way which is more harmonious and energetic. As it cuts between Frank getting changed and the now powerless Voice panicking, the music alternates between the new theme and an irregular rhythmic motif (introduced by the percussion in the second half of ‘Eureka’). Frank kisses Liz and the cue becomes more symphonic and major; he is now free of the Voice and the cue ends with Frank’s sigh of relief. ‘Incentive’ reprises the irregular rhythm and final chord progression of ‘Party’ as Frank continues to make progress on his novel. This soon turns into a manipulated piano texture, reminiscent of those in ‘Title’, as we see the Voice stuck in darkness, helpless and unable to influence Frank. ‘Car’ is the climatic final cue that plays out as Frank reaches his darkest moment. The original theme returns with a new harmonic progression as he finds out Liz has left him and the Voice returns. The cue is similar to ‘Eureka’, but slower and darker, with elements of other cues featuring in the tense sonic build-up. As the Voice tells Frank to “end it”, the melody changes to a chromatic descent, like the descending sonic gesture in ‘Title’. The music is overwhelmed by the sound as it’s implied that Frank is hit by an oncoming car, although this is unseen, and the music remains unresolved to reflect this open ending. I composed the music, but I do NOT own the rights the film (directed by Ali Doruk Zengin); it has been used in this instance for educational purposes. ——————————————————————— My name’s Stephen Pryke and I’m a multi-genre composer and sound designer from Hertfordshire, UK. This channel acts as a portfolio for my professional composition and sound design work. Any Sound Design or Composition related business enquires can be sent to the following email address: stephenpryke.musicandsound@outlook.com I also have a personal music project, “Lunicium”. The project combines my composition and sound design skills to create immersive, atmospheric and cinematic music in a variety of genres: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMHZLWseNGrG2qG9bMd6n_g SOCIALS: Website: https://www.stephenprykemusicandsound.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ViKHVuU2wUjd98I4I10Fm?si=2T5vCD9_TwimZwwpBvqfcg Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/stephen-pryke/1513248036 LinkedIn: Stephen Pryke https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-pryke-16981719b Like on Facebook: Stephen Pryke Music & Sound https://www.facebook.com/stephenprykemusicandsound/ Follow on Instagram: @sjpryke_lunicium https://www.instagram.com/sjpryke_lunicium/ © 2022 Stephen Jon Pryke. All rights reserved. (Music Only)

Stephen Pryke - No Country for Old Men [Rescore] This is a piece of coursework I submitted for the “Soundtrack in Narrative Film” topic of my "MSc Music & Sound for Film & Games" course at the University of Hertfordshire. We were given this scene from ’No Country for Old Men’ with only the dialogue and sound effects, and we were tasked with composing a fitting score. This film is famous for its realistic and gritty nature, and it’s also known for its lack of music. It was interesting to score an actual film scene and come up with ways of adding music to a film that doesn’t necessarily need it. This work is achieved a mark of 77, which is equivalent to a Distinction. I decided to take a sonic approach to the composition of this scene. The film focuses on the diegetic sound and dialogue, which attempts to ground the audience in the narrative world. The original score relies on very subtle pad-like textures that only appear a few times in the whole movie. I felt that the scene needed a score that would take this to the next level, one that wouldn’t overpower the diegesis, but act as an extension of it.   It mainly consists of textural drones, which I layered and manipulated to fit around the diegetic sounds. I made these by playing piano and guitar through a reverb bus that was feeding back into itself via another bus. I recorded several takes, chopped them up, and placed them at certain points where I felt they worked best with the visuals and diegetic sound.   A low drone is introduced when Llewelyn can’t sleep to represent his guilt after leaving a man for dead in the desert. The drone returns as he heads back to the desert, and when he arrives, the drone becomes higher pitched as the weight is lifted from his mind. But after finding the man dead and seeing some strangers puncture his truck tires, more chaotic layers come in, and a percussive hit is synchronised with the strangers’ truck lights switching on. From here, the intensity increases as they begin chasing Llewelyn.   I used a sequenced resonant distortion plugin on one of the drones to create the sidechain-esque rhythm during the land chase. I used two instances with different settings to achieve a galloping effect, which complemented the almost animalistic and primal engine sound, like the truck was a wild animal hunting Llewelyn. It also intensified the scene and symbolised Llewelyn’s adrenaline. As he approaches the river, the score builds to its first climax. There is a distorted growl-like sound as one of the strangers pulls out a gun, like a predator preparing to pounce, and percussion is used to emphasise the rhythm and build up to the gunshot.   Llewelyn dives into the river and there’s a light texture that feels almost serene yet still unsettling, as he’s not yet safe but remains focused and clear-headed. This oscillates in volume to sonically replicate the motion of the waves. A subtle sense of tonality is introduced as the camera shots become more cinematic, revealing trees and a riverbank where Llewelyn can escape, and this turns into noise that is filtered to blend in with the sound of Llewelyn exiting the river. The final climax is reached when the dog runs to him as he races to clear his gun. A frantic rhythm begins as the dog leaves the water and a wall of sound, constructed of tonal and atonal textures, reaches a crescendo, ending abruptly as Llewelyn shoots the dog. I composed all the non-diegetic music myself, although I do NOT own the rights to this scene; it has been used in this instance for the sole purpose of carrying out this assignment. ——————————————————————— My name’s Stephen Pryke and I’m a multi-genre composer, sound designer and sonic artist from Hertfordshire, UK. This channel acts as a portfolio for my professional composition and sound design work. Any Sound Design or Composition related business enquires can be sent to the following email address: stephenpryke.musicandsound@outlook.com I also have a personal music project, “Lunicium”. The project combines my composition and sound design skills to create immersive, atmospheric and cinematic music in a variety of genres: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMHZLWseNGrG2qG9bMd6n_g SOCIALS: Website: https://www.stephenprykemusicandsound.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ViKHVuU2wUjd98I4I10Fm?si=2T5vCD9_TwimZwwpBvqfcg Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/stephen-pryke/1513248036 LinkedIn: Stephen Pryke https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-pryke-16981719b Like on Facebook: Stephen Pryke Music & Sound https://www.facebook.com/stephenprykemusicandsound/ Follow on Instagram: @sjpryke_lunicium https://www.instagram.com/sjpryke_lunicium/ © 2022 Stephen Jon Pryke. All rights reserved. (Score Only)

Stephen Pryke - Castle Rock Entertainment Ident [Rescore] This is a piece of coursework I submitted for the “Live Deliverable Project” topic of my "BSc (Hons) Music & Sound Design Technology" course at the University of Hertfordshire. We were tasked with creating our own soundtrack for the Castle Rock Entertainment company ident, whether it be purely musical, purely sound design or a blend of the two. This work is achieved a mark of 85, which is equivalent to a high First Class. I took a rather traditional approach in the composition and orchestration of the piece, but with a modern twist. I added water sounds, a cinematic sub hit and a sub-bassline, all adding depth and dimension. The music and sound are co-dependent, each helping to sonically convey the story in the visuals. The piece begins with a solo piano playing a light, twinkling melody in Eb minor, representing the mystery and uncertainty of the night. As the sun starts rising, the strings begin to play and they crescendo as the light turns. Then, the rippling water emerges, and the sound of flowing water fades in with it. Then the percussion starts building with drum swells and cymbal rolls, and the tempo increases until the light flashes and reveals the main logo, which is emphasised by a sub hit and cymbal crash. The brass section accompanies the strings, and although the chords descend, the chord extensions/higher notes ascend in pitch to match the rising sun. The harp and piccolo also start playing an alternately ascending and descending melody, which reflects the wave-like motion of the water. The piece slows down again, the second logo appears, and the light goes out. The piano plays a F# Major9 chord accompanied by a triangle as the orchestral chord rings out, almost like a pause for breath – an inhale. As the ident fades out, the piano plays the same chord an octave lower with the orchestra, creating a much warmer sound, like a sigh of relief – an exhale – leaving the audience satisfied and ready to watch the film. The sonic narrative of the piece also feels like representation of some Castle Rock Entertainment films: the journey from a calm beginning to a climactic ultimatum, ending with a satisfying resolution. Plus, the contrast of Major and minor here represents the contrast between their feel-good films and their darker, more emotional films. I do NOT own the footage in this video; I used it for the sole purpose of completing this task. ——————————————————————— My name’s Stephen Pryke and I’m a multi-genre composer, sound designer and sonic artist from Hertfordshire, UK. This channel acts as a portfolio for my professional composition and sound design work. Any Sound Design or Composition related business enquires can be sent to the following email address: stephenpryke.musicandsound@outlook.com I also have a personal music project, “Lunicium”. The project combines my composition and sound design skills to create immersive, atmospheric and cinematic music in a variety of genres: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMHZLWseNGrG2qG9bMd6n_g SOCIALS: Website: https://www.stephenprykemusicandsound.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ViKHVuU2wUjd98I4I10Fm?si=2T5vCD9_TwimZwwpBvqfcg Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/stephen-pryke/1513248036 LinkedIn: Stephen Pryke https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-pryke-16981719b Like on Facebook: Stephen Pryke Music & Sound https://www.facebook.com/stephenprykemusicandsound/ Follow on Instagram: @sjpryke_lunicium https://www.instagram.com/sjpryke_lunicium/ © 2021 Stephen Jon Pryke. All rights reserved. (Audio Only)