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Ray Animation

The composer quit 8 days before the screening. I wrote the whole disco-funk score from scratch. Standing ovation at the cinema.

Role Composer & Sound Designer
Type Graduation Film
Duration 8 days
Tools Pro Tools, Logic Pro
Pro Tools Logic Pro Omnisphere Film Score
Ray in the light
Ray alone in the cave
Ray discovers lights in cave
The Project

The Concept

A stone giant wakes up in a cave and discovers dance. That's the film. The original composer dropped out 8 days before the cinema screening - no material, no stems, no sketches. Just gone. I got the call and said yes.

Eight days. Full disco-funk score from scratch, all the sound design, final mix. I pulled the animatics into Pro Tools, placed sync markers by hand, and locked every musical hit to Ray's movements frame by frame. The tempo follows Ray's dancing, not a click track. Three rounds of feedback with the animation team, tightening the timing each pass. Then we screened it at the cinema.

DAE Howest graduation film - full score, sound design, and mix in 8 days

Composition

The Music

Bass & Rhythm

Slap bass and electric drums. Straight out of Chic and Earth Wind & Fire. But here's the thing - every rhythmic hit is locked to Ray's dance moves. The music doesn't set the tempo. Ray does. When he stomps, the kick lands. When he grooves, the bass follows.

Brass, Sax & Mix

Brass carries the melody, sax fills out the warmth. DJ scratches between sections keep the energy moving. The whole mix runs through Waves J37 tape saturation for warmth.

Credits Version

Same theme, but bigger. Gospel organs, live drums, Omnisphere synths stacked on top. Big, loud, full-band ending. The animation team approved it first listen.

Production

Sync & Production

8-Day Deadline

Day 1-2: theme sketches and sync markers. Day 3-5: full arrangement, all instruments tracked. Day 6-7: sound design and foley. Day 8: final mix and cinema delivery. No buffer days, no safety net.

Frame-by-Frame Sync

Most film scores run on a click track and the picture editors deal with it. Not here. I placed markers by hand in Pro Tools and bent the tempo to match Ray's animation. When he speeds up, the music speeds up. So when you watch it, the music feels like part of Ray, not something pasted on top.

Three Feedback Rounds

Three rounds with the animation team, each one tightening the timing and arrangement. By the third pass we were adjusting individual frames. Then we screened it at the cinema.