HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

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lesmac
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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by lesmac » Tue Nov 26, 2019 4:29 pm

Not my ballpark but I think it's a great effort!

It is emotional. I wonder whether some legato basses instead of the staccato on the root note at some stage [about half or two thirds way through] might bring it home even more?

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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by MBantle » Tue Nov 26, 2019 5:34 pm

CTWF wrote:
Tue Nov 26, 2019 3:50 pm
Here is my trial at that:

https://soundcloud.com/ctwf/warm/s-PehHd

- Evoked emotion?
- How is the overall production quality?
- How are the VIs?
- Does anything stick out, or is it "too grand"?
- Am I in the ballpark?

Tom

------------------
A RANGE OF HEARTWARMING INSTRUMENTALS is needed for several (up to) $3,000 NON-Exclusive, Direct-to-Ad-Agency placements in a Digital/Online Commercial for a Major Retailer.
Please listen to the following references they gave us to get a feel for the style and vibe they need:

YOGA Tab 3 Pro Christmas Ad 2015 – Holiday Giving
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpH4gUTVG4A

Glade 'The Greatest Gift' This is My Wish Extended
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw3HfRMruC8

Traditions. A Publix Christmas story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBGPNMLYq3E

Please submit well-composed Instrumentals that deliver the kind of "warm and fuzzy" emotional tone that would work well in the context of Commercial Advertising. Your instrumentation can vary from a simple, single acoustic guitar or piano to fuller productions (but don’t let things get too grand).
They are NOT specifically looking for a "Christmastime" vibe, but your Instrumentals should be able to work well in the background of a holiday commercial. The key word here is HEARTWARMING!
IMPORTANT NOTE: All submissions should be a minimum of 30 seconds long and no longer than 1 minute (including ring out and reverb tail). Short intros (or no intros) and Non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings are all recommendations for this request. Do NOT copy the referenced music in any way, shape, or form. Use it only as a guide for tempo, texture, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.
The estimated license fee for each placement is (up to) $3,000, depending on the ultimate placements. This request is for digital/online ads, hence the relatively low creative fee (when compared to a broadcast Commercial). Keep in mind, online ads that do well often migrate to broadcast or cable TV with additional fees paid when that happens!
This is a Non-Exclusive, Direct-to-Agency placement, so you’ll keep 100% ownership of your Copyright and Master Recording. You’ll also get 100% of the Master License Fee and any applicable performance royalties. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to pitch for this opportunity. Please submit as many Instrumentals as you’d like, online or per CD. All Submissions will be screened on a Yes/No basis by a screener that's been hand-picked by the Ad Agency. Short critiques only. All Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PST) on Thursday, November 28th, 2019. TAXI #Y191128HW
Hi Tom,
Listening to your track, I think it might be a little bit too busy for 'heartwarming'. When I read the listing I thought of movies like 'Love Actually' etc. and their soundtracks. So I would calm things down.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Matt

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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by jdkotaska » Wed Nov 27, 2019 2:26 pm

Hey, Tom. Sounds good! I wonder how it would be if you just dropped the levels on the arpeggios. I think you might be in the ballpark here.

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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by jdkotaska » Wed Nov 27, 2019 4:00 pm

Dropping the arpeggio levels seemed to help. I might even suggest dropping them further.

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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by MBantle » Wed Nov 27, 2019 4:31 pm

CTWF wrote:
Wed Nov 27, 2019 3:39 pm
jdkotaska wrote:
Wed Nov 27, 2019 2:26 pm
Hey, Tom. Sounds good! I wonder how it would be if you just dropped the levels on the arpeggios. I think you might be in the ballpark here.
Hi Dean - thanks for listening and the suggestion! So, here we are:

New version with less stabs and less arp, i.e. quieter and in many places rhythmically simplified (hopefully not overdone):



Old version BUT with quieter arp:



Any thoughts are welcome. Maybe I just submit both of them to see what the screener thinks.

Tom
lesmac wrote:
Tue Nov 26, 2019 4:29 pm
...
MBantle wrote:
Tue Nov 26, 2019 5:34 pm
...
I think this is moving in the right direction and I like the new version better but I would - if I may - say that there is still a perhaps unnecessary amount of 'attack' on the sound of some of the instruments and that leads to the impression that you want to write an 'action movie cue' rather than something that feels 'heartwarming'. I would personally soften the attack of the sounds a bit and check that the transitions between instruments and sections also feel smooth (IMO you can still keep the liveliness and momentum of your composition, which I like!). Not sure how to describe it best but in your mix some of the elements come out with a lot of attack and when I listen to it I do not (yet!) get the rather peaceful feeling that the commercials referenced in the listing evoke. Not sure this helps. My five cents anyway...
Cheers,
Matt

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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by jdkotaska » Thu Nov 28, 2019 8:51 pm

I think it sounds great. Good luck!

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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by RPaul » Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:45 am

CTWF wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:07 am
got a RETURN :( on that one by #309, who wrote:
Your instrumental styles are well arranged and in the listing's range, however, the emotion didn't work for this spot. The listing is targeting a vibe and mood that's closer to heartwarming.
The good news out of this seems to be that the production was deemed okay. This is kind of a big deal to me, since the track has a more "orchestral" instrumentation (notoriously difficult strings & horns), which is totally new for me. So, I guess I am improving on my DAW and use of VIs skills? :)

I felt the emotion was not really out of range, but screener #309 had a different opinion. :o Unfortunately, she/he did not tell me what she/he thinks the vibe & mood of my piece is in case a similar listing came along. :roll:
Hi Tom,

I'm not sure if this will help on perspective or not, but my attempt at this one ("Treasured Moments", which is in my TAXI profile at the link in the signature block below) also got rejected by #309 with the details being, "The energy and tone and right on, however, the emotion doesn't set a happy tone or vibe that works for the spot. You did a great job developing the arrangement overall and the style is marketable." (I think he/she meant "are" for that second "and".) Interestingly, I wasn't really seeing some of the example songs as sounding happy, and I initially wrote the basic melody to the first example video, with the homeless guy, where there was, to my ears anyway, a fair range of emotion in the music at different points in the video. But the specific reference to the "spot" in both our responses maybe suggests there is some specific video the screener has access to for reviewing the music here. FWIW, this is my first attempt at an orchestral (or at least a semi-orchestral) piece, too.

I have a hard time judging emotion in music without vocals in general. Your piece sounded good to my ears, though. One thing I noticed when working on this listing was that I got a very different impression of the music if I listened with my eyes closed versus when I watched the video, especially for the piece I mentioned above, where the video really enhanced the "heartwarming-ness" of the music for me.

Rick

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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by MBantle » Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:51 pm

RPaul wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:45 am
CTWF wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:07 am
got a RETURN :( on that one by #309, who wrote:
Your instrumental styles are well arranged and in the listing's range, however, the emotion didn't work for this spot. The listing is targeting a vibe and mood that's closer to heartwarming.
The good news out of this seems to be that the production was deemed okay. This is kind of a big deal to me, since the track has a more "orchestral" instrumentation (notoriously difficult strings & horns), which is totally new for me. So, I guess I am improving on my DAW and use of VIs skills? :)

I felt the emotion was not really out of range, but screener #309 had a different opinion. :o Unfortunately, she/he did not tell me what she/he thinks the vibe & mood of my piece is in case a similar listing came along. :roll:
Hi Tom,

I'm not sure if this will help on perspective or not, but my attempt at this one ("Treasured Moments", which is in my TAXI profile at the link in the signature block below) also got rejected by #309 with the details being, "The energy and tone and right on, however, the emotion doesn't set a happy tone or vibe that works for the spot. You did a great job developing the arrangement overall and the style is marketable." (I think he/she meant "are" for that second "and".) Interestingly, I wasn't really seeing some of the example songs as sounding happy, and I initially wrote the basic melody to the first example video, with the homeless guy, where there was, to my ears anyway, a fair range of emotion in the music at different points in the video. But the specific reference to the "spot" in both our responses maybe suggests there is some specific video the screener has access to for reviewing the music here. FWIW, this is my first attempt at an orchestral (or at least a semi-orchestral) piece, too.

I have a hard time judging emotion in music without vocals in general. Your piece sounded good to my ears, though. One thing I noticed when working on this listing was that I got a very different impression of the music if I listened with my eyes closed versus when I watched the video, especially for the piece I mentioned above, where the video really enhanced the "heartwarming-ness" of the music for me.

Rick
Hi Rick,
Same experience here with this listing and screener #309 and the comments were very similar (i.e. all good but just did not fit the spot). I assume watching the actual spot we'd know what tone would have been the perfect fit but it remains unclear to me what they were looking for. Forget. Repeat.
Cheers,
Matt

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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by jdkotaska » Fri Dec 06, 2019 7:46 pm

Ahhh... haha! The infamous screener #309 strikes again! :D

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Re: HEARTWARMING $3,000 INSTRUMENTAL

Post by jdkotaska » Fri Dec 06, 2019 7:48 pm

CTWF wrote:
Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:07 am
So, I guess I am improving on my DAW and use of VIs skills? :)
Yes, very much so. :)

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