TAXI.com

Can someone from TAXI please clarify this listing? The cited movie didn't have a soundtrack except for some sound design at the end.

Here's a YouTube clip with some of the BWP sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgydiyjSfuU

I submitted a sound-design-y piece in this vein.

Here's the listing in question:

SCARY UNDERSCORE INSTRUMENTALS a la The Blair Witch Project, etc., needed by a worldwide Independent Publisher who is pitching tracks for a show about PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. He wants to hear full tracks (2:00 and up) - no short cues! He's looking for instrumentals that evoke HORROR, TENSION, GHOSTLY PRESENCE, SUSPENSE, etc. If you give yourself goosebumps, you're headed in the right direction. Your performance and arrangement must be first rate!

Again, I'd really like someone from TAXI to clarify. Perhaps I'll call...?

Yeah, that ala was a bit unhelpful. I think watching a few episodes of either "ghost hunters" or paranormal state will give you an idea of what they want. That's my guess.

Well... guessing would be OK if it didn't cost money and/or if it were just for kicks rather than a career!

FWIW, I emailed them a few weeks back. The reply came today.

My question:

blah blah
> However, the "scary underscore instrumental" listing 'a la' The Blair
> Witch Project is confusing because that movie did not use music or
> sound effects. It relied entirely on environmental ambience. So what
> exactly are they looking for? Thanks.


Taxi answer:

The Blair Witch reference was information given to us by the listing company, so your safest thing to do would be to create underscore given all the other factors in the listing and not worry about the Blair Witch part of it. I think overall the owner just meant score that had a suspenseful, thrilling tone to it.

I'm gonna do a few contrasting -- got one in the straight-up BWP style and another in a more traditional vein. Might do a third tomorrow...

Cruciform wrote:FWIW, I emailed them a few weeks back. The reply came today.

My question:

blah blah
> However, the "scary underscore instrumental" listing 'a la' The Blair
> Witch Project is confusing because that movie did not use music or
> sound effects. It relied entirely on environmental ambience. So what
> exactly are they looking for? Thanks.


Taxi answer:

The Blair Witch reference was information given to us by the listing company, so your safest thing to do would be to create underscore given all the other factors in the listing and not worry about the Blair Witch part of it. I think overall the owner just meant score that had a suspenseful, thrilling tone to it.

Oh, great, Rob - thanks much!

ckbarlow wrote:I'm gonna do a few contrasting -- got one in the straight-up BWP style and another in a more traditional vein. Might do a third tomorrow...

That was my thought too. Did 3 relatively different ones to cover a few bases.

I guess I'm a little more sensitive to situations like this now because I quit the day job a few weeks ago to focus on composing. So when I have to guess, I see those $5s adding up and it hurts a bit.

Thanks for sharing their response, for sure!

Congrats on the big step, welcome and good luck.

Awesome finding this thread, I went through exactly the same thing with this listing! From hearing absolutely no music in the film, to doing research on other paranormal shows, to submitting two completely different tracks!

All the very best with the move, CK!