MALARIA MUSIC INSIGHTS

In this short article I would like to share a few thoughts about my work on the short film "MALARIA". For this extraordinary film by director Andzej Garviss I was allowed to compose the music.

1. MOSQUITO

The bloodsucker is an important element in the film. But how can a mosquito sound musical? Barely perceptible and yet so penetrating, high-frequency and sharp.

Only a small short bite has a fatal effect and you just can't ignore the nasty buzzing. In order to convey this musically, I used my old violin, which I inherited from my grandfather. With it I played two tones, as unpleasant as it was possible for me. You can hear this passage here:

2. FUNERAL DRUMS

Abandoned, lonely and rejected. When the main character wanders in the desert, I wanted to create a mood that reminds one of medieval execution music. As if the infected person would make his last way to the scaffold and be doomed to die. You can hear that part here:

3. DOPPLER EFFECT

The protagonist walks around without orientation. A car as well as all the other people pass by him - that was for me the clue for another musical theme.

I used the "Doppler effect" that everyone has heard at least once: for example, when an ambulance with blue light rushes past you and the pitch of the siren changes.

I applied exactly this acoustic phenomenon to the melody in the desert. Here the passage in the score:

4. CELLO - EPILOG

The end of the film shows the sad reality of the homeless in America: poverty, hunger and hopelessness. The music here should stand out clearly from the rest of the score. I wanted to create a music that was close, real and pure. So I decided to record the main melody with a cello myself - because I had never played the cello before in my life. I started recording right away and even used the first takes for the film, because this forced me to look for the right notes on the fretboard myself. This permanent attempt to play the "right" note and not quite hit it in the end was a wonderful symbol for the desperate struggle of many homeless people to find their way out of tragedy. Here the Cello Theme:

I hope this short article has given a little insight into my creative process. Write me a short comment if you liked it and if you want me to give you more of these insights in the future. I look forward to your feedback!

Greets & Beats

STEFAN BEN7.