Monday, September 9, 2013

The Magnificent Elmer Bernstein

Film composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead) just posted some nuggets of wisdom he picked up while working for Elmer Bernstein. Most of them address the composer's relationship to the film and director. Many are complaints. A few of my favorites:
Never fear your talented competitors. Fear the charlatans.”
“Filmmakers tend to be comfortable when we’re comfortable, which happens when we’re ourselves.”
“There is a mystical element to a flute in its low register.”
For those who don't know Elmer Bernstein, maybe this tune rings a bell:

Read his full post here.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ninja Slide

If seven-year-old me met current me and asked what I was up to, and I said that I just finished writing music for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game, I think we would have slapped high-fives and shared a moment of mutual appreciation. Then I'd go blow his mind by kicking a soccer ball in the air higher than he could ever dream to.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Keep on Trackin'

Ever wonder what went into writing Super Nintendo music? Writing for Sifteo Cubes is a really similar process -- I wrote a blog post on the Sifteo Tech Blog laying it out for all you curious musicians and nostalgiaholics.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Surf Berlin: Patience, Dedication, Obsession

Surf Berlin: 30 Seconds from Ira Mowen on Vimeo.

With only one chance per day to catch this wave, every missed opportunity is agonizing. Surf Berlin is a film about patience, dedication, and a bit of obsession in the quest to catch the last German wave....

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Sifteo Cubes: Radically Simple

I wrote music for an advertisement for the new Sifteo Cubes – a new tactile gaming platform.

Friday, November 9, 2012

IndieCade 2012: Indie Game Developers

Ashton Kutcher and ThrashLab produced a short video featuring Sifteo's Chroma Shuffle – a 2012 IndieCade finalist.

Keep an ear out at 3:20 for a familiar tune:

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The next step is terrible...

If only you'd remember before ever you sit down to write that you've been a reader long before you were ever a writer. You simply fix that fact in your mind, then sit very still and ask yourself, as a reader, what piece of writing in all the world Buddy Glass would most want to read if he had his heart's choice. The next step is terrible, but so simple I can hardly believe it as I write it. You just sit down shamelessly and write the thing yourself. I won't even underline that. It's too important to be underlined."

-J.D. Salinger
Seymour, an Introduction