B4 - Benjamin Symons
Benjamin Symons has followed up his previous collaboration with Director Patrick Ryder with a stunning score that will leave your emotions being played with on a multitude of levels. Delicately constructed, the score to this short feature is something you would expect to hear on mainstream TV and is certainly a score that will make a number of industry insiders take note of his name. Using layered digital footprints as the basis for the score we are treated to an expertly fused selection of reversed sounds and instruments to create a sense of ease alongside the steady pulse of racing emotions. The music truly does connect with your psyche and I am sure you will enjoy the 24 minutes of creative talent on this album.
Synopsis
B4 is the latest film from multi award-winning director Patrick Ryder. Rupert Shaw 'Christie-Luke Jones' (Red Sky/The Ice Field) is a man who has recently lost his wife Amanda 'Sian Abrahams' (First World Problem) who committed suicide, his life is tumbling out of control and he has lost his way. One day he receives a call from a mysterious stranger who promises him the chance to get his wife back. At first Rupert dismisses the caller and a prankster, but as things develop he realises maybe there is hope and maybe he can change the cards fate has dealt him.
The previous collaboration between Benjamin Symons and Patrick Ryder SHIFT resulted in a number of industry awards recognising the unique context and synchronicity of dance in film. Telling the story of a white collar worker escaping the confines of his working environment and exploring the outside world in an expressionistic way the highest accolade received was being handpicked by Madonna for her 'Art For Freedom Award'
In B4 we are treated to a very different musical experience and despite this being his second venture into the world of composition for film there are tones of a well schooled and experienced professional. There are many ways to approach the subject matter of loss, bereavement and emotional distress and Symons does not overplay or indeed oversell the nature of the plot. What has been created is a very discreet and subtle exploration of our own personal journey when faced with trauma and adversity. The music is constructed in an introverted manner and this is what makes it become a more harmonious fusion of the classical sound and digitally constructed landscape.
Symons explains "The film is complex as it deals with a lot of emotions and layers; so really the goal for me was to allow the music to do just enough to nudge an audience in the right direction but without making it glaringly obvious or over bearing. The score is constructed to be subtle and soft yet it has the feeling of a steady pulse throughout which is for me symbolising the passing of time. I use lots of reverse effects and reversed instruments to add the feeling of travelling backward but on the most simple level I wanted to connect with the film as closely as possible on an emotional level and hopefully i have done that. I want people to sit down and listen to the album in full and drift away into it... let it transport you somewhere else for 25 minutes."
The opening of the album We Travel Not To Escape Life But For Life Not To Escape lets us experience exactly what Symons has intended through offering a musical echo that assimilates the protagonist's soulful contemplation at his recent loss; beautiful and gentle piano chords bounce away ably supported by solo violin as we are led into the story and discover the path we as the viewer are about to follow. Jerry Goldsmith used this technique to great effect in scores such as QB VI and Patton to allow the viewer/listener to trace steps through history and contextualise the action on screen; it is an underused trick in film scoring and am glad to note its reappearance in this score. Other stand out tracks on the album are Diagnosis (with its subject matter clearly evident in the structure, tone and modal nature), B4 features reveresed strings with a forward moving piano melody playing out prior to percussion taking over; whilst the track Before Time plays us into the hands of a Zimmer-esque crescendo that drops back into a lullaby ending.
The style of the score is something that is very hard to label as it contains hints at genres discovered alongside a slightly avant-garde expressionistic attitude. If this score had been recorded with a small orchestra as was previously intended in the crowd funding phase I think that we would have been treated to something that would make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. Benjamin Symons has done a fantastic job on a fantastic short film and as his career develops further so will his musical palette. I hope that he continues to approach projects with the uninhibited notation and experimental layered melodies evident in B4. The score is inventive, emotive and deserving of the attention and reviews that I am sure it will receive over the coming months.
Purchase the album: Click Here
