Dillan Rigney / Mingo Entertainment

Scene: An Australian couple is struggling with their new adopted child, Mantosh, who suffers from rage and self-harm. Lion  depicts the trials and tribulations of Saroo, who was separated from is family in India at a young age. India and its culture are a main aspect of the film. This means it is a great opportunity to showcase great Indian music, which was done, but in my opinion, not to the extent it should have been. Originally this scene had classical background music with the audio intact, but that doesn’t make sense to me. In this shot we are looking at it from Saroo’s point of view. The Indian instrumentation is a better way to connect the audience to that perspective. It allows us to look at the scene through Saroo’s eyes and the bond between Saroo and the audience becomes stronger. It creates harmony and depth. In the other clips on this blog I had to cut the audio because there was no version on YouTube without background music, that kept the natural sound intact. For t...

Scene: Opening credit sequence Nightcrawler ’s original music over the opening credit’s doesn’t add any depth or character. Music during opening credits is a great way of setting up the atmosphere and vibe of the movie proceeding them. For example, Seven (1995) or Spider-Man (2002). Nightcrawler is a tense, uneasy and provocative movie and starting with these eerie ethereal voices creates an immediately immersive experience. Original Clip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZj7N9botgw *FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY*

Scene: Jibb, Diggy, and Malcom are at a party where a purchase of high-grade molly is interrupted by an armed gang, and several people are shot. Malcom escapes as the police arrive. Being a hip-hop head Dope would be a dream project for me. The soundtrack is littered with golden era classics. Which is why it confuses me one wasn’t used for this scene. Instead they use a dance song, even though hip-hop was playing in the club right before the shootout. This classic song is by classic west coast group Cypress Hill, off a classic west coast album. The song with its frenzied manic beat and lyrics about a shootout directly mimics the on-screen desperation and fight for survival. Original Clip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB_4UWMHhpw *FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY*

Scene: Hanna, a career cop, tracks down McCauley, a career thief suspected of preparing a big heist  Hanna pulls him over on the freeway, before inviting him to coffee. This one is hard for two reasons. One the whole movie is built up to this point, the two most respected characters in this film and arguably, in the acting world, finally meeting face-face, for the first time. Two because the song used was specifically made for Heat . It is a great composition, but I thought it sounded dated, cliché, and stiff. A band like Soundgarden who encapsulates the raw energy and awesomeness needed for this moment while still sounding fresh. The tension and pulsating rhythm sync well with the high-octane cat and mouse game on display. *Disclaimer I am a big Soundgarden fan. RIP Chris Cornell Original Clip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU60gUOTBVU *FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY*

Scene: Christopher McCandless has hiked across America and into the Alaskan wilderness. Okay so I said I love Soundgarden right? Well because of that it frustrates me to see them break up while Pearl Jam, a talented but not as talented band, would go on past the late 90’s with continued success and recognition. Did I mention I also l am a big fan of Alice In Chains too? Get where I am going with this? As soon as I heard Eddy I made it my mission to take him out and find something else, even though I will admit this is a great original composition. The track I chose sounds like the soundtrack to a hero’s journey. It rises and builds. It conveys tenaciousness and power. The resoluteness and directness of the lyrics also speak to the struggles the character is going through. The atmosphere of this song also encapsulates the landscape around him, which is equally tenacious and powerful. To help my case further here is the album cover. http://pinkfloydarchives.com/Discog/SAfrica/LP/Solo/G...

Scene: Pete, wounded, flees on foot away from Lambert, bent on revenge for Pete's savage slaying. Lambert catches him and, at gunpoint, takes Pete up to the foot of a mountaintop. After forcing his confession related to the slaying, Lambert offers him the same chance his victim had: he can run barefoot to a distant road wearing only light-weight clothing, rather than being shot. Pete runs but quickly succumbs as his lungs give out from the frigid air, suffering a pulmonary hemorrhage. Wind River  was a movie that was meant to showcase the plight of native American tribes and reservations, specifically rape, which on a side-not is a plight long overdue to be addressed. Although for reasons I cannot understand barely any, if any at all, indigenous music was used. I would have used the opportunity to work with Native American musicians, scored with native American composers and/or consulted Native American musicologist to create a beautiful soundtrack that highlights th...

Scene: Oliver meets Anna at a party where chemistry ensues and sparks fly This scene in Beginners is fun to experiment with because it is malleable. Originally they had a simple melancholy piano play over the scene. I wanted to see what else could be done with it though and this guitar adds to the scene life and rhythm, which in turn means the actions on screen are emotionally impactful to the viewer. This is a dream world pick because the music used is popular band Credence Clearwater Revival which would most likely not have been afforded by this production. My next post shows a more realistic choice. Original Clip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5lzlUR3KP4 *FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY*

Scene: Oliver meets Anna at a party where chemistry ensues and sparks fly One of the hardest jobs of a music supervisor is maintaining a budget. When picking music for the scenes in this blog I research the movie's budget and used the movie's soundtrack to gauge what they could afford.  Beginners is a low budget movie that had no high profile music. It is extremely unlikely that they could have afforded John Fogerty   and CCR .  So here is an economic and practical music selection for  Beginners. Original Clip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5lzlUR3KP4 *FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY*

Scene: Socially awkward teen Peter Parker is getting ready to take his crush Liz to the the homecoming dance. His Aunt May is helping him get ready for his big night and literally shake off some nerves. Spider-Man: Homecoming was the scene that gave me the idea for this project. I remember watching it for the first time, and I just about jumped out of my seat in frustration when I heard The English Beat’s "Save It For Later”. It would be lost on most people, but I did not understand why Spider-Man, whose character is directly linked to New York, would be getting ready for a prom to a band from England. Now I am not advocating that the only music that can be used in a movie is from where the main character is born, but with a character like the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man there is a distinction. The city Spider-Man lives in is as big as a character as Spider-man, so music and artists unapologetically NY should be used at every opportunity. The Ramones are a perfect match for ...

I’m Dillan Rigney and music is my absolute passion. I’m still alive today because of it. What follows my love of music is the desire to share and showcase it. What better way to do that than music in film? In addition, the beautiful marriage of music and visuals can impact a movie-going experience in immeasurable ways. It can establish deeper connections, highlight diverse cultures, and most importantly evoke emotion. I once read that music in films can not only increase a viewer’s empathy for on-screen characters, but also of the people around them. That is a profound concept to me that I would like to be a part of. So to show you how I would do that, here are some movie clips I put together that are re-imagined with my own vision. Watch, enjoy, and hopefully you will walk away with a sense of how important we are to one another. ***Disclaimer these songs were not chosen under normal music supervisor conditions. I am aware you do not get to choose whatever song you want and that...