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The music in a nature documentary is not supposed to get in the way of the story. So when it's done well, you don't even notice it. Lenny Williams writes music for shows about Hippos, Wasps, Jellyfish and Spiders and he does it very well. He's won multiple Emmy Awards and his work is heard by millions. But it's safe to say that people who have heard it will be hard-pressed to remember it. In this un-narrated profile, Williams walks us through the process of creating music for a nature documentary; drawing on his training in classical composition and his years as a jazz pianist.
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Piece Description
The music in a nature documentary is not supposed to get in the way of the story. So when it's done well, you don't even notice it. Lenny Williams writes music for shows about Hippos, Wasps, Jellyfish and Spiders and he does it very well. He's won multiple Emmy Awards and his work is heard by millions. But it's safe to say that people who have heard it will be hard-pressed to remember it. In this un-narrated profile, Williams walks us through the process of creating music for a nature documentary; drawing on his training in classical composition and his years as a jazz pianist.
Transcript
(MUSIC) OK, now we see the little girl. 'Kay, there's some shots of her playing on the beach. Now she's picking up her flotation device. There?s her concerned mother.
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Our job is basically to take what's already there in the film and enhance it. To ramp up the emotion so that people are interested in the story and get caught up in the story a little bit more than they normally would if the music wasn't there.
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(music changes) now I add some weird sounds here. (scary music --weird sounds)
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My name's Lenny Williams and I write music for non-fiction television. I've won four Emmy awards in the last five years. And all for National Geographic shows about -- mostly animals uh, first was for a hippo show. The next one was "Hornets From Hell." And last year and the...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
IN: (spooky music) OK, now we see the little girl
OQ: (music fade)
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bustin' Loose | Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers | The Best of Chuck Brown. | Raw Venture | 2005 | 00:00 |
| Cheek to Cheek | Eva Cassidy | Live at Blues Alley. | Blix Street | 1998 | 00:00 |
| Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: I. Molto allegro | Barry Wordsworth & Capella Istropolitana | The Mozart Collection. | Naxos | 1994 | 00:00 |
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lucy flanagan
Posted on May 19, 2009 at 10:50 PM | Permalink
Great stuff
I found this account fascinating. Too short.