With the theme song of 28 days later playing in background, I now set out to begin work on my first song for the album. I intend to take upon this composing work by placing in filming ideas as much as possible, i.e to do proper pre-production and analysis before actually beginning studio work.

The reason behind this is that I find myself unable to just instantly create music that appreciates itself for what it is. So far I have merely concocted songs that do not necessarily embody the ideas from which the lyrics are written.

It is like putting together an image in Photoshop without an apparent study of the final vision nor the understanding of its individual elements or layers. It looks good. But it doesn’t mean anything.

I can’t have that anymore. Not for something that officially represents me.

So this will be a journal entry that will accompany me in the stages of this process, and hopefully help me at the end of the day in reviewing the success of this concept.

PRE PRODUCTION STAGES
(with reference to filmmaking)
(warning: techy shit ahead. skip to keep head on body.)

‘script analysis’
I will attempt to analyse the lyrics and break it down into emotional beats as per a normal film script. Determine narrator, characters, themes, spine. Introduce a layer of subtext.

‘actor rehearsals’
Perhaps begin some preliminary work in creating tunes/voices/rhythms/riffs. These may be useful in developing a basic sound.

‘production design’
Collect references of images, music, sound that set the mood and tone.

‘shot design’
structural design of song.

GAMMA RAY SKY - MONGREL

the son
follows his father's footsteps
and becomes a farmer

not a better farmer,
just a farmer
same as the father

( i thought this was a beat since it focused on the f/s r/s)

there is no accumulative wisdom
how much of that are we
endless cycles of subsistence

once in awhile
one of few
discover something new
a technological progress for all
but we are still the same

(this one seems more like a commentary of life)

(this is a mix)

and when the sun dies the sons die
is this the creed decreed upon us,

we are therefore we are
circles of comfort just like the planets,

shaped by natural law
never to assume more than existence.

the bracketed parts are some comments/breakdowns done by my significant other; she also did the following write up after some persuasion (heh). Stuff in italics are my own additions for thematic ideas.

This poem is a good example with poetry that involves the juxtaposition of the cycle of life with ones' relationship with his father.

Try using styles/instrumentations from Film noir, Sci fi, Fantasy, Modern rock but using the same basic melody to convey this repetitive ‘cycle of life’.

Thematically speaking, it talks about how "we are all still the same" no matter the changes in our life. This interjects with his commentary on how "the son follows his father's footsteps" in the neverending cycle of things.

It is a free flowing poem without a classical poetic structure: (not a sonnet, no iambic panameter). But it does occasionally have words that rhyme with each other. Notably, we can see how when he talks about the father and son, the words rhyme more than when he comments on life: (second stanza). This perhaps connotes his confusion about life and emphasizes on it.

In my opinion as the writer I think the simpler more assertive tone in the first stanza does not show how it is more confident as compared to the second stanza with run-on sentences being a more unsure state of the writer. The first stanza was meant to be more of a boring factual statement, the run-ons being more confident with a more fluid play with words. However, I find that both views do still stand.

The tone and mood of the poem is very stoic in my opinion. It feels rather hopeless and seems to flow in a cycle. Once he mentions that the son "becomes a farmer", the son is then put down and in the next verse becomes the "same as (his) father)". You see the same thing when once we "discover something new", he goes on to say, "BUT we are still the same". This use of taking back his positives and turning them negative is a neverending cycle, like the neverending cycle of life. And gives illusion to the stoic, roundabout, pessimistic mood.

Consider song structure in this. The similarities in both segments could be brought about more by structuring them both as similar verses.

It has a rather consistent poetic rhythm. The start seems to be more hopeful and quicker however, although not that much quicker. And then as the poem flows to the end, the rhythm gets slower and heavier as sentences seem to run on longer with longer words. The poem seems to slowly drag you down with it.

I was watching an interview with the director of Flight Plan yesterday. He used the word ‘slow boil’ to describe how he envisioned his film to climax. Tension builds up ever slowly until it in itself threatens to explode, as opposed to placing a catalyst or a marker for this climax. The theme song of 28 days later also seems to do this, the same tune going over and over… yet getting drastically heavier… at first it is just acoustic guitar which evolves into a running strum and finally rolls into a full on distortion guitar.

The poem is in the third person voice, giving it an isolated feeling. We feel disconnected from that voice as it is impersonal. The poet never mentions himself despite the feeling that it has a lot to do with him. This helps add to the heavy and moody feeling.

This isn't a melodramatic poem. in my opinion, it is more unemotionless than sad. the heavy mood is not one of great tears and sadness, but of repetition and solemness.

I shall come back to this another day with a fresh mind.