REVIEWS & INTERVIEWS

Review by Bruno Roberti from FILM MUSIC SITE

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

A thin line between romance and tragedy

You are my sunshine is a movie about a homosexual relationship between Tom (Ernest Vernon) and Joe (Charles O'Neill). The storytelling jumps between the start of their romance as 2 young men and their unconditional love at an older age. They get to know each other at work and from that moment they fall madly in love. They try to keep it discrete and secret, as they both live in the same small town and a homosexual relationship is even nowadays still taboo, unfortunately. Nevertheless, when Joe introduces Tom as a friend to his sister Ethel (Rosemary Manjunath), all goes pretty well till she catches them secretly kissing moments later. To her it is so horrifying that she can't deal with it and inevitably their dad get to know about it as well, resulting in a family drama which causes a rupture between Joe and his family. Years later, he tries to reunite with his sister and her son, who's totally ok with the fact that his uncle is gay. Joe's sister, Ethel, still has difficulties to accept it.

When Joe confesses the bad news he got from the doctor, he is diagnosed with cancer and has only little time left to live, everyone is heartbroken and obviously devastated. Can Ethel reconcile with her brother in time? Or will it remain an everlasting dispute?

The music is from award-winning Brazilian born British composer Hans Michael Anselmo Hess (Carnival of Sorrows, Clownface, Sustain, …). This score is very thematic as I'm already used to from him. Almost every character has his theme and I can't appreciate this enough, since it became so rare in contemporary movies, unfortunately. The music is fully electronically crafted but barely noticeable. It sounds very realistic and this is a big step forward since his earlier work, which was already stunningly well done. I will not describe all tracks because there are a whole lot of them and they are pretty short, mostly. There are a few important ones that got my attention, which doesn't mean that the other ones are dull, not at all. There's always something happening, even in the very few underscoring tracks.

In the first track “Meadows” the composer introduces us to the main theme. It starts with chimes or a music-box-like sound as accompaniment to the oboe which plays the beautiful melody we get to hear many times and in lots of variations later on. More towards the end, it becomes all a bit more playful and happy, succesfully accompanying the amorousness of young Tom and Joe.
In “Joe and Ethel” the music is more sad. Greatly underlining the story between brother and sister that lead to a rupture when they were young. The oboe, which is kind of the central instrument used by Hess, is back in “Remembering the past” with a beautiful melody different from the main theme. It's the first flashback scene and the start of the actual story.

We get a new theme, what I'd like to call Tom's theme, in “Love is love”. There are strings and oboe but with a different melody this time. I think both themes could be combined in some way, they seem to complement each other, in my humble opinion. This theme returns in the next track called “A love thing”. The piano starts here in a more intimate way and is later joined by the oboe and some strings. “Bike ride” is a very joyful track helping the scene to show how excited Tom is to ride to the love of his life and leads us straight into the next track “Hidden kiss”. This track is totally different. It doesn't sound orchestral as the rest of the score. It's more ethereal and dreamy, with slow 'cosmic' synthesizer sounds. It's like there's a whole new world opening for both characters, something 'otherworldly'. Great idea from Hess.

So far, the score is very romantic and optimistic, but this is changing as the story goes forth and Joe is confronted with his illness. It comprehensively gets all a bit darker and tragic. The same theme comes back with more sadness than before, for example in “What the future holds” and “How long have I got?” The theme is a bit broken down, just as the main character who has to cope with his devastating diagnosis. I love the use of choir in both tracks, really. It gave me goosebumps when I saw the scene (SPOILER ALERT!) where Joe visits his father's tomb. Another beautiful track is “One day at a time”. Very intimate with a slow piano reprising the theme, barely recognizable in its simplicity and deconstructed. But, there is still a glance of hope and eternal love beyond death in “A unique place in my heart”. Same theme but a bit more uplifting again.

And then we have the last track “On the hill/Stargaze” and the bonus track “Goodbye/Stargaze”, which is in fact the original version that Hess composed for the ending scene. But because the director wanted a more uplifting score for the scene, Hess then wrote “On the hill” to replace “Goodbye”. The ending is sad in either way. So, it's hard to tell which version is more adequate. To each his own, but personally? I tend to prefer Hess's original take. Yes, it's sadder. And perhaps, the director thought it was too sad, that the character fell different and then he probably took the right decision.

Hans Michael Anselmo Hess is clearly a talented composer who is influenced by many different composers, like Newman to just name one. It's also something the director wanted for the movie that already was temp-tracked with Hess's previous music and some of Newman's. Nevertheless, Hess took Newman only as a 'role model', not as reference to copy from. Although that last scene was temp-tracked with some cues of Meet Joe Black, there's no melodic resemblance, at all. A very difficult task to achieve but Hess succeeded. After listening to this score plenty of times, I came to a conclusion. Hess might be influenced by many but copying none. He develops his own style successfully, thanks to a varied density of orchestration, which can be a key to write a good score. So, do we hear Newman here? For some of us, film music aficionado's, yes. But only if you are a well experienced listener and connoisseur. If you're one of those, you probably will hear some Bernstein too. If you're just a beginning film music fan, you wouldn't notice this. Or if you do, you're special.

Conclusion: Again, a great score by Hans Michael Anselmo Hess, getting better and better each time. Curious for your next move, Hans! 07/10

Review by Steven A. Kennedy from FILM SCORE MONTHLY

Writer-director David Hastings’ (Sustain) latest feature, You Are My Sunshine, is a romance set in the countryside of 1970s Britain that follows the relationship between two young men. Composer Hans Hess (Sustain, Clownface has worked with Hastings on several previous projects, and returns here to provide a poignant, attractive score that emphasizes the film’s romantic elements.

“Meadows” opens the album presentation with a lyrical theme that emerges slowly, and eventually receives a purer piano statement. A harmonic twist adds bittersweetness to the otherwise beautiful romantic quality of the material, while bell tones and ethereal atmospheric touches further expand the palette.

The emotional sensibility of the score is bolstered by string backdrops that contrast with the lighter piano motifs, as in “Too Much Cold.” “Bike Ride” delivers a moment of more forward motion, with another long lyrical line floating above.

Atmospheric electronics appear as well from time to time, as in “Hidden Kiss” and “Give Me a Sign.” Still, it’s the orchestra that dominates, including in the form of some large-scale, melodramatic fare, as evidenced in “Ethel’s Shock.” The final two tracks of the playlist provide a longer stretch of development, making for a fine wrap-up to the score.

You Are My Sunshine is a solid example of its genre, benefitting from an engaging main theme and rich orchestral colors. The album experience lives and dies by that theme, so if you buy in, you’re likely to enjoy most of the ride.—Steven A. Kennedy

Review by Sybren van der Schoot from FILM MUSIC SITE:

CLOWNFACE

After great critical acclaim for Hess’ music on the movie Carnival Of Sorrows, wich earned the movie an Award for best feature film and best musical score at the LA Film Festival in 2018, Hess now returns for another, even richer score to the 2019- slasherfilm CLOWNFACE wich just recently won its 3rd(!) Award at the Latitude Film Awards

This time around Hess goes even bigger with instrumentation and multi layers of sound and ambiance. For this slasherflick Hess composed a beautiful and melancholic theme for its lead character ‘Zoe’: with accoustic guitar he approaches the start of the movie with a warm and tender feel to it. The theme returns two or three times, but always with a little twist.

For the theme of the antagonist and titulair character ‘Clownface’ we hear the dark and threatening low key arrangement that for any listener tells us all we need to know: a dark, twisted and above all deadly presense is hovering over the teenagers that all too soon start to dissappear in the old fashioned 80’s slasher-way. Hess uses both acoustic and electronic instruments, that colour every track with a kind of freshness and surprise. At times you feel like you’re recognising little pieces of music that remind of Steve Jablonsky’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) Marco Beltrami’s Scream (1996) or even John Carpenter, when it comes to ‘Zoe’s Theme’, that of being a simple but recognisable piece of music.

The score to CLOWNFACE consists of 30 short tracks, but with one longer piece to build tension and really getting into the vibe of the scene, wich happens to be a complete group of party people getting offed by the psycho: ‘Party Massacre’ has synth strings, cello, pizzicato, percussion all blend into a 6:06 min. sequence. The shortest track, ‘Game On’, with a total of only “0.23 seconds has to be the ultimate nodge to the 80’s. With its old school-style synth/percussion it’s like a brief moment of joy throughout the dooming vibe the album depicts. All hell breakes loose on ‘Failed Attempt’ like a big cluster of whaling strings, heavy drums and sizzling sharp sounds that build up to a climax.
Hans Michael Anselmo Hess mentioned in an interview once, how much he enjoys composing multi layered pieces of music that can bring every listener their own experience on what could happen in that particulair piece of music and even making music that is strong enough to stand on its own.

My overall conclusion to CLOWNFACE: the composer seems to have been given more carte blanche in choosing the instrumantation, wich results in a bigger than life power-score, with this time more accoustic instruments like cello, guitar flute and a rich full soundscape that keeps you on edge throughout the whole album. There were a few moments where Hess’ score almost sounds too grand for the images of the movie it was composed for. But it also gives the movie some extra cache ( who remembers Christopher Young’s contribution to ‘Hellraiser’ (1987) and ‘Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) that provided more impact then it would have had without his beautiful and iconic score) That same class and energy, Hess brings to CLOWNFACE. 09/10

Review by Steven A. Kennedy from FILM SCORE MONTHLY:

Clownface, actor-director Alex Bourne’s second horror feature, focuses on a serial killer terrorizing a small town. The movie has garnered some attention at its showings in horror film festivals in anticipation of a wider release next year. Composer Hans Michael Hess is based in Leeds, where he also lectures on film music composition. He has composed several feature scores, some television music, and works as a library music composer with several companies. His music for Clownface, which has already won a “best score” nod from the Los Angeles Film Awards, was made available this month on digital platforms.

The album opens with the dark “He’s Coming,” which features a four-note motive in low strings, assisted by rhythmic accents. Three thematic ideas are then laid out, the first of which is for Zoe, a relatively simple, folk-flavored tune set on solo guitar. “Clownface’s Theme” is the ultimate contrast, built out of a collage of intense sounds and violent punches. Driven by a John Carpenter-like motif, the “theme” is mostly about creating an atmosphere, alluding to the character’s vicious side. The opening motif established here returns throughout the album to further cement itself as a connection to Clownface. The last of the score’s main components is “Owen’s Theme,” a more reflective, yet troubled idea for piano, with a static feel.

“Misfortunes of the Past” throws us into the underscore proper, with allusions to the Clownface theme. Some tracks provide little more than atmosphere or connective tissue, but others deliver rich colors and integrated thematic writing, as in the effective “The Lair.” “Hostage,” meanwhile, opens with a dense mass of unsettled sounds before integrating Clownface’s theme against tremolo strings.

Pitched percussion adds quirky contrast in “Pretty Face,” which offers a variant on the Clownface theme courtesy of piano and strings. “Zoe and Rick” provides a respite from all the intensity, with her guitar theme being the focus.

“Game On” introduces some 8-bit arcade stylings before “Those Eyes” returns us to Zoe’s music. “Strangling” ups the ante with intense textures, while “Skinning” delivers unsettling sounds and audio manipulation. This kind of sinister, crawling material figures into healthy stretches of the album, dominating tracks like “New Mask,” “Slitting, Stamping, Gutting” and “Axe and Knife.”

“Party Massacre” is a six-minute cue in which Hess gets to unload a kitchen sink-full of ideas, as most of the score’s key thematic threads come together to create one of the standout pieces on the album. “In the Tunnels” builds on “Party Massacre,” as we head into the final stretch of the playlist, which includes some exciting action music, as in “Hide and Seek.” We eventually come out the other side with the reflective “Zoe and Jenna,” but the tranquility is short-lived as “I Only Hurt You If You Struggle” brings back the score’s dominant, horrific aspects.

Clownface proves to be an effective work that amounts to more than the ambient electronics and diffuse sounds common to low-budget horror scoring today. There are nods to some of the classic slasher films in the Carpenter cannon, and Hess’ thematic dexterity holds things together as an album experience. Fans of this type of score will likely find it to be a worthwhile listen, and a welcome introduction to a new voice in film music.

Review by Bruno Roberti from FILM MUSIC SITE:

Clownface is an independent low budget slasher movie about some kind of weird mask-wearing psychopath called Clownface. The film itself is not the best I’ve ever seen in the genre but far from the worst eiter. Let’s face it, the actors are not very convincing, despite some exceptions like Zoe, one of the main characters for example and the story has a few plot holes here and there but it still is worth watching, albeit for its rather surprising end. I won’t tell the whole story of the movie, because the subject of my review is Hess’s music which is the best element of this movie.

Let me start by saying that I already was surprised by this composer’s first score, Carnival of Sorrows. As you might have read in my review I quite liked it but the only thing that bothered me was the ‘plastic’ sound, I missed some real instruments. Perhaps, Hess did listen to my opinion. This score sounds a lot more real than its predecessor thanks to the use of real instruments instead of keyboards and synths only. Not that it’s a symphonic and without any electronic sounds, not at all. It is more a successful combination of both worlds. And that’s what makes this score so great. It’s got all it needs to be a good score: like in ‘CARNIVAL OF SORROWS’, there is a strong thematic approach, some real instruments in combination with keyboards & synths, variation, terrifying creepy sounds and effects which are a must in a horror movie score.

The overall mood of this soundtrack is very dark, tenebrous, aggressive but still with some moments of rest to give the opportunity to the listeners to take a deep breath before diving again in the Clownface’s world of madness.
After a short dark introduction ‘’He’s Coming’’ we get our first theme, ‘‘Zoe’s Theme’’ followed by ‘Clownface’s Theme’. Later on, we even get a 3rd one, ‘’Owen’s Theme’’. The first two themes couldn’t be more different. ‘Zoe’s theme’ is beautifully played by the composer himself on classical guitar and is some sort of intimate melody, it stays in your head for a while when you hear it for the first time. It gets back in several other tracks like: “Zoe & Rick”, “Those Eyes” and “You Kept Me Alive”.

“Clownface’s theme” is much more creepy and frightening ofcourse. It even reminds me a tiny bit of those old classic monster movies: heavy, dark, bombastic, in a dark abyss of madness. This theme also gets back and even more frequently than “Zoe’s Theme” and in a bunch of very different variations. There’s even a music box version in “Pretty Face”, some hints of it in “Encounter”. In fact our main character’s theme is all over the album, if you listen carefully though. If you want to hear him in full glory, you should listen to rightaway to “Party Massacre”. It’s truly creepy. The theme gets back and it’s a nice long track with weird effects, banging orchestral hits and Hess did some experimentation with traditional instruments and that’s really something I’m very keen of, when you hear some kind of instrument without having a clue which instrument has been used to get that sound. You could get really surprised what you can get out of a normal piano or traditional violin, etc...

“Owen’s Theme” on the other hand doesn’t get as much attention, but the same goes for the character. He’s only a small piece of the story, but nevertheless pretty important. It starts with soft, mysterious piano notes accompanied by woodwinds in the background. It sounds pretty mysterious and you really don’t know what to expect yet. It’s also a bit more simple than both other themes, which are really well elaborated.

There is also non-thematic material that sounds truly terrifying and creepy, like some chilling sound effects, a distorted piano, a lot of low strings, heavy banging percussion, and so on. Enough material to keep the listener focused.

So, to conclude this review:
Clownface is one hell of a trip (almost litteraly) and I mean it in a good way, obviously! It has everything such a movie should have. Is it easy to listen? Hell no! And it shouldn’t be! As no other horror movie should be easy to listen either. It is frightening, at moments even terrifying, it creeps under your skin and drags you into a world of madness. The world of Clownface!

Thank you Hans for this blood-curdling score!
A well deserved 85/100!

Review by The Film Scorer from The Film Scorer:

Sometimes looks can be deceiving.  The film title ‘Clownface,’ for instance, did not inspire much optimism.  Yet, I was pleasantly surprised as Hans Hess’ score proved to be more interesting and dynamic than the film’s name let on.

Hess hits all the beats found in most modern horror films: low, crushing rumbles announce the presence of the killer, made all the creepier by vibrating, unnatural percussion; slow, fragmented piano melodies mesh with airy, droning synth to create a haunted atmosphere; and high-pitched noises crescendo into piercing climaxes.  These elements, on their own, do not create anything exceptionally new, which would be fitting for what ends up being a rather standard slasher.  However, Hess adds a few unique elements.

The most striking of these comes in the first few minutes: the unaccompanied classical guitar of “Zoe’s Theme.”  Among the most underutilized instruments in all of film music, the classical guitar lends a certain elegance, a longing nostalgia for a time long gone and long lost.  The theme arises intermittently throughout the movie, perfectly accompanying the flashbacks of the broken and haunted protagonist.  It has a surprising gentleness and emotional honestly largely absent from the film, making it stand out all the more. 

While it may be a long wait for classical guitar to find its way into mainstream film music, Hess’s ‘Clownface’ serves to tide listeners over till that day comes.  Hopefully he can help lead the way as his film music career progresses.

INTERVIEW WITH THE FILM SCORER:

Hans Hess is a relatively new film composer, born in Brazil and currently living in England.  His latest score, Clownface, just released and has already notched wins at the London Independent Film Awards, the Los Angeles Film Awards, and the Latitude Film Awards. I recently had a chance to “talk” with Hans about our shared interest in classical guitar in film music, his inspirations, and his upcoming projects.Classical Guitar in Clownface and Film Music

The Film Scorer:  Your use of classical guitar in Clownface caught me off guard and was rather refreshing, particularly since it’s so rarely used in film music.  What inspired your use of classical guitar and what do you think its role could be in film music?

Hans Hess:  Actually, the idea of using classical guitar came from director Alex Bourne. He listened to my guitar pieces and he thought that a theme for solo guitar would be perfect for the character Zoe. I loved the idea as I was looking for an opportunity to use the guitar again in a soundtrack. I have done it before, but sometimes, some filmmakers would make associations of the guitar sound to ‘Latin music,’ and would ask me not to use it in the projects. For instance, I would play a big open E major chord and they would say: “that’s flamenco!”

I believe that one of the reasons that this happens is because some filmmakers, and a good number of people, are not aware of the vast repertoire that the classical guitar has consolidated (especially in Western music). When you go to watch recitals of world top classical guitar performers you’ll be always impressed by the expressiveness, timbres, and versatility that you hear in guitar music. It’s a complex polyphonic instrument just like the piano.

Therefore, and after this score for Clownface, I want to push a bit more the use of the classical guitar in film music. There’s so much that this instrument can offer that I think it can find its space. Perhaps it would be able to create the same space in film music like the piano, which is an instrument we almost hear in any soundtrack. Ennio Morricone, in his score for Cinema Paradiso, for instance, makes a great use of the guitar along with the orchestra, proving the suitability of the instrument in the world of film music. To make this happen, we need film composers using this instrument in film scores more often. I think I can bring a great contribution. Nevertheless, the usage of this instrument needs to be relevant to the needs of the film narrative.

Inspirations

TFS: You’ve studied and talked about the use of samba in Brazilian film – both in articles and in your PhD.  Have you considered using samba or other Brazilian musical styles in your own work?

HH: The only time I used Brazilian styles in my work was in library music, in album themes relevant to Brazil and Latin America. In terms of films, forcing these elements can be a disaster. The reason is because using musical genres will, most of the time, transport us to a location. For instance, I don’t think that using samba would necessarily fit to an alien sci-fi epic film situated in the USA. But, if the movie would have its place in Brazil and involve Brazilian culture, I could see a potential use for it blended with orchestral sounds, synths, and sound design.

TFS:  I know that a lot of 80s and 90s scores, like Braveheart andThe Mission, initially inspired you to work on film music.  What has inspired you more recently?

HH:  Nowadays, composers such as Bear McCreary and Alexandre Desplat are great sources of inspiration. I think they (and specially Bear McCreary) are very underrated.

The Search for Projects and What’s Next

TFS:  When deciding whether to work on a film, what elements do you look for?

HH:  The first and most important element for me in a film is the story. I’m very fond of certain styles such as sci-fi, horror, epic adventure, and drama. So, I’ll look at stories that appeal to me. I also like to know who the director is. Hence, it’s important to know what films they’ve done and if they are good to work with. I believe that working with filmmakers you really get along well helps a lot to accomplish my work. This is important because the synergy of two creative minds (director and composer) will together create something that will best serve the story of the movie.

TFS:  What would be your dream film to compose for?

HH:  It would be great to score a movie that is not related to a franchise. The main reason is because I would like to avoid having to use themes from a movie whose soundtrack is already very well known. Hence, I would like to have the opportunity to come up with something that is more unique. If I could get a great paranormal horror or epic sci-fi that would make me super excited.

TFS:  What projects are up next?

HH:  I do have a great variety of projects at the moment. Recently, I finished the score for a crime/thriller/drama feature film Sustain. Other projects that are about to start are: Snarl (a werewolf short movie), You Are My Sunshine (an LGBT feature film), Theosight (a TV Series), and Dilemma (a crime/thriller feature film). Along with these film projects, I’m also writing for library music. My other recent projects include: a full album of solo classical guitar for BMG Production Music, a full album of guitar and small orchestral for Velvet Green Music, and an epic trailer album (pitching for a big label TBC).

Review by Bruno Roberti from FILM MUSIC SITE:

SUSTAIN

Upcoming composer Hans Michael Anselmo Hess already composed 17 scores, including 10 short films and 1 TV-series. This is the 14th film he scored and my 3rd review of his work. The first two scores I reviewed were for 2 horror movies: Carnival of Sorrows and Clownface. So, this is his first non-horror movie, beside his short-films. This could be a challenge for a composer and an opportunity. 

Sustain is a dark dramatic movie about a man who loses his brother in a racially motivated attack by some thugs. After the death of his brother the main character has to get his life back on trails and tries to get a reconciliation with his mother but comes to the conclusion there's no other way than confront his brother's killers.

The music Hess wrote for this film is as expected quite different of both his previous scores, being horror flicks. Nevertheless, like I'm already used to, he still kept a thematical approach as I love to hear. The first theme we discover is the one for Kara. It's basically build around a 2 tone motif, simple but effective. Like any good theme, this one is used more than once. In fact, it's already there before you even realize it, in the 4th track called “Grief”. The theme is introduced by a cello, but in 'Kara and Roy' some kind of broken, out of tune piano takes over the theme. It sounds more intimate but still recognizable. Then we get to hear it for the 3rd time in “Kara's Help”. This is a more melodic approach. Beautifully done. 

The score is a perfect fit to the story, dramatically dark and intimately sad. Although it starts with a rather atmospheric soundscape, where the composer uses mostly electronic sounds to create a threatening, gloomy mood. However, the score gets more 'organic' after a few tracks. The electronic sound-design makes room for more accoustic elements, like strings (especially the cello) and that broken piano, which I personally really like. It feels like it accentuates the state of mind of the main character: still functioning but irreparably broken from the inside out due to the tragic loss of his brother. 

Towards the end of the score, the music gets more electronic again. It's like the composer wanted to write a score with 2 opposite sides, like the story. On one side the life of a rather normal family and on the other side the criminal life of the ones who ruthlessly killed the main character's brother. I must say, this is very effective. It's not all electronics though, more a combination of both worlds as the antagonist is confronting his nemesis. 

Hans Michael Anselmo Hess again did a great job at scoring this film, his first drama so far (beside the scores he wrote for short films ofcourse). Paradoxically enough, I think this one is not as easy to listen to as both his previous scores outside its movie. It's tense and dark and sad and the story didn't allow to use a broad pallet of sounds like Hess used in Clownface or Carnival of Sorrows. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. The music probably does what it has to do in the movie. It's also a matter of taste. Personally, I'm a fervent horror film addept and not so much a drama queen. Nevertheless, this is again a good score by Hans Michael Anselmo Hess. I'm still interested and looking forward to his next project called: “You are my sunshine”. 

Like I said before: A young and talented composer we all must keep an eye on.... Way to go Hans! 08/10

Review by Randall D. Larson’s from BUYSOUNDTRAX.COM

Hans Michael Anselmo Hess is an award-winning Brazilian-born British film composer based in Bristol, UK. Since 2014, Hans has been commissioned to work as a film composer for different media productions on a regular basis. He recently completed scoring Alex Bourne’s feature horror film CLOWNFACE, about a deranged serial killer who terrorizes the residents of a small town. CARNIVAL OF SORROWS is a new horror film directed by Mark Adams involving fictional demonologist and supernatural investigator Gabriel Cushing in a tale drawn from classic British horror, ‘80s macabre fantasy, and contemporary supernatural investigation narratives. As Cushing and his partner delve deeper into the disturbing past of a supernatural Carnival they “find frightening portents of its future while with each step they fall further into a world inhabited by demonic clowns, freakish living dolls, and other twisted creatures”.

Hess’s score opens with a carnivalesque lullaby that is given a slightly eerie tinge; growling horns and heavy drums at high volume soon replace the delicate tinkling at the cue’s start, surely a sign that this is no friendly carnival visit we are about to undertake. The motif continues into the next track, “Jenny’s Torment,” and reappears as a recurring motive throughout the score in a variety of arrangements that are often used to set up spookier dissonances that follow – “Welcome to My Carnival,” for example, adds a hefty chorus and ultra-low and reverbed piano arpeggios to the lullaby mix, while “The Clown” emerges out of the lullaby music to describe the demonic clowns in a heart-pounding progression of wicked melodies and rhythms that quite potently exude an tonality of inherent malevolence. A powerful forewarning of violence is conveyed in “Tenebris Auditorium,” using deep, growling synth chords combined with heavy low brass, giving the moment a tremendous sense of apprehension. “These two pallets of sounds play the theme of the demon’s name,” Hess explained. A similar motif, created from slowed-down and enhanced cello figures, gives “Let Them In” its surrealistically dangerous authority; “Seven Sacrifices” is an immense cloud of sound design, rising synths and low bass rumbles, eerie voicings, pounding drum beats and more, which morphs into a web of disconsolate string lines before being driven by those recurring drums into sonic oblivion.

There’s a lot going on in this score, and the music grants the listener a disturbingly anxious journey through its hellishly fearsome festivals. There are 43 mostly short tracks on the album, totaling 1 hour 40 minutes of music. It’s quite a compelling score which fits together well. Hess is quite adept at conveying the sound of symphonic instruments via a virtual orchestra, and his sound design is enhanced by a variety of synths, pads, and sonic effects.

This just in, CARNIVAL OF SORROWS won “Best Score” at the 2018 Los Angeles Film Awards.


Review by Bruno Roberti from FILM MUSIC SITE:

When I received an email by beginning composer Hans Michael Anselmo Hess, asking me if I was willing to write a review of his latest project Carnival of Sorrows, I felt very honoured. I was also surprised when I asked to get a signed physical copy of it, that he immediately agreed. Very generous of him.
I must admit I never heard of him, neither of his musical career so far, so I looked it up a bit. I found a rather interesting short auto-biography on Mr. Hess’s own website, which I will put here if I may.

“I became a musician because I have always loved the magical power of communication that music is capable of. But it was the communication between music and moving image that added for me a very special excitement and power.
When I first heard the soundtracks of composers such as James Horner, James Howard, David Arnold, Jerry Goldsmith, Thomas Newman, Inon Zur, Jesper Kyd, Ennio Morricone, Alan Silvestri and Hans Zimmer I knew that music composition for films, TV multiple media was the medium I wanted to use to communicate.
I love creating a music narrative that blends beautifully not only with the images, but that can also communicate something about characters, about the story, about a culture, or about the world, real or fantasised.
My latest projects include short film Once An Old Lady Sat On My Chest (2017), and feature films Carnival of Sorrows (2018) and Clownface (2018).
Apart from my activity in the industry I also work as senior lecturer in film music composition at Leeds College of Music.”

The movie itself won 2 prestigious Los Angeles Film awards in 2018 for best thriller and best score.
I’m not familiar with this movie and I have to say it’s quite difficult to write about it without having seen the images that were meant to be accompanying the music. It’s obvious we’re talking about some kind of horror thriller with probably here and there a few comedy elements. There’s a short description of the movie’s story in the cd’s booklet:
When Gabriel Cushing gets a call from an old friend of his father’s, Dr. Albert Parker, he and his student Melanie head off to investigate. But when they arrive, Dr. Parker is missing and something is preying on the unsuspecting town.
Jenny Marwick is struggling to get by after the loss of her mother. It’s hard enough coping with college and losing touch with her friends but now she’s hearing creepy Music and having unsettling dreams.
As they delve deeper they reveal the Carnival’s disturbing past and frightening portnents of its future. With each step they fall further into a World inhabited by demonic clowns, freakish living dolls and other twisted creatures. And Gabriel learns, the hardest demons to face are your own.

The whole score sounds creepy, eerie, and at times even funny. It opens with the track ‘The Carnival is in Town’. The track introduces us to the main theme, starting with a musicbox melody in ¾ waltz mode, reprised later in a more bombastic arrangement with accordion, harpsichord, organ and orchestra.
The following track ‘Jenny’s Torment’ starts the same way with that music box but a bit shorter, although staying in that waltz form but with percussions and big pounding orchestra making a kind of a big, frightening ‘grotesque’ waltz.
I’m definitely not going to describe the whole album, because this would get way to boring for you readers and because it would take forever, since there are 43 tracks.

The overall soundscape reminds me a tiny bit of Elfman’s Batman (in the carnivalesque parts), with some echoes of Zimmer’s Davy Jones theme from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. It has a strong main theme, brought in a lot of different variations. There are a bunch of other themes as well, like the one we can hear in track 9 ‘Tenebris Auditorum’. It’s a very obscure sounding straight forward march-like track. This theme also returns more than once and in different styles, as all themes does on this score.
This score has potential. It has a very strong thematical approach, which we don’t hear that much anymore and I think it’s a regrettable fact. Personally, I love a thematical approach and can’t shout it out enough to encourage composers (and directors/producers) to work that way and I think most film music fans feels the same way.

So far, I have been only positive about this score. Isn’t there any bad thing about it? Yes, ofcourse but only 2: I find it deplorable that the composer didn’t (or didn’t get the opportunity to) use a real orchestra and that’s a bit of a missed chance. Even with only a few real instruments, like for example a real piano, some real percussion, a small amount of real strings, etc… would have make it more enjoyable to listen to. The thing is: it sounds a bit too artificial and you can’t look away from it. Every single note comes out of the synthesizers of Mr. Hess and that’s too perceptible.
Second tiny point of negativity is the total length of this album: 79min! It’s quite a job to keep hooked while listening. Maybe it could have been shortened a tiny bit and the listening experience would have been more satisfying. I feel that the first of both negative things of this album is the reason because there is a second one. The lack of real instruments makes listening the whole score in a row very difficult.

Nevertheless, a great attempt from the composer to keep the listener interested. I said it before, there are a lot of different themes and in very different variations. There are not 2 tracks sounding the same. Hans Michael Anselmo Hess put a lot of effort in his work to sound not boring at all. We get tension, action, mystery, drama, fun, fear, love, etc… Enough to keep interested.
I can only hope we hear more of him in the future and who knows, with a real symphonic orchestra some day near? 07/10

Review by Bruno Roberti from FILM MUSIC SITE

SNARL

Snarl is a short film about a man who is held captive by a bounty hunter who suspects he is a werewolf.
However, the bounty hunter's daughter and son think the man is innocent and decide to free him behind their father's back. Is the man really innocent or is the bounty hunter right?

The music is again by Hans Michael Anselmo Hess (Carnival of Sorrows, Clownface, Sustain, etc...).
This time, Hess has once again recorded a remarkable score. Despite the fact that a short film has a very limited budget, the music is well finished. It must be said that the score sounds much better on the album (available on Spotify) than in the movie itself. It sounds full and realistic where it sounds a bit (too) artificial in the film.

Overall, the music sounds mysterious and exciting, although there is room for drama and even action.
The album opens with the track 'Clive and Elijah'. Clive is the bounty hunter who suspects the young man, Elijah, of being a werewolf. The track opens with a rather dark sounding, rather determined theme from Clive. We also hear the theme of Elijah, introduced by a saxophone. Bold choice, but it works. Especially if you've seen the movie. Then you better understand why.

In 'Unlock his chains' we hear a different version of that same theme, more action-driven, but no less mysterious. It then makes way for more drama performed by strings, with the cello in the lead and a little later the saxophone. Nice combination and immediately one of the highlights of the score.
'Escape' starts exciting and then naturally switches into action. When the bounty hunter reappears after seeing that his prisoner has escaped, he immediately starts a chase in a maniacal way and this is more than evident in the music.

All this continues in 'In the Woods'. Dark orchestral sounds and even chorus give the music an almost over-the-top action track.

The choir is also heavily deployed in 'The Lords Shepherd'. Again the madness of the bounty hunter is turned into music here.

Another highlight of this score is most certainly the last but not least piece, 'The Transformation Suite'. This is pure horror, and I mean this positively of course. This music can be heard, as the title suggests, when the man eventually (Yes, he does!) turns into a werewolf. The choir is summoned again, but Hess also adds all kinds of strange effects that are so effectively woven into the music that you almost think they are sound effects. The track ends with a very dramatic tone, just like the movie.

In summary: this score by Hans Michael Anselmo Hess is again a success. For a horror thriller, it is quite listenable. Thematics are also present again, as I am already used to from this composer.
Beautiful score full of variety, both in terms of instrumentation and change of atmosphere. There is actually something for everyone, despite the fact that we are talking about a short film here.

A well deserved 9/10.

Artist Series Volume 1 Hans Hess - Singularity

Interview with Jason Forrest for 101.8 WCR FM

Interview for Facebook group Perspective: A Forum For Film, TV, And Media Composers.

Adonis Aletras: WE CONTINUE OUR FEATURES AND THIS TIME WE ARE EUROPE BOUND!!
LEEDS COLLEGE OF MUSIC WITH OUR GOOD FRIEND AND STELLAR COMPOSER, Hans Michael Anselmo Hess. Enjoy AND LEARN !

1. With so many colleges offering courses (both on campus and online), there is a constant debate on the usefulness of attending such film scoring programs. Is a degree a prerequisite for a career?

A degree is not necessarily a prerequisite for a career in our industry. There are many film composers who work professionally scoring for films and didn’t have a very specific film scoring degree as we have now. However, it is important to observe that many film composer had, at least, some other formal educational training in music before going into film scoring.

So here, the point I’m making, is the importance of developing a strong musical knowledge that I personally think is important to our work, which encapsulates the fields of harmony, theory, orchestration, performance and production. The more proficient you are in these areas, the better you are in putting them into practice when crafting/learning your skills as a film composer. You can learn all these music skills by yourself and then applying them into film scoring also as a self-taught. There are some super driven people that are capable of it and I give merit for them.

But on the other hand, as our industry has demanded from us excellence in work, there is more and more highly experienced film composers who are also dedicating some of their time to lecture at higher education programs. I think this is fantastic, as now students have the chance in educational programs to learn with working film composers and other specialists in our industry. I believe this gives a much more in depth and real-world experience into the art and business of film scoring, rather than just being self-taught.

Besides, if you’re only on your own when learning, you almost don’t have other parameters to compare your work and get valuable feedback. I always feel an urge to develop my skills so I can keep myself fresh and sharp. If I would only contend with what I knew, I would just stagnate. When I joined Leeds College of Music as a senior lecturer in film music composition I then had a chance to also learn a lot from my super experience colleagues. This has been very stimulating and inspiring ever since, as it pushes me to keep improving.

In the end, I think joining an academic course in film music composition is a personal decision. But be prepared that if you’re joining one, you should be expected to develop your professional and personal skills to a very high level. Therefore, make sure you choose a film music course that can really help you develop this by taking you out of your comfort zone.

2. In your opinion, what sets the course(s) that Leeds College is offering, apart from the competition? What makes Leeds College special?

There are a number of things that we do and have in our course that makes it very outstanding among other higher education institutions that teach film scoring. Please allow me to elaborate them as follows:

I – Specialist Study: the purpose of this unit is to assist students in developing a professional portfolio of their compositions to picture and library music. Students have to write a lot of music, and in order to help them in the development of their portfolio, they get weekly one to one tuition with a lecturer who is also a working film composer.

Students also need to present professional scores of their own music that they have written for the portfolio, which helps them to refine their music literacy and orchestration skills to a higher level.

Finally, students also have to submit Vlogs to explain how/why their music work to picture and to library music. The importance of this is to make them precise in their speech and demonstrate their practical & theoretical knowledge in film scoring.

The setting of this unit gives students the opportunity to develop not only their compositional skills, but to learn how to develop project management, improve interpersonal skills, understand how to collaborate with others, and take criticism of their work. This is core if someone wants to be a film composer.

II - Film Nights: every month, a selection of students get opportunity to showcase their work to a live audience, as well as a panel of industry professionals, be interviewed about their work and projects, and listen to the views and opinions of our invited guests. The panel members that come often to the Film Nights are Nicholas Dodd (Casino Royale, Avatar, Independence Day), David Julyan (Memento, The Prestige), Harry Escott (A Mighty Heart, Welcome To The Punch), Ben Foster (Dr Who) and Dan Suet (Bleeding Fingers).

The Film Nights give an insight to students of what happens in the real world, so they understand how composers work with orchestrators, filmmakers and producers. They get advice on their music related to orchestration, spotting, film narrative and production.

III – Masterclasses: we run weekly masterclasses. These masterclasses are delivered by our film music lecturers and by our industry guests. We cover many topics such as production techniques, film music analyses and film narrative.

III - Contextual Studies: in this unit, students get lecturers that go in depth in the film music analyses of a lot of world known soundtracks. This allows students to learn composition techniques that are used in film scoring and apply them to their own work. We also have lectures that cover aspects of film narrative from the perspective of filmmakers and their understanding of the role of music into film. Ultimately, students learn the techniques on how to refine their craft and understand that this is a matter of hard work and skill, which goes beyond the concepts of a “gifted” and/or “talented” film composer.

IV - Studio Facilities: we have state of the art studio facilities that are open until 3am. We have a 5.1 Mixing room with a big screen and many other studios equipped with DAWS and sample libraries, so students can do all their work inside our conservatoire if they wish.

What I also think it makes our course to stand out is our people. I can say I feel very fortunate of working alongside Brian Morrell (Principal Lecturer) and Andy Barraclough (Curriculum Manager and Senior Lecturer). They are super supportive, very passionate and knowledgeable about film music and with great work ethics. I am always learning a lot from them and also from my other course colleagues (James Moffat, Steve Watts and Matt Colmer). We are all really passionate and dedicated to film music. I actually feel myself very lucky and humble to be actually working here. This creates a very inspiring, vibrant, pro-active and positive atmosphere in our course that our students have acknowledged.

Furthermore, what also makes our course special is our dedicated and hardworking students. We are proud to say that our students are working in the industry. For instance, we have our alumni working with names such as Bleeding Fingers, Junkie XL, Nicholas Dodd, and the BBC. We have recently completed our first 3-year BA course so this is all very exciting and promising for us.

3. You are an active composer yourself. Do you share your experiences with your students? After all, you might be in competition with them someday!!!

Yes. I share a lot of my industry experiences and give advices to students on how to get work. I have said in lectures out and aloud to all of them that I don’t mind doing this as I’m not concern with the idea that they will compete with me in the future.

Firstly, I share experiences as I see it as my duty as a lecturer. Otherwise, I think I would not doing my work well. I have always praised the lectures I had in the past who had industry experience and shared their knowledge, so for me is like giving it in return too.

Secondly, and this also counts outside the conservatoire, I’m from the philosophy of: “stay on your lane, aim high, learn from others and be the best of who you were yesterday.” If I would get concern about competition and/or scared that other people can be better to me I’m just being weak and victimizing myself instead of getting my act together. We all have to build an inner believe and be discipline to ourselves (while also keeping excessive ego at bay) in order to develop the best of our potential in what we do. I like to teach this to our students in order to empower them as individuals and professionals so they should not worry too much about competition. In the end of the day, there will always be someone better than you. So why worry? I prefer to excel myself, push my own limits and be responsible for me rather than blaming competition

Thirdly, in our industry it’s also much about of who you really get along working with. So, if a student in the future gets well with a director/producer and is hired this is good. And if that happens to me, that’s good too. I don’t own filmmakers/producers and they are free to choose to work with whom they think will be the best fit for their films.

And lastly, I also understand that people give and share what they can. Some can give and share a lot, while others don’t.

4. What do you think are the best ways for a graduate to enter the business and hopefully stay in the business?

In order to enter the business, I always advise students to do as much network they can. This basically means going to industry events, specially film/game festivals. The power of meeting people in person and building connections makes a huge difference. Most of the latest projects I got was because I attended film festivals. Meeting people in real life also tends to be more effective than emails. Not that is bad emailing someone for a prospective opportunity (and I also use do it as well), but meeting in real life breaks the ice very easy and is pretty effortlessly to talk about your work as usually filmmakers get very interested and want to know more about you. Naturally, recent graduates can feel a bit shy as they don’t have much music to show and don’t have many credentials. Therefore, we aim in our course to get our students building their portfolio from year 1. If an undergraduate is dedicated, he/she can build a strong portfolio to showcase his/her abilities. We also get our students to contact other students that are either doing film making or gaming from other institutions, so they can get a chance of collaboration, developing interpersonal skills and building their credits.

There are other two venues that I particularly find good for undergraduates to explore in order to enter in the business. These are writing music for library music and working for a music production company for ads (either as an in/house or freelance composer).

Staying in the business requires that, during and after an undergraduate’s work trajectory, he/she continues building new connections and consolidating old ones the best he/she can. Along with this, undergraduates need to stay alert to changes in the industry.

5. With so many genres becoming hip and then fading away, how can emerging (and established) film composers stay relevant?

I think we could say at a certain extent that we, as film composers, are always “rearranging” what has already been done. It is the mastery of this “rearranging” that can make film composers stay relevant. Naturally, it’s good to know what genres that are a trend but I’m also an advocate of trying something different, something that goes somehow different than what others do. This is a very personal thing as you need to understand yourself as a film composer, what are your strengths, what can you do on your own way that is unique and kind of gives you a signature of your “style”. In my case, what actually has helped me a lot is my proficiency as a classical guitar player in which I draw influences from that world and convey into film music (whenever suitable and appropriate).

Another thing that is very important is constant practice. It’s the constant practice of film music composition that will renew composers and avoid stagnation. And along with this, regardless the genre in “vogue”, is that we film composers should always serve the stories. Composers who can show true mastery in telling cinematic stories with their music will always stay relevant.

THANK YOU SO MUCH !