On stage (kinda) with Danny Elfman

Hey, I got to be on stage* with Danny Elfman!

*as the shadow of a trumpet player. Which is kind of fitting… my trumpeting skills probably peaked in college 😂 When I need a trumpet player these days I hire a pro!

Many thanks to Kerstin Hovland and Emery Martin (aka Electronic Countermeasures) for including me in a small way as part of their amazing visuals.

---

Insects to Arachnids 🕷🕸🧪

Directed by @jollyrogerjonesy

Edited by @jollyrogerjonesy & @kerstin.hovland

Compositing & Notch by @kerstin.hovland

Starring: @dannyelfman, @yellyroll, @stephiescastle, @annabulbrook, @carlsondrol, @marshweedinthegarden, @malikmusicofficial, Alyssa Mathias, and @marxthatspot

Shot in Boyle Heights at Electronic Countermeasures.

#coachella2022 #dannyelfman #spiderman #liveaction #notch #disguise #videodesign #live #boyleheights #shotonred #glowforge #screensproducing #videodesign

Tweetlejuice

Here’s something I scored for CollegeHumor back in 2009- a parody of one of my favorite childhood movies, Beetlejuice.

The dialog is so fast-paced (that’s the amazing Josh Ruben as the titular character) we opted to just give it a little intro and outro music score-wise. In any case, Elfman is one of my idols so it was a lot of fun.

Then there’s the end tag in which I do my best to sing like Harry Belafonte. Funny story… when I was working on this video the REAL Harry Belafonte just happened to be in town for a screening. I managed to get his agent’s assistant on the phone on the off chance he’d be interested in stopping by to record. As expected, they told me Harry’s about 80 years old now and doesn’t sing much anymore. Worth a shot!

Nightmare Before Xmas Parody

I don’t have anything Thanksgiving-themed to post, but I do have something holiday-related. This is a piece I did music and sound design for earlier this year.. a parody of Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.

As with Web Site Story, I:1) didn’t have sheet music so did my best to recreate all the parts by ear.  (I’m of course using samples and a few great musicians rather than a real orchestra) Here is the original if you’re curious to compare.2) thoroughly enjoyed dissecting this track and figuring out what makes it work. Danny Elfman is one of my all-time favorites and this was a real joy to work on. A very intensely-fast-paced-race-to-the-deadline kind of joy.

That’s Jacob Carlson on vocals (as Danny Elfman!) and one of my Chicago favorites, Gerald Bailey on trumpet. Last, and surely least importantly, I cameo (vocally) as a drunk priest at 0:55.

The lovely claymation is by Chelsea Manifold, and a few nice visual effects are by the wizards at Gloo Studios.

As for my friends at CollegeHumor: Josh Ruben and Vincent Peone directed, Ben Joseph wrote & produced, and David Fishel edited.