MY DOG TULIP
Dialog recording sessions
In an animated film, one of the first production elements to happen is the recording of the characters.
Creating a song during the recording session
We needed Mr. Plummer to sing a short song that would be used in the film. I would later write music around his recording, using a small women's choir. Below is the audio from the recording session and the excerpt from the finished film.
A screenshot from Paul Fierlinger's animation program, displaying how he edits audio in the timeline, (narration in red, and dog barks in blue)
ADDING A CHARACTER AFTER THE RECORDING SESSION
We heard from the producer that Isabella Rossellini wanted to be in the film, since she is a dog lover, and a small part of a veterinarian was added in the story. The question was where to record the new lines. Because of travel plans, Ms. Rossellini’s schedule was limited in New York, and we all wanted to accommodate her, so I offered to record the pick up lines in her Manhattan apartment. It was a simply process recorded on a portable laptop setup running Pro Tools and two microphones: a dynamic and a condenser. The short recording session took place in her small kitchen with Ms. Rossellini seating at the table and Paul directing her read that I recorded on my laptop. Below is audio from the session, and the excerpt from the finished film.
Music for the film
The score evolved into many genres, each accommodating the character in each chapter. Below are samples of the diverse nature of the score.
Chasing the Temp Score
The opening of the film was planned to be an overture or sorts, and Paul Fierlinger started animating before my involvement so that he could get funding for the film. He animated using a temp track of Dvorak's "American" String Quartet, Op 96, No. 12, Finale. Once production started, I began writing to picture, chasing the temp track, which is always a difficult process. By the time I started working on the film, the temp track had stuck, and worked very well.
To left are a few of my sketches as I clumsily attempted to get the correct feel for the film. You can hear my sloppy playing and cheap sounding string libraries (it was 2006). It needed an impatient feel while our intent was to try and keep a string quartet, then piano, then jazz combo.
To the right is the final version taken from the movie, with added sound design and voices. Paul's voice is the random reporters heard off screen and my wife is the secretary taking Ackerley's seat.
