ORIGINAL MUSIC FOR DOCUMENTARY: WALKING FOR WATER, "UGANDA GOLD"

Above: a sample from my original musical score for the the short documentary “Uganda Gold”, directed by J.D. O’Brien.

In a country where 30% of the population doesn’t have access to clean water, drilling a sustainable well is like striking gold. “Uganda Gold” tells the story of Ugandans’ struggle to fulfill that basic need for their community. This passage from the film shows how far people often have to walk to bring fresh water back to their communities.

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Watch “Uganda Gold” on Amazon Prime

More music by Mike Hallenbeck for film

More work by Mike Hallenbeck for documentaries

CONSULTING: SOUND FOR FILM

Lately I’ve been doing some consulting work with filmmakers interested in growing their audio skills. It’s been a lot of fun.

Here I’m working with Amy Scatliff, a film artist who’s been putting together some experimental documentary work related to meditation and her difficulties pursuing it. She’s serious enough about what she’s doing that she’s not afraid to approach it with self-deprecating humor, and she has good instincts with audio that make it enjoyable to push things to the next level.

We’ve gone over some basic ideas about location audio, gain staging, dialog edit, relative levels of voiceover/ nat sound/ music, and some approaches for how to adapt her closet as a VO booth. Pro tip: don’t be afraid to sit under a blanket while you’re performing voiceover! No joke.

Check out some of Amy Scatliff’s work at everydayfuturistic.com/fieldnotes.

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ORIGNAL MUSICAL SCORE FOR DOCUMENTARY: "UGANDA GOLD" INTRO

Above: An excerpt from the intro to the short documentary “Uganda Gold”, directed by JD O’Brien, showcasing my original musical score for the film. In a country where 30% of the population doesn’t have access to clean water, drilling a sustainable well is like striking gold. “Uganda Gold” tells the story of Ugandans’ struggle to fulfill this basic need for their community.