Vipère Au Poing Film Project

This soundtrack was written as an exercise in film-score writing.

Instrumentation:

Piccolo
Flutes 1,2
Oboes 1,2
Clarinets 1,2
Bassoons 1,2
Contra Bassoon 1
Horns 1,2,3,4
Trumpets 1,2,3
Trombones 1,2,3
Timpani
Harp
Percussion
Strings

Five cues were produced:

The Shadow | Butterflies | The Watch | Kid's Prison | The Portrait

Cue 1: The Shadow (41sec)

Cue 2: Butterflies (1m 41sec)

Cue 3: The Watch (1m 09sec)

Cue 4: Kid's Prison (1m 54sec)

Cue 5: The Portrait (6m.26sec)

Clicking on the links above will take you through to pages showing with my music synchronized to the film. Please remember that I have had to reduce the quality of the audio/video in order to put it on line.

Synopsis:
Vipère au Poing is about the story of Jean Rezeau. After the death of the grandmother who had brought him up, Jean's parents come back into his life. Then he discovers that to survive, he must rebel against his mother and her unusual theories.

The Music's Construction:
The music is based on a number of interrelated themes which represent character, actions, or places. The main ideas are as follows:

The main theme:

The father's motif:

The draconian actions of the mother:

Jean Rezeau's motif:

Cue 1: The Shadow:
On the solstice, the Family is invited in my the maid to witness the shadow passing over the muriel. The cue introduces the main theme for the movie.

Cue 2: Butterflies:
The father is out pursuing his hobby of collecting butterflies. He muses over the names they have and calls to the boys who are playing near by. The light-hearted score to this scene is based on the Father motif. This is presented and developed. As the father muses over the latin names of the butterflies (bar 21, TCR 04:03:56) a new idea is introduced which employs the movies Main Theme and the Father motif. This is interrupted by small outbursts as the boys are called on and appear. The new idea is further developed before the boys appear again just before the end of the cue.

Cue 3: The Watch:
After a telling off by their mother (for stealing a book) ,the boys are in the garden near Jean's favourite tree. They are watching the house and their mother. The cue begins as the mother is telling one of the boys off. The music introduces the Mother's Action motif before a cymbal scrape marks the change of scene. Dark sounds from sul pont. strings and low string pedals with percussion create the feeling of night and tension. As the house is shown for the second time (b10, TCR 05:04:33) the celesta hints at the first few notes of the Main Theme. The his picked up by the contra bassoon before a tubular bell is struck to mark the change of scene to the priest.

Cue 4: Kid's Prison:
Jean has locked himself in his room and the father is climbing to the window to investigate. A hand appears and moves the ladder causing the father to fall - he is okay. The mother says that "prison for children is the only solution." The cue opens with the Jean's Motif (cello) played against the Father Motif (Bassoon) before trilling violins change the mood as the ladder is pushed. The timpani and bass notes which accompany the fall are taken from the Mother's Motif. A high string pedal appears as the family rush to see if the father is okay. The pedal build (using the Mother's Motif) as the mother shouts at Jean. On the change of scene (b.22, TCR 05:18:38) the Mother's Motif is played by timpani and bass to introduce the dramatic music as the mother ascends the stairs. The music is based entirely on the Mother Motif building to a climax as she enters the room. As the camera pans around the room a harp plays the Main theme in a remote key with the bassoon in counterpoint playing a somber version of the Mother's theme augmented. Sul pont. strings mark the panning in on the wardrobe. As the mother cries we hear a minor version of the Main Theme.