Music and Sound: The Heart of the Film

“I had chosen to design something that runs subliminally and only becomes more
apparent at strategic points” -- Music producer Darren Ng

Music is the integral part of SOLOS as it is always in parallel with the characters and what happens to them. It simply represents the story itself, the characters and the constant struggle of their oxymoronic lives. Each pivoting scene has its own soundscape and atmospheric music that signify the visual and the conflicts.

“While composing the music for SOLOS, I had to keep in mind that I did not have to try too hard to say something with the music or any sound, which may result in overstating certain themes or emotions or even with an over saturation of a message. The biggest challenge was keeping in mind the aesthetics of the film, when making the right decisions of when and where putting in the music, as well as choosing the themes of the different music parts.” explains Darren. “Finally, I had chosen to design something that runs subliminally and only becomes more apparent at strategic points”

The pacing of the film was also very important in composing the music. Since there were minimum dialogues, Darren had to make sure that the music and sound are able to create enough momentum to sustain the audience, to build up a journey that runs along with the plot and its sub-plots and to become the language of the film itself.