The Fifth (On the Horizon)

This score was written for the short film

written and directed by Ya'Shalan Nelson entitled The Fifth.

The story was inspired by the Billy Holliday song, "Strange Fruit".

Taking place somewhere the American south in 1992, the film begins with

two young men, named Moe and Stone,

lamenting on not being able to catch any fish for grandma. Moe

discovers a backpack close by, calls out to find the owner, but

nobody is around. Stone directs Moe to look for the owner

while he heads to the nearest payphone to call home. While

Stone is trekking, he suddenly stops in his tracks, stunned by

what he discovers. A young woman, named Emery, is hung,

lifeless, from a tree. Both Moe and Stone move quickly to

take care of this mysterious young woman's body and spirit.

They carefully remove her from the tree and respectfully

lay her down on the ground. They move to discovering

who she is. Stone then leaves the scene to call the police,

and Moe stays behind to protect the murdered victim.

In the bag Moe discovered, he finds a letter penned

by Emery to her boyfriend. The voice of Emery narrates

her heartwarming love letter, and beautifully displays the

hopes, fears, and joys of life as an African-American.

Any thoughts and feedback are welcome, and thank you for listening! 

Since it's a film score, I accept the frequent pauses that would otherwise affect the flow a little bit.
I appreciate the thematic returning to B, though sometimes it's a little bit sudden with not enough buildup; when that happens it seems awkward. It's a little too cheery for a story like that, no? I'm sure it makes sense in context.
Great orchestration though! Nice work.

4 hours ago, Monarcheon said:

Since it's a film score, I accept the frequent pauses that would otherwise affect the flow a little bit.
I appreciate the thematic returning to B, though sometimes it's a little bit sudden with not enough buildup; when that happens it seems awkward. It's a little too cheery for a story like that, no? I'm sure it makes sense in context.
Great orchestration though! Nice work.

 

Thank you!

The cheery-ness of the piece does make more sense in context, and I understand how it doesn't seem to fit. I was worried about that as I was writing. I wanted to focus on Emery as the beautiful and vibrant woman that she was, almost as a tribute to her character, and find the positive in the negative.  

Once I can, I'll be sure to post the video/complete version

Congratulations, Good Work and Good Orchestration.

The chords in the brass are amazing! Nice work.