Curated Soundtrack for themes present in Duncan Jones SourceCode.
Opening Statement:
The process of curating and selecting music for cinema is more defined and challenging than it sounds. The budgeting and the cost of clearing certain songs can sometimes be more costly than an entire film. Due to that fact, when going about the curation process, automatically, some of the films we have watched over the course need to be more viable candidates for this process. Understanding that the music department oftentimes receives a budget of 5% of the overall production budget, there are only a couple of films that can be considered. That being said, because of many limitations throughout this process, the synchronization rights and master rights costs are oftentimes not made to the public so I will be considering public knowledge and comps in curating a non-diegetic soundtrack. In doing so, this visualization will look to closely analyze the relationship between music and mind-game cinema by acknowledging a non-diegetic score and replacing it with a non-diegetic curated soundtrack effectively supporting the same message but with a different delivery thus supporting the overall inquiry – does a curated soundtrack work to emphasize or take away from the plot? When curating a soundtrack for a narrative medium, the selected songs must work as an auditory theme or narrative tool that can be referred back to or even a trigger for remembering themes and events throughout the film. Additionally, these songs need to be attainable. For instance, the Hendrix estate does not allow Jimmy Hendrix’s songs to be associated with anything drug-related after the incorrect stereotype associated with his songs. But attainable does not just concern the ownership of the property used as a narrative tool, once again, it also has to do with the cost of the actual piece of music and whether or not such a piece supports the film or acts as a useless buffer. Attainable is more considering the politically loaded message of the film and whether or not an artist has been outspoken about pro or critical of the war on terror.
The Process of Curating a Soundtrack
Originally this idea was sparked when watching Duncan Jones’s SourceCode (2011) and the fact that his father is arguably one of the most influential musicians to exist, David Bowie. Furthermore, given that his film was more score-dependent and not a curated soundtrack, I thought this could make for a fun and inquisitive experience in reshaping the delivery of a message while maintaining the overall critical and reflexive theme. With that being said, throughout the process of selecting music, it is important to consistently question and see if a certain piece of music is justified in placement, length, and source. So, similar to the medium of mind-game cinema, the quest to select the right music, mirrors the quest to find the truth. Overall what I select, similar to the lesson learned towards the end of a film, does not matter, what matters is the selection process when considering music as a narrative tool. Does this selection critique what Jones is saying? Does it support what he is saying?
Each selection will be justified with brief responses highlighting the estimated cost of the selected piece of music based on previous tracks licensed in comp films, the reason behind the selection – what is the piece of music a theme to, where it will be placed, and how/why it works with the narrative. Throughout the actual viewing process, it is important to test out songs and realize which actually works and which songs should not be anywhere near this film. Keeping a list of musical cues, where one can add a song, where there should be no song, or even where the score should stay is also essential in the puzzle-like process of curating a soundtrack.
Why SourceCode? Why did I select such a politically loaded film? As shown in Adam Curtis’s HyperNormalisation (2016) music can leave an impactful mark on audiences, especially opposite of gruesome images and depictions. SourceCode being a politically motivated film, will mean that every song selected works to emphasize or juxtapose the political undertones and selections by Jones. Jones’s production makes for the strongest treatment group, as the film remains politically loaded, reflexive of the war on terror, and critical on the military-industrial complex while heavily depending on a score. So, what happens if that score is taken away and replaced by a curated soundtrack? Will there be the same impact? Will it modify the viewing experience altogether? Take David Bowie’s, Rock and Roll Suicide as an example. This song would be heavily emphasized as one of the main songs of the feature, being placed in the opening sequence and the end credits. Bowie’s Rock and Roll Suicide would complement the simultaneous narrative very well. Considering the isolated and taken advantage of, Captain Colter Stevens, this Bowie classic could be considered a good initial cue into what will be explored, the dilemmas Stevens must face, and the decisions he must make, while simultaneously being a theme of resolution and solace towards the end of the film. That being said, with the curation process comes many challenges, the first being cost of music can range from extremely expensive to free. The SourceCode budget was around 32 million dollars which leaves the music department with a budget of around 1.6 million and considering the music supervisor budget is a part of the overall music department, there is not a lot of money to work with which means either slightly less popular songs, covers of popular songs and a low quantity of songs for a curated soundtrack.
The Outcome:
Source Code Budget: $32,000,000
$32 x .05 = $1,600,000
$1,600,000 / 2 = $800,000 for the curated soundtrack.
Assuming half of the music department budget goes towards the original score and the other half goes towards the new curated soundtrack. Leaving the Soundtrack budget to be around $800,000.
Song #1: Rock N’ Roll Suicide
Performed By: David Bowie
Written By: David Bowie
Description: Opening credit and closing sequences introduce the audience to initial themes while simultaneously providing closure to Captain Colter Stevens’s journey. As an opening credit sequence, the song provides a brief tale of caution to the journey audiences are about to embark on with the dark undertones. As an end-credit piece, there is a sense of closure, similar to the narrative explored throughout SourceCode.
Cost: $120,000 (MFN)
Remaining Budget: $680,000
Song #2: Ring of Fire
Performed By: Wall of Voodoo
Written By: June Carter & Merle Kilgore
Description: The instrumentals to The Wall of Voodoo’s version of “Ring of Fire” will be used when Captain Colter Stevens searches for the bomb. In this sense, the act of finding the truth, or in this film, the act of searching will also accompany an instrumental theme that covers complications with love, death, and even fire. This song will repeat throughout the film as it is now the established theme of Stevens’s quest for the bomb.
Cost: $120,000 (MFN)
Remaining Budget: $560,000
Song #3: Mr. Grieves
Performed By: TV on the Radio
Written By: Black Francis
Description: Similarly to The Wall of Voodoo’s instrumental track of “Ring of Fire”, TV on the Radio’s “Mr. Grieves” provides a sensory experience with its consistent use of the synth, monotone lyrics, and unison singing, all making for a perfect compliment to a tension-building moment within the film. In this sense, “Mr. Grieves” is the bomb’s theme.
Cost: $50,000
Remaining Budget: $510,000
Song #4: Take a Bow
Performed By: Muse
Written By: Matthew Bellamy
Description: The opening instrumentals to the song are similar to the score used throughout the film when representing attitudes mirroring the military-industrial complex and their dealing with the war on terror. This song, extremely reflective of government corruption, is a perfect fit for the treatment the Captain faces in the eyes of the government as a non-living but essential weapon. This song, similar to other musical themes, will repeat itself as it seems fit considering the amount of times we are led to be suspicious of the source code project itself. The instrumentals in this song provide a more sensory experience than the original score.
Cost: $50,000
Remaining Budget: $460,000
Song #5: Man In Black
Performed By: Johnny Cash
Written By: J.R. Cash
Description: Similarly, this will also be a thematic tool for the military-industrial complex, except this time focusing not on the entirety but instead on the branching who are driven by profit over the safety and wellbeing of serving members. Johnny Cash’s “Man In Black” is Dr. Rutledge’s theme. Similarly, with the tension-building score used in Jones’s version, Cash’s song will not fully become apparent towards the end of the film as his role is more revealed as the Captain gains an understanding of what is happening.
Cost: $120,000 (MFN)
Remaining Budget: $340,000
Song #6: Into My Arms
Performed By: Valerie June
Written By: Nick Cave
Description: Falling in Love. Realizing there is more to life than accomplishing one’s mission and satisfying larger entities. “Into My Arms” will be a theme for love and really the evolution of Colter Stevens as an individual being taken advantage of, ultimately for profit, mirroring the consistent attitudes and blame placed upon the government in the 2000s War on Terror. The shift in focus coming from Colter Stevens can be blamed on the interest he has for normalcy, (something that has been stripped from him by his own government) and love with Christina’s presence. At this point something in the film, the captain realizes the stakes are even higher, he now has a reason to not only save everyone on the train but his new love interest Christina. He desires to live a life where he can hold her in his arms as the song states.
Cost: $75,000
Remaining Budget: $265,000
Song #7: Clint Eastwood
Performed By: Sweet Little Band – Full instrumental.
Written By: Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, Teron Delvon Jones.
Description: Captain Colter Stevens, is constantly left to the demands of the government agency, ultimately leaving him confused. At this point in the movie, the captain is struggling with his existence after finding out in the time loop Colter Stevens has died. Leaving him to question his morals and his surroundings, he finds solace in the fact that he can (from the perspective of who he occupies in the time loop) once more reach out to his father and hear his reassuring tone. Furthermore, this also mirrors the government’s taking advantage of armed forces and those serving in a post-9/11 world in conflicts domestically and globally. For that reason, the instrumentals behind this version of Gorillaz Anti War on Terror song “Clint Eastwood” is a perfect theme for the tension building between Captain Colter Stevens and the Source-Code Project.
Cost: $50,000
Remaining Budget: $215,000
Song #8: Killer Crane
Performed By: TV on the Radio
Written By: TV on the Radio
Description: The Moment when Captain Colter Stevens realizes it is more than just a mission to him, but now a connection between him and Christina as he has fallen in love with her and she is consistently in love with him. In this scene, it seems like all troubles have gone away and there is light at the end of the tunnel. This song is perfect for the moment Captain Colter Stevens proves source code in living beyond the allotted 8 minutes and instead entering a different reality of Sean, the train victim
Cost: $30,000
Remaining Budget: $185,000
Conclusion: Considering a film that relies on a score to push its central narrative, a non-diegetic curated soundtrack has similar effects but with less room for interpretation. For instance, as we can look at the mind-game elements and how they are political in their reflexive critique of the war on terror, lyrics in songs and the metaphors behind them are also political. Except, unlike score-dependent films, there are actual words behind the music to explicitly tell you the meaning behind the lyrics, thus leaving no space for interpretation of music cues and specific notes, rather a more straightforward process. So overall, the experience of rewatching the film and curating a non-diegetic soundtrack maintains the similar effects of the original film, while also changing it to the beliefs of the music supervisor, in this case (as I am the music supervisor in this project), similarly critical of the military-industrial complex and the war on terror. In this sense, bias and further decisions that reflect our own political and moral beliefs are unavoidable and should be embraced by choosing specific songs that match the tone of the film and support its overall critical but necessary take on this specific subject, rather than follow the score approach which does not use music as a narrative tool to the same extent. But this is only the beginning of a very long and tireless project. The only thing that actually happened was the choosing and curation of what, in an ideal world, would be cleared and for use on a re-done version of Duncan Jones’ SourceCode. Acknowledging that in the entertainment industry, nothing goes as planned, what I could have curated today could also completely change in the near future for many reasons.
:) 
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