DOUGLAS ROMAYNE: Expressing the Inexpressible “...The score for Shelter...is similar in style to Freedomland, but this time with more emphasis on ambient sound textures and a semi-James Newton Howard feel...” —Steven A. Kennedy, Film Score Monthly Online, 6.19.07 Available At iTunes Movie Music Online CD BABY

Luke Hutton’s Shelter is an elegant, taut drama that introduces us to several characters who cross paths during a severe thunderstorm. With so many different stories going on, it was obvious from the start that having a separate theme for each character/story would be an unwieldy approach. The underlying premise of the film — that people are inextricably connected — created a situation in which a general unifying idea would best serve the multiple storylines. Since the moments to apply music are short throughout much of the film, it was necessary to create a theme in its entirety first, and then find fragments of the theme that could be sprinkled throughout the picture. Only at the very end over the credits does the theme have its chance to play out in full.

With sound being such an important element of a finished film, it is always a bit of a frustrating challenge to create a sonic landscape with music when most of the other sound elements (besides dialogue) are not available. I operate from the standpoint that music and sound effects should work hand-in-hand aurally, much in the same way that production design and cinematography go hand-in-hand in the visual realm. One must know what the other is doing. In the case of Shelter I had the good fortune to work with a director who knew beforehand exactly what his sound effects would be like and where they would be placed. There was also a good deal of temp sound effects in place for me to work with.

Knowing right off the bat that almost every scene in the film had a sonic motif of thunder, rain or water of some kind led me to stay away from sounds that would be covered up by the low rumble of thunder or the higher sizzle of rain. It also led me to create more sustained, layered sounds rather than busy, intricate patterns since there is already a built-in rhythm to falling rain. Thankfully, this worked perfectly with the dramatic approach I had earlier arrived at, which was to underscore the suspended feeling these characters experience as they are caught in a rainstorm and forced to reflect on their lives.

There is, of course, some movement in the music – otherwise it would become a boring lump of static pads. A pulsing gesture played by a combination of piano sounds, acoustic and electric, begins the film over a series of pads and is heard in various settings throughout the story. It was initially inspired by the tremulous nature of the characters but as Luke and I discussed the music he hit on the idea of using this little motif to hint at the underlying premise of the film - that there is hope.