Adam Lowndes – Photography – I’m Adam…Music Production
It’s been a while since I shared any of my Music Production work, and I was delighted to be involved in this project.
Adam is a supremely talented photographer, and his passion and enthusiasm towards his work are infectious. Whether it’s a Wedding, Engagement, a Couple Shoot or some Head Shots, he takes to it like an artist to a canvas.
Providing the music production and audio for this was a really fun process. Working with Adam to capture the sound and atmosphere he wanted was collaborative, and a real testament to his creativity. The aim here was authenticity. Musically, for me, that translated into organic sounds and acoustic instruments. The musicality and feel also needed to be free and human, rather than being robotic and synthesised.
Once this had been established, we got into the studio and I began to build the track around a simple finger picked acoustic guitar idea. From there I was able to add drums, bass, piano, organ, electric guitar and other ambient elements. Structurally, the whole piece is a slow build; starting softly, then adding instruments and gaining dynamic variation throughout. Leading to a crescendo just before the final shot.
“I’m Adam” Pro Tools Session
I was working to a rough cut of the video, and the ethereal nature of the scenery really steered the overall sound. Yes, it needed to be organic (it’s in a forest for crying out loud!), but it also presented a dreamy, almost dazed atmosphere. All of the video on this project was directed and shot by my good friend, Tim Paling. Throughout the shoot, his skill and vision were exceptional. Some of the shots he achieved are stunning. Tim also makes brilliant music videos…
Like this one…(Protect your ears!!)
and this one…(Protect them again)
The Voice
It was a fun challenge to record Adam’s voiceover too! After a little deliberating, we felt it was the right decision to have Adam record the voiceover himself. The whole ethos in his work is driven by his personality and the relationships he forms with people. It felt wrong to then hire an actor to speak in his position. The challenge was in striking the right balance between his authenticity, yet maintaining a clarity in the delivery which would cut through the music, without losing power and impact from the music bed itself…Mixing audio can feel a little like spinning plates sometimes.
With that said, he did an excellent job with his voiceover. I think the end result is perfect for the project.
Final Shot
The final shot in this video is beautiful.
Adam Lowndes…and some falling Polaroids.
This shot needed something special to add to the magic of the visual content. By playing some harmonic arpeggios on an electric guitar and then reversing the audio, we achieved something which was musically correct, yet sounded like a sound effect of the raining Polaroid film.
All in all, this was a really fun and creative project.
I guess you need to watch the video now…You’ll notice that me and my wife are in the video. Some tangible, HD video proof that she really is way out of my league.
Enjoy!
Oh, and don’t forget to visit Adam’s page.