MUSIC
The music for COLDWATER is very unique in that both the score AND source music (music playing from within a scene) were composed, produced and recorded under one roof, at Flying Pig Productions. Owned and run by Coldwater’s Executive Producer, Joe Bilotta, Flying Pig Productions has been working in the entertainment industry since the doors opened in 2009, and when Bilotta decided to take on Coldwater, he found he already had the music team he needed on staff with Chris Chatham, Music Director, and Mark J. Miserocchi, Music Producer. With Chris’s background in film music composition as a graduate from Berklee College of Music, and Mark’s proficiency in digital music production and software synthesis, they formed a formidable composition team with few creative boundaries. One challenge the team met during the scoring of Coldwater was a sonic preference by director Vincent Grashaw to have a score that was very ambient and electronic while avoiding the use of more identifiable acoustic instruments like violin or piano, as that may distract from the acting within a scene. The challenge to present music appropriate to each scene without using any real instruments was met with brand new interpretations of musical structure and sounds, using a completely customized arsenal of virtual instruments designed by Mark.
As with any independent film, there are many more challenges that come along the way, the most common of which is probably the movie’s budget. As the score was progressing on one end, the costs of getting performance rights for some well-known songs to use as source music were becoming a bit daunting on the other. Coldwater called for classic rock tunes reminiscent of giants like Led Zepplin, Van Halen, and AC/DC, pure and sweet acoustic songs in the vein of Norah Jones or James Taylor, and even a classical operatic piece with a full orchestral backdrop. So Joe, a prolific song-writer, joined forces with his creative team at Flying Pig Productions and began work creating all new, era appropriate original songs for the movie. Between Joe, Chris, Mark, and Diamond Record winning songwriter Kevin Fisher, there was no genre of music that couldn’t be recreated. And instead of paying thousands on licensing fees for songs that are often vaguely heard in the background and may or may not fit the scene, Flying Pig Productions cost effectively served as a one stop shop music scoring facility able to tailor any source music cue to the exact needs of the director.
For more information and to hear Flying Pig Productions music, click here.
CHRIS CHATHAM
composer
Growing up, Chris never wanted to be “just” a composer, “just” a songwriter, or “just” a performer. When asked, “Can you do THIS, too?” He always wanted the answer to be “Yes.” So he devoted his life to achieving proficiency at everything involved in making music; he set his sights on becoming a super-versatile one-man music company. He graduated a year early from BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Film Music Composition and has been working professionally in the music industry ever since. After living and working all over the world in many different avenues of music, Chris has finally found a home base that allows him to take advantage of all his knowledge and experience under one roof as Music Director for Flying Pig Productions. The Coldwater Project allowed this versatility to shine as Chris was not “just” a composer for the film, but also a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, pianist, orchestrator, producer, engineer, and synth programmer.
MARK J. MISEROCCHI
composer
Mark J. Miserocchi grew up in southern Vermont and has been working professionally in the music, film, and TV industries since 2004. A member of THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD since 2006, Mark’s experience on set helps him better understand and communicate the moods and feelings hidden within a scene through the use of music. His musical career has taken him through over 30 countries around the world and has earned him a full time position producing and writing music at FLYING PIG PRODUCTIONS where he has written, produced, recorded and edited music in a wide range of genres including Pop, Electronic, Dance, Country, Rock, Hip-Hop and Cinematic. Mark’s proficiency in the digital workspace doesn’t end with producing and engineering, however, as he also is a master in synthetic design and builds most of his own software instruments, providing him with a truly unique and endless sonic palate to compose with. COLDWATER gave him a chance to put over 100 custom made digital instruments to work, heard nowhere else but within the movie’s score.
