Soundtrack - Emmy Awards 2017 : Heitor Pereira received his first Emmy nomination for his score Sonic Sea

Par Mulder, 27 juillet 2017

“This is a gift from the depth of the ocean! I am so proud. It is important that people know the condition of the sea and this parallel life. Sound is so powerful to us: noise pollution is bad for us but music is a great part of our lives.” Heitor Pereira about his Emmy nomination for the documentary SONIC SEA

A lot of his music may be Despicable, but his newly Emmy nominated score for the documentary SONIC SEA is Pitch Perfect! Yesterday, Heitor Pereira received his first Emmy nomination from the News and Documentary Emmys in the category “Music & Sound” for his score to Sonic Sea, a moving documentary that examines noise pollution in the ocean and how it affects sea life. The Grammy-winning Brazilian-born guitarist (Simply Red) turned Hollywood film composer (all the Despicable Me films, as well as the upcoming The Nut Job- Nutty by Nature and Pitch Perfect 3) created a deeply poignant, heartfelt and imaginative score for Sonic Sea. He incorporate ship sounds and heavy machinery into the score to reflect man’s impact on the ocean and the singing of whales and strings reflected the beauty of sea life.

The music team collaborated extensively with the sound team’s natural sounds and sound effects to create chords and harmonies on Sonic Sea; it was more crucial on this documentary which is based off how the manmade sounds and the sounds in the ocean are affecting the undersea world, especially the whales. The collaboration was very symbiotic to garner the best auditory results possible for this important documentary. To create the score of the SONIC SEA documentary, organic, electronic, and musical sounds were incorporated. The sound of the shipyard, the engines themselves created or joined the rhythm section. Long drone sounds were used as if being played by members of the orchestra.

Sonic Sea is a 60-minute documentary about the impact of industrial and military ocean noise on whales and other marine life. It tells the story of a former US Navy officer who solved a tragic mystery and changed forever the way we understand our impact on the ocean. The film is narrated by Rachel McAdams and features Sting, in addition to the renowned ocean experts Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Paul Spong, Dr. Christopher Clark and Jean-Michel Cousteau. Sonic Sea was produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Imaginary Forces in association with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Diamond Docs.

The score needed to reflect the diverse aspects of the film. The percussion evolved by incorporating the shipyard sounds and sonar. Horn sounds were manipulated to be used as chords in the score. These elements were used to reflect an aggressive musical element. These elements reflected negative aspects and the conflict affecting the whales brought on by man.

Conversely, beautiful moments such as the whales migrating from Alaska to Mexico, clarinets were played in a pitch along with the feedback of guitars to mimic the sounds of the whales. In addition to the manipulation of music from instruments, the sounds of whales and other creatures harmoniously living together along with a full orchestra deliver an epic suite to reflect the greatness and expansiveness of the underwater world of these creatures; this was to immerse the viewer both visually and aurally.

On another musical note, near the end of the documentary, a fisherman who came from generations of fishermen and was passing his profession to his children, saw his way of life disappearing because the underwater exploration was driving away his source of living. The music needed to reflect that, so a lullaby was created. The lullaby is as if the fisherman is singing to his grandchildren; the ocean will be okay. It’s a lullaby to show the problems but also the solutions. SONIC SEA addresses extensively this issue with so much information critical to the ocean’s survival, the audience needed a lullaby… a melody of hope.

Heitor Pereira is a Brazilian guitar legend and Grammy winning musician/composer/songwriter, Heitor Pereira’s credits include all three Despicable Me movies (Despicable Me: 3), The Angry Birds Movie, and The Smurfs. Other credits include the YA drama If I Stay and the action drama The Jesuit. Heitor has collaborated with many music icons and received international acclaim as the guitarist for Simply Red. Variety named him “Billion Dollar Composer” in 2015.

Photos: Copyright Sonic Sea
Official Website : http://www.sonicsea.org/

(Source: press release July 27 2017)