Sacred Noise?s Michael Montes Scores Two Independent Films

Company News: Page (1) of 1 - 05/07/04

Sacred Noise?s Michael Montes Scores Two Independent Films America Brown and Belle To Premiere At Tribeca Film Festival (May 07, 2004)

Michael Montes, the award-winning composer/creative director/co-founder of music/sound design house Sacred Noise (http://www.sacrednoise.com) has again brought his distinct composing skills to bear on two new independent films America Brown and Belle that will premiere at New York's Tribeca Film Festival, which runs from May 1 through May 9.

"I see me myself as a modern composer I don't just do commercials or movies or TV, but rather I want to be involved in everything," says Montes. "Ad people sometimes think that when you're involved in films that suddenly you're not interested in commercials and that's not true, I love doing ads and I think today's composer needs to be involved in every possible medium." Montes most recently scored the music for "Rain," new spot for AT&T for agency Young & Rubicam, New York.

America Brown
Written and Directed by filmmaker Paul Black and starring Michael Rappaport, Natasha Lyonne, Karen Black and newcomer Ryan Kwante, America Brown is a warm coming-of-age drama about a high school quarterback, still coping with the untimely death of his older brother and the pressures of West Texas football, who journeys to Brooklyn in search of answers. What he finds there may not be what he sought, but it may be what he needs.

"The music is very emotional and dreamy tinged with pathos and sadness, it's not dark but there is a sense of sadness in it," says Montes, who worked very closely with the director to decide where the music should be and what it should sound like. Montes ended up using a string ensemble, piano and acoustic guitar. "The challenge for me was doing a lot of musical experimenting. I wrote a lot of pieces, more than we would ever use, played them for Paul and after detailed discussions I moved forward from there."

"The story America Brown was born out of the essence of its main character, America Brown," says Black. "Over the course of its four years in development, the story assumed four different structures and roughly 15 different drafts. I was looking for a story in which I could convey to an audience my own view that we're all searching for a home within ourselves, and that more often than not, we need to leave home in order to find it."

America Brown can be seen Wed, May 5, 6:30pm at the UA Theater; Fri, May 7, 6:15pm at the UA Theater 2; and Sun, May 9, 3:30pm at the UA Theater 1.

Belle
A short film directed by New York-based filmmaker Ruth Sergel, whom Montes collaborated previously on the short film Cusp, Belle is a fable of old age and beauty in which an incontinent old Jewish woman journeys from the Brighton Beach boardwalk to a local strip mall in search of a Pokemon toy for her grandchildren. The moving story follows her as she gets into a racially charged confrontation with two cashiers and undergoes a remarkable transformation.

For the music, Montes took his inspiration from traditional Klezmer style music. "Klezmer music is filled with a lot of spirituality and joy," explains Montes. "I did a lot of research was able to find some early recording made in the 1900s and that's what inspired. Listening to those records helped me understand the tonality, instrumentation and the spirit of it all. Some of music is rollicking and fun and other parts were a bit more moody and dreamy."

The music, which was recorded live, featured tuba, clarinet, cello, violin and trombone.

"My production team and I are committed to empowering communities through creating challenging films about how we live our lives," said Sergel. "We seek to initiate conversation about the intricacies of our interactions and celebrate the challenges of our imperfect humanity. Belle forces the question: how do we engage with those people who are not all that we would have them be. An easier film would demand that Belle learn from her mistakes and find redemption. Instead it is her audience that is asked to confront their own assumptions in a world where individuals are always more complex and astonishing than films would have us believe."

Belle can be seen Fri, May 7, 9:00pm at the UA Theater 11.

About Sacred Noise
Founded in 1996 by Composer Michael Montes and Executive Producer Jeff Rosner, Sacred Noise is an award-winning music house specializing in creating cutting-edge music and sound design for top national advertising campaigns, broadcast design, new media projects, television and independent film, including the 2001 Oscar nominated short "One Day Crossing." The company's roster of composesr includes Montes, Charles Lovejoy, David Gennaro, Ravi Krishnaswami and Peter Rundquist.

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