The Fountaineer

Occasionally we get to do some recording that is a little bit out of the norm for us, and it is always such a cool experience. We had a whirlwind day August 17th, 2021 recording a jazz ensemble soundtrack for a stop-motion animation, The Fountaineer. This meant we had to dive into AAF video-synced Protools land, and we had to not only record our ensemble, but also equip musicians with time-synced monitors to view the animation as they played through the score as well as improvised scenes. The live room certainly hit peak chaos of cables and microphones and screens and music stands and baffles, but luckily we had top tier talent in the room, and everything got done!

Ryan Blotnick composed the score and organized the ensemble for this project. It was such a treat to work with Nihco Gallo on Vibraphone, Emma Stanley on Trumpet, Danny Fisher-Lochhead on Alto Sax, Aaron Henry on Tenor Sax and Bass Clarinet, Ross Gallagher on Bass, and Gary Gemmiti on Drums. After a successful recording session, we passed files off to Tyler Wood at Sauce Farm Studio for the audio mix. 

We love how the animation pairs with the jazz ensemble, the result is really a terrific mix of sonic and visual textures. Congratulations to the filmmaker and animator, Matthew Sandager, for all the recognition this piece has gotten! Stop-motion animation is such a labor of love, and we were so happy to be able to contribute to this project. Of course, even though the animation was nearly finished during recording, the reality of getting a project of this scope across the finish line takes time. We have been patiently waiting to see the final film, and are so excited it is finally out in the world! Take a listen and watch below: