Tomlin, a psychiatrist working at a mental hospital, has a disturbing session with one of his patients, a brilliant mathematician named Ersheim. Driven by a singular obsession, Ersheim seeks to prove the existence of “bleem” – a secret integer between three and four. Initially skeptical, Tomlin is unsettled by the idea. Over the course of 24 hours, the idea nags at him, causing him to question his preconceived notions of logic and reality.

Directed by Sintel creator Colin Levy and starring Daniel Jones and Tom Nowicki, The Secret Number is a dark mystery thriller adaption of the homonymous short story written by Igor Teper. The film has been produced over the course of two years as Colin’s master thesis at the Savannah College of Art and Design, has won numerous awards on international film festivals, and was released to an online audience in June 2012.

My work on The Secret Number was awarded Best Original Score at the 2012 Greenville International Film Festival and the 2011 SCAD Film & Television Showcase, and was nominated Best Score for a Live Action Short Film at the 2012 International Film Music Festival in Córdoba, Spain. The entire score is up for listen and download on the Music page!

Watch The Secret Number on Vimeo:

Ilona, a nine-year-old girl who lives in the wilderness with her mother and father, has fallen on hard times. Supplies are running low, and when a mysterious fox starts killing their livestock, she has no choice but to track down the strange creature in order to ensure the survival of her family.

The Girl and the Fox is an animated short film directed by Tyler J. Kupferer. Its striking, hand-drawn visuals and the simple, yet emotionally resonating theme have earned it numerous awards and nominations at international film festivals, among them a nomination for the animation world’s most prestigious recognition, the Annie Award. The original orchestral score that I wrote for the film was nominated as Best Score for an Animated Short Film at the International Film Music Festival 2012 in Córdoba, Spain.

Watch The Girl and the Fox on Vimeo:

At this year’s Greenville International Film Festival, which took place between April 25th to 28th, my music for the short film The Secret Number was awarded Best Original Score by the competition jury! I’m very grateful for this recognition.

The film also continues to gain traction at festivals across the US, among others winning the jury award for Best Short at this year’s Charleston International Film Festival and playing in the official selection at Newport Beach Film Festival.

Lastly, with the final touches on VFX post production nearing their completion, a release date for the film has been announced: On June 15th, 2012, you will be able to watch The Secret Number online. DVD pre-orderers will have the film in their hands before that date.

Ilona is a nine-year-old girl who lives in the wilderness with her mother and father. The three are forced to survive on their small cluster of livestock and what supplies they can get through a dying fur trade. Things get worse when a fox begins stealing their livestock. With winter setting in and supplies running low, Ilona has no choice but to track the fox into the forest where it lives, in an attempt to preserve what’s left of her family’s resources. The lessons she learns along the way will undoubtedly give her new perspective on the balance of life, justice and friendship.

The Girl and the Fox is an animated short film that explores the different perspectives of life, and how the lines between good and bad become more blurred the closer they are examined. Directed by Tyler J. Kupferer, the short has already attracted a lot of positive attention on the festival circuit, culminating in a nomination to the world’s most prestiguous recognition in animation, the Annie Awards, earlier this year.

Tyler and his production company Base14 hired me to write an orchestral score that embodies the film’s bittersweet reflection on moral perspective while matching the beautiful and delicate hand-drawn animation style. The Girl and the Fox is set for an online release later this year.

In order to promote the 3D capabilities of their 3DS handheld video game system, Nintendo has commissioned the Finnish animation wizards Studio Lumikuu to recreate the 2008 CG short film Big Buck Bunny in full stereoscopic 3D. The gorgeous result will launch on Nintendo Video in three mini-installments starting May 2nd, 2012. As the original composer and sound designer on Big Buck Bunny, I was brought on board to do a number of modifications to the original theatrical mix in order to make it fit the new 3-act structure and the technical requirements of the device. Apart from editing and remastering, this also encompassed extending the original credits music cue by some 40 seconds and remixing it from scratch. Click here to read the original Nintendo press release.

One morning, Touratech founder Herbert Schwarz and his wife, photo journalist Ramona Schwarz, ask themselves a rather innocuous question: Were does our daily cup of coffee come from? The answer takes them on a 4300-kilometer motorcycle journey across Ethiopia. Accompanied by a film crew, the trip leads them southwards across lands formerly known as Abyssinia, from the capital of Addis Ababa through an ever-changing yet always environmentally and culturally rich landscape.

Directed by Wolfgang Danner, One Last Cup of Coffee Before the Desert provides fascinating insights into a journey of extremes. For the 90-minute DVD documentary, Touratech hired me to write a score that blends traditional African music with rock and reggae, and provides atmospherical undercurrents for impressive views of majestic mountain ranges, stark deserts, and strange volcanoes.

One morning, Touratech founder Herbert Schwarz and his wife, photo journalist Ramona Schwarz, ask themselves a rather innocuous question: Were does our daily cup of coffee come from? The answer takes them on a 4300-kilometer motorcycle journey across Ethiopia. Accompanied by a film crew, the trip leads them southwards across lands formerly known as Abyssinia, from the capital of Addis Ababa through an ever-changing yet always environmentally and culturally rich landscape.

Directed by Wolfgang Danner, One Last Cup of Coffee Before the Desert provides fascinating insights into a journey of extremes. For the 90-minute DVD documentary, Touratech hired me to write a score that blends traditional African music with rock and reggae, and provides atmospherical undercurrents for impressive views of majestic mountain ranges, stark deserts, and strange volcanoes.

Listen to a montage of music from the film: