tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7906289048359148261.post4880972314658494784..comments2023-10-29T21:05:34.395-07:00Comments on Shades of Gray: 'As the Earth Turns' was decades in the makingSteve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7906289048359148261.post-2635823886575570112021-01-05T09:27:15.301-08:002021-01-05T09:27:15.301-08:00Thanks Steve for the wonderful shout-out on the fi...Thanks Steve for the wonderful shout-out on the film, and kind words about my music.<br />The fact that folks ask, why is it silent, is a bit of a testament to the quality of the film. Lyford had very little money to do these films. He was 20-years old, when he made Earth, and it was his 9th film! These films were made with family and friends in High School! He really had no resources to make sound films at this time.<br />I can tell you that Lyford actually experimented with dual turntables for sound. (He was working with 16mm). He did show this an other films with classical music recordings, live sound effects, etc., in his 50 seat theatre in his families home! I did get a sense of what music he used AFTER I started to score - sending me chills at first! In fact, my stylistic choices weren't that far off of Stravinsky, Dvorak, etc.. He even experimented with dialogue (not sure how). He was hired by Disney right after this film. It was his last "amateur" film (he wrote about it in American Cinematographer). <br />Also, of interest, is that Disney hired Lyford (he worked on Fantasia, Pinocchio and Dumbo- before getting drafted into WWII) somewhat because of his experimenting with sound. Disney knew that 16mm would be important for military and educational films (lower cost, easier to use, etc.). <br />Regarding the ending (color), there was debate at first about whether it was tinted or true color (it is). Why he used color is not known. Personally, I love the ending, and the color helped me tremendously with my ending, musically. The intense action transitions to a serene, yet pensive atmosphere (not sure of the fate of a character). It is an interesting choice, whether by budget or direction. This film predates :Wizard of Oz” by a year or two, and has a similar effect to me. We did leave the film in it’s original condition because we wanted to show the true ameteur nature of the film and filmmaker. In the future, who knows, though!<br />BTW: I am working on a doc, and biopic. There will be a DVD coming in 2021, with other Lyford assets. The website is https://www.astheearthturns.com/<br />Thanks again, for the words about the film. I am always happy to answer questions about the film. PS: Besides Amazon, the film is on other platforms, and will be on Turner Classic Movies in 2021. I am also reaching out to film societies, film schools and other institutions that might be interested in private screenings (Live and Online with Q&A). Please share the information.<br />Ed Hartman<br />https://edhartmanmusic.com/Ed Hartmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13680285955326194631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7906289048359148261.post-54387393878012117922021-01-05T04:48:15.198-08:002021-01-05T04:48:15.198-08:00You've got me interested. I'll put this in...You've got me interested. I'll put this in my que!Feo Amantehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09760221543053878744noreply@blogger.com