From: jittlov@gumby.cs.caltech.edu (Mike Jittlov)
 Newsgroups: alt.fan.mike-jittlov
 Subject: WIZARD's Songs and Music
 Date: 19 Nov 1992 12:00:24 GMT

 nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) writes:

 >What are the words to the cynical story of life in Hollywood, sung
 >during Mike's first bike ride to Hollywood Studios?  Anybody have them
 >transcribed?

 *groan*

 The cheerily-ironic Bikeride Song is but one of many things
 that was meddled upon by my esteamed business partner (who
 also acted as the slimey, embezzling, sociopathic producer
 in the feature).  A former samba dancer (and used-car salesman),
 RKaye felt he knew the rhythms of this movie better than anyone,
 and... (gads, this is making me urp-up my Budget Gourmet).

 The songs were a satire, on movie-musicals that always had
 singing coming out of nowhere.  In this case, my character
 had an occasional chorus of psychic voices that would sing his
 praises and moods - until he eventually told them to shut up.
 There were heavenly choirs for the dream-bordered images, and
 the psychic-touches/impressions, leading up to the finale march
 (AKA, the "Mike Jittlov Praise Song" - with subtitled lyrics
 all at odds with what was being sung - this WAS supposed to be
 a COMEDY-spoof on exactly this kind of ego-tripping).  And it
 all would have made sense.

 I am the only one who knows what this film is supposed to
 look and sound like.  Very little of the music is what the
 film was edited and designed for.  You can see a lot of
 phantom cuts and edits that don't match the music - or if
 they do, it's usually a lucky accident.

 I edited the entire movie to my mental score.  Not an easy
 thing.  Imagine making a music video like that, editing
 all the visuals to the 24th of a frame, for a really rousing
 soundtrack that exists only in your thoughts and tapping
 fingers.  And that joy is finally the only thing that is
 keeping you going, slaving away without income for several
 years, just knowing you're going to create something that
 looks and sounds really terrific, pleasing, and right.

 Now imagine doing the score for an entire feature film, with
 wall-to-wall music, orchestration, and professional singers,
 on a budget of just $25,000.  (Bear in mind that John Williams
 had a budget of $500,000 for STAR WARS - a comparatively low-
 budget movie in 1977, at $7.9 million.)

 Now imagine that you have only 2.5 months to score, prep,
 and orchestrate everything (Williams had half a year).

 Now find out that your e.b.p. says the music budget money
 doesn't seem to exist anymore, and all you have is $3000,
 and he's already made a deal of some kind with a well-known
 music library for their famous stock music - the same used in
 Hanna-Barbera cartoons.  Because, after all, music is just
 music, and you've managed to make everything else somehow
 work despite every hurdle he's thrown in your path.

 It's been a rough nightmare, but you can't leave, or your
 e.b.p. will completely take over, somehow hire an editor,
 and scream directives to recut the film and spotlight his
 over-acting.  Stay with it, all your futures depend on it...

 Next, imagine a song session, where you've gotten any friends
 who can sing to help for free.  And then your e.b.p. visits,
 tries to comandeer, and his arguments with everyone leave
 your voices rasping and hoarse from the retakes.  No small
 miracle we were still on key.

 The Bikeride Song was supposed to be "brighter", with a
 stronger beat, to match the zing of the bike-pedalling.  In
 the theatrical version, it's on the slow side.  When SGE said
 they were dumping WIZARD immediately to video (pulling our
 film from the theater which had patrons lined up down the block),
 I was able to wrangle two nights of video console time and
 edit the film down - as well as speed up the bikeride song about
 8% (increased the visuals too - oh well..), and edit in many
 more minutes of music.

 Both John Massari and Steve Mann (seen in the movie, holding the
 boom microphone) generously gave recordings of their music, and
 I was able to edit in instrumental backgrounds of some of the
 songs.  The WIZARD RUN is a major music-kludging job.

 In short, the movie is far from done.  Everything you like is
 wrong.  Etcetera, grumblemumblekvetchcomplain.

 I'm told George Lucas feels the same about STAR WARS.

                                               ... Nahhhhhhh..

 I'd STILL love to complete this movie.  It's a family trait and
 motto, inextricably ingrained in the Jittlov genetic code - I
 even calligraphed it on a large sign for my mother's classrooms:

    "If a job is once begun,   Never leave it `til it's done,
     Be the labor great or small,   Do it well, or not at all."

 Could probably complete everything, with a good video set-up,
 Toaster, synthesizer..  (dream on)

 ________________________________________ ___._`.*.'_._ ________
  Mike Jittlov - Wizard, etc       .   . +  * .o   o.* `.`. +.
   Hollywood, CA 90026-2714       '   *  . ' ' |\^/|  `. * .  *
 jittlov@gumby.cs.caltech.edu  (: May All Your  \V/  Good Dreams
   <& alt.fan.mike-jittlov>    and Fine Wishes  /_\  Come True:)
 ============================================= _/ \_ ===========