True leaders aren’t born; they’re grown
4-H Has The Hit House create custom music to exemplify their core values in new Brand Essence Video.
When 4-H, the venerable global network of youth organizations whose mission is “engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development” needed the perfect song for a new Brand Essence video, they knew exactly who to call: The Hit House. With the goal of translating the core values and feelings of the non-profit into sound, Dan Diaz composed “Friendship”, a feel-good but emotionally-substantial piece featuring an acoustic band feel and the playfully-sweet sound of children singing. It proved to be just what they were looking for to help continue their mission to “Make the Best Better” and “Learn to Do By Doing”, a goal The Hit House was very pleased to be a part of.
Prehysterical Adventures with Dreamworks, Netflix, and The Hit House
“Dawn of the Croods” trailer features The Hit House’s sound design.
We dug deep and went prehistoric with our sound design Dreamworks Animation’s Dawn of the Croods trailer. Premiering December 24, 2015 on Netflix it is based on the 2013 animated film, The Croods. The new series is animated in Toon Boom Harmony software by Vancouver’s Bardel Entertainment.
The familiar Croods Eep, Grug, Thunk, Sandy, Ugga and Gran are back from their 2013 animated film, The Croods, to embark on this new animated family sitcom. Viewers will see them meet new friends, outrun fantastical creatures and deal with a shenanigan filled array of “firsts,” the likes of which the world has not yet seen. School doldrums, slumber parties, hiccups, and elections are all fair game for new discovery by the Croods and their ilk.
The voice cast for the new Netflix series includes Dan Milano, Cree Summer and Stephanie Lemelin, as well as Saturday Night Live alums Chris Parnell, Ana Gasteyer and Laraine Newman. It is executive produced by Brendan Hay of Robot Chicken and The Simpsons fame.
Even at the beginning of time there was sound design to progress the plot.
Hear The Hit House’s additions then hit play on Netflix on December 24 to watch the antics begin!
UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END
Where is your mind, your game, your song?
Sony PlayStation’s “Uncharted 4” chose The Hit House to produce the perfect video game commercial music.
The imminent March 18, 2016 release of Sony PlayStation’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End video game needs marketing, and what better way than through insight into the character of Nathan Drake himself? Scott Miller composed and arranged a unique cover of The Pixies’ “Where is My Mind” song. A wistful homage with stirring strings and the haunting vocals of one of our favorite artists, Ruby Friedman, the reimagined melody is the perfect accompaniment to the action-adventure third-person shooter’s heart-rending narrative of love, loss, and potential redemption.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, developed by Naughty Dog for Sony Playstation, is the fourth installment of the Uncharted franchise. It unveils the ultimate chase sequence as protagonists Drake and Sully race agains time to help Drake’s brother, Sam, evade Shoreline mercenaries. Set several years after his last hair-raising adventure, retired fortune hunter, Nathan Drake, is through no fault of his own, forced back into the world of thieves. This time the stakes are much more personal as he embarks on a globe-trotting journey in hot pursuit of a historical conspiracy that lies behind a fabled pirate’s treasure. Nathan’s greatest adventure will test his physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately what he’s willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves.
With such an epic hero’s quest to be unfurled, setting the correct musical tone was imperative.
The only question that remains is, next time you need music, where will your mind be? Even in uncharted waters, The Hit House is a sure bet.
Watch the trailer for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, hear our music, then pre-order your game here! #uncharted
Stings and Hits With Rocky
Sylvester Stallone cements his legacy and The Hit House delivers the final sting.
One of the most iconic movie roles of all time is being reprised by Sylvester Stallone who returns as Rocky Balboa in Creed. A dynastic movie empire such as the Rocky’s needed the subtle yet memorable touch of a final ring to symbolize all that had come before, while simultaneously leaving the viewer wanting more. The challenge for The Hit House was to create, for Creed’s official trailer, the perfect sting which hearkened back to the final bell of a boxing round, memories of past fights, and a bell tolling for those who had passed, both remembered and forgotten.
In Creed, Adonis Johnson (played by Michael B. Jordan) didn’t know his famous father, boxing champ Apollo Creed, who passed before Adonis was born. Boxing, however, is in his blood, so he finds Rocky Balboa (played by none other than Sylvester Stallone) and convinces the retired champion to be his boxing trainer. Seeing so much of Apollo in him, Rocky agrees to mentor Adonis, even as he battles an opponent deadlier than any he’s faced in the ring. Adonis soon gets a title shot due to Rocky’s help, but does he have the heart of a true fighter and the perseverance to see the fight through to the end?
Above all else Creed preaches that, “Your legacy is more than your name.” Here at The Hit House we believe that a sting is more than a solitary tone. It is the ideal compliment to hit the viewer right in the gut, heart, or brain to leave a lasting impression and a want to see more.
Rocky said, “It ain’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.” Lucky for you, we deliver hard hits, but also move forward!
See Creed, in theaters now, but first, watch the official trailer and listen for our final sting of piano and soft strings at 2:33:
Virtual Murder Needs Real Sound Design
Team One USA’s Virtual Reality Horror Short features The Hit House’s Sound Design.
Written and directed by Team One USA’s Kevin Shuster the 2015 Team One Focus Goal 360 VR demo short film, “Case #436: The Killing of Emma Sinclair” featured our sound design. An in-house virtual reality experience to showcase what is possible in the rapidly emerging realm of VR, Kevin created a riveting experience just in time for Halloween.
The plot of the hair-raising experience follows:
“There’s a serial killer on the loose in Southern California and we need your help. Using the latest in forensic technologies, you have been recruited for immersion into the most recent victim’s mind minutes before this gruesome murder takes place. Please be aware that the victim, Emma Sinclair, is a bed-ridden eighty-three year old woman. You’ll be as helpless as she was, but hopefully your experience will provide essential information that will lead to the capture of The Peek-a-Boo killer. Good luck!”
Though sound design was done by The Hit House’s Chad Hughes, not everyone at The Hit House was willing to submit to the visually immersive piece, which included elements of a gruesome murder (off-screen). The experience was truly that frightening, as the viewer was virtually “chained” to a bed and at the mercy of a sadistic killer. What helped to highlight the foreboding and shock factor of the film was the auditory input. Muted, the film’s scream factor does not translate in the same fashion.
Despite the highly graphic adult content, the piece allowed us to flex our creativity toward the horror realm in the sound design space. We were excited to visit the beautiful Team One USA creative space, work with an incredibly talented creative team, and now look forward to how our music and sound design can enhance the nascent VR industry.Click through and experience how creepy virtual reality can be… If you dare!
WHERE TO INVADE NEXT
Where to Invade & Play Our Music Next?
Michael Moore’s newest Documentary features The Hit House’s music.
Love or hate him, Michael Moore provokes emotion and polarizes every side of the proverbial aisle. To underscore his strong sentiments, our music appears in his new movie Where to Invade Next.In typical Moore fashion, his newest effort features him traveling around the globe to investigate domestic policies of other countries, with a specific focus on European states. Within the context of gaining knowledge from others, he seeks out which ideas might be best suited for America.
As Moore’s first movie in six years, it premiered last month to strong reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival. Our songs “Falkor” by composer Dan Diaz and “Practically Previn” by Bill Conn added accompaniment to his striking ideas. Whether you agree or disagree with him, Moore certainly strikes a chord with the audience.
Watch Where to Invade Next, and our music as the AFI Film Fest’s Centerpiece Gala on Saturday, November 7 at the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian in Los Angeles.
MUSIC, DRIVES, & PURPOSE
Petrol Advertising chose our music and sound design to wrap commercials for Western Digital’s drives.
Just like Western Digital’s drives are crafted with specific purpose, so are our commercial music and sound design. When creating the campaign to highlight PC, Performance, NAS, Surveillance, and Datacenter hard drives, Petrol Advertising saw the need for a bespoke music solution highlighting form and function. So they turned to The Hit House.
There is no “one size fits all” solution when storing valuable data, thus Western Digital offers hard drives that cater to the needs of the individual client. Similarly, our music libraries contain a variety of types of music with the option of custom songs and sound design created for individual commercial music campaigns.
More on Western Digital hard drives:
wdc.com/en/products/Purpose/
Watch Petrol Advertising’s Western Digital spots with music by Scott Miller and sound design by Chad Hughes:
On the Record: Q&A with Dan Diaz
DAN DIAZ
Composer and Producer
Composer and producer Dan Diaz is based out of Los Angeles and his music and sound design have been featured in trailers for some of the biggest blockbuster movies and video games of our time including Iron Man 3, The Avengers, Captain Phillips, Nebraska, Her, The Wolverine, The Conjuring, Deadpool, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Call of Duty Ghosts. He has also composed music for video games such as Electronic Arts’ Skate 2, Skate 3, and Skate It (which combined have sold more than 2.5 million copies), as well as countless television shows on networks such Fox, CBS, MTV, Vh1, E!, The CW, and many more. In addition to his career as a composer, Dan has also worked as a producer, engineer, and mixer, with artists including Jason Mraz, Martin Storrow, Dawn Mitschele, Kyle Phelan, and many others.
Dan was kind enough to sit down with us in between composing sessions and give us an unfiltered insight into what makes him tick and why he loves music. Below, the reveal.
Dan, what first inspired you to write music?
From the time I was little my parents always had music playing in the house. My dad’s a big fan of all different styles, from Elvis, The Beatles, and Dean Martin, to Dwight Yoakum, Garth Brooks, and beyond, so I was exposed to music from an early age and always loved it. He also had a a guitar, and at a certain point I found myself making up songs, pretending to play, and even recording “albums” of my songs into a cassette recorder.
There were probably others before songs before it, but I first remember hearing Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” on the “Wayne’s World” soundtrack, and it blew my mind. I couldn’t stop listening to that one. It definitely solidified my love of music.
So you started with guitar, but what instruments do you now play?
Yes, first guitar, and now also bass, drums/percussion, and a little bit of keyboard/piano. Also, I wouldn’t call myself a singer, but I enjoy singing on tracks from time to time as a baritone. Mostly polka based classical death metal. And sometimes pop/rock.
Polka? That’s certainly eclectic. What’s your favorite genre of music to write?
I love writing in all different styles. Variety helps to keep my wandering attention span in check. Well, sort of… but I always enjoy anything with a great groove or anything I can play some fun guitar on. Or things that rock. Or that have a cool drum part I can play. Or bass part. Or big, movingly-emotional orchestra. Or… See, there it is, my wandering focus…
What is your music writing process for a trailer, a commercial, or for fun?
For a trailer or commercial I always start with an objective, either from a specific creative brief or an overall stylistic-rundown for an entire album. I’ll then try to figure out how I can accomplish that objective in a unique, interesting, and slightly inventive way. That takes anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, and then one of two things happens: if it’s for a quick turnaround custom-type project, I’ll quickly come up with either a guitar, drum, or keys part, lay that down, and then immediately start layering in other parts and sounds and composing as I go. If it’s for a project that I have more time with, I’ll usually start by writing with only a piano patch open and focusing heavily on the composition itself. Once the basic parts are written, I’ll then start orchestrating and producing what will become the finished product.
If it’s for fun it totally varies, but I will usually start with either a riff, vocal idea, or some other “instigating part” and I’ll run with it from there.
I really draw my inspiration from wanting to create interesting and moving music that affects people in the positive way that music has always affected my life, and also from the want to not be homeless.
Ha! Good reason to create. What hobbies or other interests outside of music inform your composing?
I love to read biographies and learn about other people’s lives. I also really enjoy watching movies and good TV, spending time my wife, Britta, and dog, Jackson, and other family and friends, traveling (not enough at this point, but working on it), and spending time in nature. Every moment of everything I do informs my music in one way or another!
Great! What is your greatest strength as a composer?
Because I can never answer a question in the singular, I’ll say my strengths are creativity and curiosity, a love of strong melody, and solid production and arranging skills.
How did you and The Hit House first begin working together?
Sally, Scott and I became friends in the course of seeing each other around various trailer industry events as I was running my own company, “Anti-Hero,” and eventually realized it would be too much fun to work together to not do it! Also, Scott owes me his life for reasons I can’t disclose in this interview. At least that’s what I keep telling him when I want him to do me a favor.
Wow, won’t even follow up on that one… So, what’s your favorite piece of music you’ve written for The Hit House in an album?
It’s always hard to pick a favorite piece, but I definitely feel particularly proud of “Angst” and “Greed” from “Over Re:Action”, as well as “Falkor” and “Norbert” from “Epic Funny Bone: The Third.” [See link at bottom to listen.]
What is a common layman’s misconception about composing music?
That we spend most of our time fending off girls and groupies. It’s more like all our time.
So aside from “beware of groupies,” what advice to you have for young composers or those interested in the industry?
Hone your talents and become as good as you possibly can at writing music that moves people. It’s very hard for the industry to ignore people who are really good at making great music. Also, learn as much about the business side and good money management as possible so you can sustain yourself through both tough and good times in your career.
Is there any question you wanted to answer that we did not ask?
Sure, I definitely accept complimentary desserts sent to The Hit House in my name. Especially pastries. Or coffee cake.
Thanks for your time Dan. We’ll be sure to send those desserts directly to you!
Hear some of Dan’s recent compositions:
OVER RE:ACTION – “Greed”
EPIC FUNNY BONE – The Third: Orchestral EscapadesMore on Dan and Anti-Hero:
Dan Diaz Wikipedia
www.dandiazmusic.com
WE GO TO THE MATTRESS FOR YOU
Both Stearns & Foster and Sealy Mattresses used our music to illustrate their quality, craftsmanship, and promise of the best sleep.
When Stearns & Foster wanted to show their continued superior quality and meticulous craftsmanship through video, they needed the right commercial music. They put their heart and soul into each mattress which is why each Stearns & Foster comes with a signature as a promise that their bed is made the way it should be. It also takes twice as long to make these beds, not only because the craftsmen are committed to the highest standards, but also because they make the bed the right way, so you can get your best night’s sleep. Similarly, The Hit House is committed to delivering the best in commercial music. For two spots Stearns & Foster chose our song “Milo Eons” from our album “FUNNY BONE Volume VI: Mega Chucklus.”
Watch the Stearns & Foster Commercials here:
Hear “Milo Eons” on SoundCloud here:
Milo EonsSealy Mattresses saw what we could do and used us to release their Posturepedic® Premier Hybrid mattress, the best of both springs and foam. Choosing a mattress, much like commercial music, should be simple. Sealy provides a Premier Hybrid for your best sleep yet. We provide the exact track to accompany their announcement. “Rachel Lees Please” by Scott Miller is the custom song we delivered, because commercial music should be easy to find, and we’re committed to helping you find the perfect track, so you can rest easy.
PUTTING THE MUSIC IN TRAILER MUSIC
What an incredible panel at Production Music Association (PMA)’s
Pictured (l to r) Ali Pistoresi, Creative Director at Immediate Music, Brian Murphy, Music Supervisor at Ant Farm, Sally House, Executive Producer of The Hit House, Jordan Silverberg, Music Supervisor & Director at TRANSIT, Sanaz Lavaedian, Music Supervisor & Director at mOcean.
Thanks for a fantastic audience & time! #PMC2015
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