Music has become, more than
ever, human kind's magical ointment; it heals us in times of grief,
provides hope in times of despair and makes the smile on our face widen
considerably in the presence of the small,yet so enjoyable things in
life. Music is no longer a complicated, tragic opera act or the folk
song of our youth, it is no longer the creed of one generation or the
motivation for the next one. Music is every one of those things and
more. The truth is that the songs on our iPod's, in our car, on our
laptops or at concerts are as far-reaching as a virus, making it mass
entertainment, mass therapy and mass communication all in one.
Like a virus, it has progressively
infiltrated every dimension of our life, from parties to plays to commercials
and movies. And there are people out there helping it get to us.
Lindsay Wolfington is one of
those names that sounds just as familiar and exciting to a music placement
inside man as Steve Jobs would to a Silicon Valley software engineer.
Music supervisor extraordinaire and one of the big A-list regulars of the
business, along with the likes of Alexandra Patsavas, Gary Calamar or
Madonna Wade-Reed, this particular lady has worked on several
eye-catching projects in recent years.
As Smooth As a Whisper
If ghosts and the supernatural
aren't quite your thing, you might be tempted to reconsider after witnessing
her touch on the very popular TV show "Ghost Whisperer".
Spirits haunting their homes, images of the dead resurfacing to redeem
themselves and unworldly appearances popping up to solve their worldly
problems, this TV series has all the ingredients for prime time sci-fi
success, including a perfectly matched chunk of music.
Along with the resplendent
original works of composer Mark Snow, the much hailed soundtrack of
the show is ensured by Wofington's expert picks. The one of a kind eerie
and subtle mood is conveyed by independent, "underdog" artists
that master the acoustic genre; Erin McCarley's "Gotta Figure This
Out" and Meiko's "Reasons To Love You" are perfect examples
of that specific type of softcore ballad that can't help but stay branded
in your mind.
The spooky, yet psychological
undertone of the plot is also brought forth by more mainstream music
hits, such as the heart-melting "Stay" by Shakespeare Sister
or The Script's delicate declaration of love, "The Man Who Can't
Be Moved". Jennifer Love Hewitt's peculiar encounters with the
souls of those who passed away are intertwined with her otherwise normal
human interactions back in this dimension, and the tracks help keep
everything together into a refined, romanticized, but down-to-earth
union of movie drama and music placement excellence.
A Musical Saga
And, speaking about music placement
excellence, in comes the crown jewel of Lindsay Wolfington's exquisite
music supervision career. One Tree Hill. 7 is the number of seasons,
2 is the number of Teen Choice Awards and 4 is the number of millions
of viewers per episode for this young adult TV industry jackpot. The
reasons for such sky-rocketing success are abundant: random turning
points alongside gradually developing events, superficial flings combined
with finding soul mates and an overall accessible and realistic story
make the show a go-to spot for teens and youngsters to explore something
quite similar to their real life. Add a smoking hot hipster music compilation
and it's no wonder the series keeps airing.
With an artist blend unparalleled
by any other production, except, maybe, The O.C., One Tree Hill
has managed to become the gold pot at the end of the rainbow for music
supervision on both sides of the business alike. Every significant moment
in an episode is portrayed by its own musical excerpt, while the ending
makes an impression with a miscellaneous scene medley accompanied by
a song to unify them into a single theme. The Foo Fighters' "Times
Like These", for instance, was the upbeat, open-minded,"look
ahead" sound you could hear in the end of the fourth season's graduation
episode, while The Ting Tings pumped up the cheerleading energy levels
with "That's Not My Name" and Ingrid Michaelson's soothing
love song "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" celebrated
Lucas and Peyton exchanging rings and vows.
Aside from the three soundtrack
albums that Lindsay's immensely appreciated music choices have produced,
the show can also be credited with a noteworthy display of performing
artists, such as Sheryl Crow, Michelle Branch, Nada Surf or The Honorary
Title, to name just a few. Music is nothing less than a middle name
for One Tree Hill, as Peyton's record label provides an outlet for aspiring
indie musicians to make it big. Fall Out Boy frontman Pete Wentz even
played himself in the role of Peyton's love interest, while Bethany
Joy Galeotti as Haley made the crossover from actress to singer on the
show.
There is no doubt that the
wide array of indie rock tunes and constantly new discoveries is a massive
slice of the pie when it comes to popularity; the carefully selected
songs are the perfect rendition of the freshness, initiatic experiences
and general joie de vivre that characterize the show, or, as the famed
supervisor put it, they are "usually soaring, often bittersweet".(Lindsay
Wolfington for One Tree Hill Music http://www.oth-music.com/)
A Lot Of Digging Up To Get Under Your Skin
Lindsay Wolfington's expertise
has been put to good use in other endeavors, as well, completing a diversified
list of genres she can approach. She was in charge of music supervision
for the witty comedy series "Unhitched" and "Crumbs",
handled the music placement for real-life inspired drug drama "Self
Medicated" and was a music coordinator for the soundtracks
of "Smallville" and "Las Vegas", both hit TV shows
with outstanding background tracks. Her potential is also underlined
by the fact that she got veteran gods of classic rock Led Zeppelin licensed
for One Tree Hill, considering the fact that the band is infamous for
refusing to have their music in movies or shows and was only featured
once in HBO's "The Sopranos".
Obviously, she is a woman of
enormous talent and with a great deal of inside knowledge about the
business, but perhaps her quintessential trait lies in the hard-worked
perfectionism we get to hear on every new project. With the creative
process taking up to 3 weeks for an episode and with thousands of emerging
musicians to listen to, Lindsay Wolfington's ability to find just the
right piece of the puzzle is perseverance at its best. Her signature
underground songs with a soft side, not too dramatic and not too over-the-top,
connect very well with our modern day personalities and have gained
a place in recent pop-culture consciousness, popping up less as names
and more as something that just sounds familiar. Altogether, her musical
decisions have made her a more than welcome breath of fresh air.Copyright © MusicSupervisorGuide.com. This article may not be reproduced without written permission by MusicSupervisorGuide.com.
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