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Film is the ultimate artistic expression!  

A bold statement perhaps? What about music, art, literature?

Well, these along with performing arts are all part of Film, right? And when expressed in the right way and at the right moment, impact upon us far more emotionally than they might singularly. 

As a professional songwriter, record producer and artist I’ve made music my life, and yet film is what truly hits all of my senses!

Yes film/TV has all the creative elements throughout, however it’s those special moments I’m talking about… when you are watching a truly great film! You’re fully invested, emotionally charged and then it happens… ‘The Arts Collide’, and hit all of your senses at once! 

One of my favourite examples is a moment from the Clint Eastwood film ‘The Bridges of Madison County’ where Francesca (Meryl Streep) is sitting at the traffic-lights behind Robert’s (Clint Eastwood) pickup truck. Her hand poised over the door handle as Robert sits on a green traffic-light waiting for her to leave her life behind and join him. This is a deeply emotional scene that I can never quite get through without developing a jaw cramp and throat hernia! 

In this scene the most beautiful music is introduced called ‘Doe Eyes-Love Theme’.

A deeply touching piano and string section perfectly written to convey the emotions on screen. We have of course performance from these legendary actors. We have the written word that has scripted this moment, along with the most beautiful cinematography as we watch Robert’s truck drive away through the rain, out of Francesca’s life, viewed from her rain-splattered side window! All of these arts collide at the perfect moment to create something so much more than their single parts could ever achieve!

Another example of this is from the Robert Zemeckis film ‘Castaway’ when Chuck (Tom Hanks) has finally managed to escape from the island.

Intentionally no music was scored whilst Chuck was captive on the Island. Now at the emotional peak where the audience is vulnerable and completely invested into the story, the beautifully composed and performed main theme written by Alan Silvestri is introduced. With the exception of part-time cat torturers, I defy any human to not feel emotionally moved by this scene! We have all the arts as before with the addition of CGI artists. The subtle, yet powerful performance from Hanks, the haunting images as the island disappears from sight, along with the music create an unexpected narrative. Chuck is happy to have escaped the island, and yet sad to leave the place he has come to know as home.

Which of all the Arts is most important to get right for this emotional collision to work? Music of course! Why? Because one… I’m completely biased and two, because it’s a universal language that speaks the same emotions to (nearly) all humans. Sad/reflective music, like piano/violin is heart-pulling and emotional. Perky ukulele with a joyful whistle (heard on way too many ad’s) is happy/optimistic sounding. Most people feel the same emotions that music evokes (except for me where the latter is just annoying!)

If the music had been, let’s say… dark/menacing during the car/traffic-light scene, Meryl would have had her hand poised over the door handle ready to throw herself out onto the tarmac once her hubby hit 70mph! Tom and basketball friend would have capsized and drowned one mile off shore! If the ukulele/whistle music had been used instead Hanks and ball-friend would have been re-united with their loved ones, free from ‘hell rock’ and lived happy ever-after! Meryl would have been, well… still sad because Clint is considerably better looking than hubby, but you get my point, right? Music makes a big difference to how we perceive a scene.

I hope that this will resonate with you, to become aware of those special moments in film, and inspire you to create your own moments where ‘The Arts Collide’.

Author Greg Fitzgerald joins the Music In Film panel at Raindance Film Festival on Friday 29th October, 2021

Greg Fitzgerald 2021

​Record Producer, Songwriter, artist, Mix engineer and Mastering engineer Greg Fitzgerald has worked with major recording artists and record labels. He has achieved No.1 chart positions in the UK, Europe Korea and Australia as well as two top five U.S Billboard chart positions. 

Greg produced and Co-wrote the title track for Kylie Minogue’s ‘Fever’ album, which has sold over 8 million copies worldwide. Additionally ‘Fever’ won a ‘Brit Award’ for ‘best international album’. Greg also Co-Produced and Co-wrote ‘Burning Up’ from the same album, which featured on Kylie’s ‘Showgirl’ tour ‘mixed with Madonna’s Vogue. ‘Burning Up’ was also used in a ‘Slim fast’ Television advertisement campaign in the U.S.A. 

Greg produced & Co-wrote ‘Forbidden Fruit’ for Jessica Simpson’s album ‘In This Skin’. Album sales exceeded 7 million copies. 

Greg’s production music has been synced globally for companies including –Sky-BBC-NBC-Ch4-Discovery-ITV-Ford-Audi-Footlocker. His portfolio continues to expand.

Additional credits/Collaborations include: 

Madonna ‘Revenge’ (co-write with Madonna & Rick Nowels) 
Daryl Hall & John Oates, 3 tracks on ‘Do It For Love’ album co-production/writing. 500,000 sales+ 
Tina Arena, Production & co-writing on 4 albums. Sales 100,000+ 
Di-Rect. ‘Hungry For Love’ Co-write (#1  Holland) 
Avicci, Lulu, Atomic kitten, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Holly Valance, Cathy Dennis, Jamelia, Emma Bunton, Gareth Gates, Sarah Whatmore, Heaven 17 & many more… 

Recent Music Work: 

Writer for Warner/ Chappell ‘VIP POP II’ album
Writer for Universal Beach club album
Writer for Warner/Chappell ‘Prisms’ album
Producer/Writer Lucy May-Little By Little (album)
Writer for Warner/Chappell ‘ Tropical House’ album
Writer/Producer for Warner/ Chappell ‘VIP POP’ album
Remixed ‘No Way’ & ‘Always Love You’ for Gilbert O’Sullivan achieving radio 2 A & B list.
Co-writer ‘bump It’ Girl’s Generation ‘Lion Heart’ album. Billboard # 1
Writer/Producer/Performer Mr G Sings-‘The Caged Bird Sings’ Ultra Records.
Producer ‘Rhydian’ 3 tracks -Carry The Fire-album 
Writer/Producer/Performer -Universal production music  ’24 hours of dance’ album.
Producer- Jain Wells- 2nd studio album (title TBC) Choiceless awareness records
Mix engineer-Rhydian ‘One Day Like This’ ‘Various tracks #1 classical chart
Producer/co-writer Lucy May ‘Paper Heart’ ‘What you looking At’ & ‘Dishonest things’.  Released Jan 2013 
Producer/Co-writer- 2 tracks for Natalia Druyts album ‘Overdrive’ #2 Belgium
Writer for Universal Production Music ‘Dark Cool and Cinematic 3’ album. Released Early 2013 
Avicci. Vocal Production 
The Noisettes. Production/charity record 
Writer for Universal Production Music ‘Boyz Vs Girls’, Big Vocal Shorts, and Clubland 8 albums. (Release 2012) 
Writer for Warner/Chappell albums ‘Indie Nite Out’ & ‘Clublogy’ (Release 2012) 
Produced Jain Wells ‘To Be Real’ album for Choiceless awareness records (Release 2012) 
Producer -Rhydian ‘Waves’ album for Conehead UK (Released August 2011) 
Producer- The Saturdays ‘Had It With Today’  Geffen Records 
Composer- original soundtrack for ‘The Estate’ feature film. (Released July 2011) 
Writer for Universal Production Music, ‘Essential Underscores’, ‘Clubland 7’, ‘Grand-Stage Hip Hop’, and ‘R&B Flavours’ albums. (Released 2010/2011) 
Co-producer/co-writer Natalia Druyts ‘Wise Girl’ album for Sony/Bmg #1 .The first single ‘All Or Nothing’  featured on ‘Spion van Oranje’ movie

I bang on (and on) about telling stories that matter and how now is the time. I believe this more and more, day by day. The thing about the pandemic is that it makes us more aware of life and death and the mere momentary breath that separates them, how precious it is and how important it is to come here to do what we were meant to do and say what we need to say.

That’s where your voice, spoken, on the page, through art or dance, or any other medium, matters. It really does matter, and I’m delighted that an organisation with greater muscle than Collab Writers agrees.

Netflix want you to tell stories that matter

Yes, you read that right – whatever you are doing, sit down, take a deep breath and read on. Netflix are encouraging you to tell stories that matter, and have launched a documentary talent fund to inspire and discover a new generation of filmmakers, with an open call for submissions on documentaries until 31 January 2021 . Yes, that’s right, us mere mortals can directly get our ideas to Netflix, agented or not, experienced or not. So, dig deep and make time to sketch out the story you are keen to tell and the perspective from which you want to tell it under the banner of ‘Britain’s Not Boring and Here’s a Story.’

Human Rights, wrongs, social issues, mental health, inequalities

There is no shortage of hot topics that matter to each of us. Is there a unique perspective that you or someone you know has that has yet to see the light of day? That might be a window into an idea.

Documentaries don’t have to be heavy or about things that are wrong – they can be upbeat and hopeful too. They need to tell a story, a story that matters that needs to be told.

But I don’t know what story to tell

If you haven’t worked out what story you need to tell, sit quietly again and have a think about what matters to you, whether there is a story or a perspective on that story that has not been told and jot down the idea.

I can’t tell it alone

Fear not, if you want to collaborate on a documentary send us an email to info@collabwriters.com. We will put a call out on our next newsletter and try to get you hooked up with fellow Collab Writers.

Also, come along to our January 7th session online with media lawyer, Tony Morris.
Attend and put a call for interest in the chat.

See you soon!

This month at Collab Writers there was magic in the air, as we hung on every word of the Joseph Campbell of our times – storyteller and creative writing teacher, Kim Hudson as she talked us through a new model of storytelling, The Virgin’s Promise.

Kim gave us her scoop on a story structure that is new and fresh and has come into its own in the pandemic where we are eager to tell stories that matter. The Virgin’s Promise is a wonderfully meaningful story structure that is the perfect framework on which to build such stories. There are 13 beats suitable to tell stories of personal growth, creative, spiritual and sexual awakening, to name a few .

Kim calls these stories ‘feminine stories’ and don’t let that put anyone off, who doesn’t identify themselves as feminine. The story structure works just as well to tell masculine stories. Regardless of sex, we all have yin and yang in us and we all have what we have come to recognise as masculine and feminine energy. The thing is, we don’t always embrace both sides. Many of the Hollywood movies we watch focus more on external achievement, with screenwriters having been schooled in the art of telling the hero’s journey of going out into the world and achieving something, coming back home and shouting about success to the outside world. We often see this play out in stories that follow the 12 beat structure of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.

Chritopher Vogler, who wrote ‘The Memo’ that changed storytelling in Hollywood, has written The Foreword to Kim’s book, and says the following:

"What I found in these pages was an eye-opening retelling of the universal human story from the feminine perspective, with quite different language and thinking than I had considered."

The Virgin story is about knowing one’s own dream and bringing this to life within a world that often doesn’t support that and it’s through that inner challenge that the growth occurs and the Virgin can become who she was truly meant to be. Sound familiar? The 13 beats of Kim Hudson’s ‘Virgin’s Archetypal Journey’ from Kim’s book, The Virgin’s Promise are:

” 1. Dependent World – 2. Price of Conformity – 3. Opportunity to Shine – 4. Dresses The Part – 5. Secret World – 6. No Longer Fits her World – 7.Caught Shining – 8. Gives Up What Kept Her Stuck – 9. Kingdom in Chaos – 10. Wanders in The Wilderness – 11. Choose Her Light – 12. Re-ordering (Rescue) – 13. The Kingdom is Brighter.”

Movies that follow The Virgin’s Promise

To give us context, Kim talked us through stories of Personal Growth that we know and love that once upon a time we might have gone out to the cinema to see (yes, remember those wonderful days!), like Joker, Roman Holiday, Jo Jo Rabbit, Billy Elliot, The Wife and Her.

Stories of our Time

In the pandemic, outer and inner worlds have become more polarised and we’ve seen heros and anti-heros playing out on the world stage. I won’t mention any anti-heros by name but there have been plenty of examples in 2020. Like in the novels we write and read and movies we write and see, these heros often refuse to admit defeat and cling on to the bitter end, whether or not they have the support of the community or the moral upper ground.

They often share a common trait, they are right and it’s their view of the world that they will defend to the bitter end, regardless.

Is it time to tell new stories?

Since our session with Kim, there has been a seismic shift on the world stage. I’ve been asking myself “are we done with the hero’s journey?” Is it time for a new story structure? One that isn’t focussed on the strongest or smartest, or on achievements in the outer world, but rather upon the inner world and the journey we experience within, through personal growth and change to become who we came here to be, whether society approves or not.

It’s true that for many of us, lockdown has given us the opportunity to get know ourselves much better. As we can’t go out, we have gone within. We’ve had to get up close and personal with our lives, relationships, feelings, our work, or lack thereof and really ask ourselves some home truths. Home truths that reveal our inner make up, who we really are, and why we are here, especially at this time.

Need some help to discover your story of personal growth?

The beauty of Kim’s Virgin story structure is that the 13 beats don’t have to roll in any particular order. They can be mixed up and appear in your story in any order which is why stories that follow this structure tend to be intense, memorable and unique.

Let’s together disrupt the old way of storytelling and embrace a deeper, more meaningful way to tell our stories where no two are the same. Kim’s teachings can help you do this with grace and you never know, you might just enjoy it. After all, in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“Life is a journey, not a destination.”

I truly believe that the future belongs to those who dare to be different, not to those who follow the crowd.

If you want to treat yourself to some new notebooks to write your stories in. Or, if you are looking for unique gifts for Christmas, check out our Collab Writers limited edition notebooks, designed by London print designer, Caroline Lowe. As 2020 has been hard on creatives, here is an opportunity to support a talented artist this Christmas!

Two Collab Writers Original Notebooks

Designed and made by print designer Caroline Lowe. This pair of show-stopping notebooks are just-the-thing to give a home to your creative thoughts. A snip at £25 a pair including postage in Europe. If you are outside Europe, please do email us for a postage quote.

£25.00

Many many moons ago, I lived in Japan. The Japanese live life well. Despite the technological advances, they appreciate the simple things in life.

A phrase often heard from kindergarten kids to 90 year olds is ‘ikigai.‘ Before I fully understood the translation of the word, which as luck would have it has become a borrowed word in the English language, I got it. I got it, because the ever so helpful body language told me all I needed to know.

Ikigai has the guaranteed side effect of smiling, a warm fuzzy feeling and heartfelt happiness

The dictionary or hand held electronic translation (yep that used to be a thing kids) wasn’t necessary because the obligatory accompaniment to ‘ikigai’ was a smile, a warm glow or a hand placed over the heart that often triggered a smile.

The body language, was usually accompanied by some kind of action, be it flower arranging, a tea ceremony, tending the garden, growing veg, keeping chickens, writing, painting, playing tennis, swimming, walking, doing yoga, practising martial arts. An endless list….. Ikigai, is an activity or feeling that one enjoys in the moment when doing something one loves.

A love affair with the living of life itself that is true, honest and full of delight.

Ikigai is something money simply can’t buy, it’s without class, without divide, open to all to enjoy, equally.

There isn’t one word in the English language that can sum it up, it is a combination of so much of what we treasure in life. In essence, it’s the reason we get up in the morning, our passion, our ‘go to’ thing in life, that’s beyond a quick fix of Netflix or Amazon Prime. I say that as someone who regularly finds solace in movies and TV series, especially in lockdown days. Deep down, I know that my ikigai is an inner creativity and encouraging others to create.

Creative Carpe Diem

So, look back on your today and if there was joy, look at where that joy was. If it was when you sat down and came to the page or your laptop to write, shooting that scene on the underground with masks, a morning walk, run or playing football. Whatever it was, make it a regular thing if you can. It’s not a to do list or a must have number of words, it’s a desire, a passion, a match that thing or thing(s) that lights your inner fire. So, seize the day and do more of what brings you ikiagi, today, tomorrow and whenever you feel you need a reason to live. If you didn’t experience that today, think about what brings you joy and add it into any time left today and definitely your tomorrows.

Arigato gozaimashita Japan……….