All about anime

A poster of the short film

Having dabbled in making music for ads and jingles in the last few years she's been here, musician and producer noni-mouse aka Radhapriya has finally ventured into the field of scoring for films, making her debut with the screening of the short anime Mother, written and directed by Gaurav Wakankar.

"Film scoring is something that I always wanted to do. It's why I learnt production. So, initially it was quite daunting and there were a lot of hits and misses. I finally got what I felt did justice to the film, though it's much shorter than a full-length one. But it's also someone else's baby and you have to respect that. I'm contributing to someone else's work and my job isn't just to make music but to also understand what they want as well and make that happen," points out the musician, who released a single titled No Sound a few days ago.

But since even Wakankar is around the same age (late 20s) and is an upcoming artiste, emerging from the same "struggle and hours of doubt" as Radhapriya, it became a more organic process, more so because she has also mixed and mastered the track. In the process, she felt she could dabble more with sounds as compared to the jingles and commercial work she's done.

"It's not the typical anime music as we've been quite experimental with sounds. As it's setting is a small tribal community out in the desert, I got the musical textures to match that with the aid of raw sounds that almost seem unfinished. I imagined what it would sound like if I was sitting with members of this community playing different instruments at night around a bonfire, though that doesn't happen in the film," she explains.

The room for experimentation is also flung wide open as one doesn't need to stick to a certain sound and check boxes like you have to with commercial work. "You get to borrow and build on your own sound. The grooves and melody are based on what I know. So, though it doesn't sound like my originals, it does have elements that resonate with my sensibilities," she shares.

This makes anime films a lucrative alternative for those who don't want to work on commercial Bollywood projects. "There's a lot to play with, especially with detailing. For example, if an animator has taken the liberty to make faces longer, I can also do something to match that musically," says the artiste, who's also set to release a two-song EP in collaboration with Ankit Dayal, the lead vocalist of city-based alternative rock band Spud in the Box. It will be an alternative rendition of two of her originals - Closer To You and Take It All In - apt for an intimate, acoustic live set.

On November 12, 6 pm (Versova); November 14, 6.30 pm (Khar)
At Leaping Windows, 3 Corner View, Dr Ashok Chopra Marg, Versova, Andheri West; Doolally, Rajkutir 10 A, E854, Road Number 3, Khar West.
Log on to insider.in; doolally.in
Cost Rs 300 onwards

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