'Side by Side' is an orchestral music score composed for the award winning short film 'Cercanos y Extraños' ('Familiar but Strangers')
A film written and directed by Alber Ponte, filmed in 2020 in Galicia - Spain. 'Side by Side' is arranged for string orchestra, French horns and a solo Spanish guitar.
The music score encapsulates the momentary calm that arises after the initial agitated encounter between the two protagonists of the film. And finally, respecting the emotion and intimacy of the moment, and underlining the fact that the two characters have finally accepted each other, the music piece begins with the solitary sound of a nylon-strung guitar.
The guitar’s delicate notes are integrated into the images as if part of the dialogue. Then, as the camera rises skyward, cello, French horn and other instruments join the Spanish guitar to create a moving crescendo. The result is an impressive final piece to capture the heart and transmit an endearing message of brotherhood and tolerance.
Initially the theme for the finale, was written with a piano in mind. Though the film Director Alber Ponte loved it, once he and the music composer Jorge De Lellis heard the piece in the initial cut of the film, they decided that a Spanish guitar would lend a more profound humanity to the piece.
'Cercanos y Extraños' ('Familiar but Strangers') won the second prize at the VIII Short-Film Competition “Navarra Tierra de Cine” in Navarra-Spain, November 2020.
Watch the movie in Spanish with English subtitles
Read a case-study blog article featuring an interview of the film director Alber Ponte
Click here.
Drama Featured
Sierra Madre Films
2020
Drama, film score, brotherhood, movie soundtrack, short film, Spanish guitar, cello, orchestra, string section, overture, credits
