Writing Insight IV: A Dance of Audio and Narration

RFS Chapter 10 Soundtrack

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Anyone who reads the supplement insights will know there’s suggested music at the bottom. To clarify, these pieces don’t dictate what scenes appear. I often listen to music without lyrics or vocals to help keep inspiration flowing through the mind as I write.

Since the songs don’t have lyrics, they don’t distract the mind from the words on paper. The human voice catches attention very quickly, and while it works wonders for music, on a medium like a story, that is fundamentally distracting. That’s why I always write with non-lyric songs: So that when I re-read, revise, and proofread, the music can accompany and dance with the words rather than compete for attention.

Of the ones that play during the writing process, the songs suggested happen to be ones that stuck out in my mind that fit the overall mood and feeling better than most. If pre-made music is chosen, it’s because I’ve already had a scene in mind and the song helped breathe life into it. Sometimes they can help shape a scene, but a scene is never chosen or decided because of music. If that were the case, I’d have an overflow of scenes that would lengthen the already stretched entries.

As a note the following timeline, is to help outline what I personally see from a filmmaker’s perspective when music plays for a scene (or multiple segments). 

As a heads up, this is just a quick & very rough outline based on the limitations of the song. If I had creative control, I would definitely adapt the song at parts to allow a few more pauses/gaps, extends some bits, and shorten others. It is what it is, but it’s just an example of how I visualize soundtracks when writing. With that in mind, read through this as if it’s an animated/movie adaptation which made slight changes to the scene. You can likely imagine how I’d change it based on that.

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Song Setup: Ishtar notices Kingu has made a break for the former Bloodfort Andromeda. Inanna and Arjuna are attempting to stall using projectiles.

0:00 0:08– Ishtar’s eyes widen, and she tell Gabby to forget about any pursuit.

0:08 – 0:16 – Battle rages on, but the sounds of the wall battle slowly fades.

0:16 – 0:32 – Kingu charges across the plains, noticing it’s silent and no one is attacking him anymore. Various pans, overheads, and close ups.

0:32 – 0:48 – His retreat is peaceful as he mumbles to himself. The grassy plains sway with the wind.

0:48 – 1:03 – His eyes widen and he comes to a slow stop. Close up of his eyes. He stares at the distant, ruined mountain.

1:04 – 1:24 – Gilgamesh is revealed. They have a silent staredown. More shots of the peaceful surroundings contrasting their silent gazes.

1:24 – 1:28 – Gilgamesh raises his hand with Bab-ilu.

1:28 – 1:34 – Bab-ilu’s mechanism spins and stops.

1:35 – 1:40 – The sword-key’s red lines pierce into the sky (starts close, then quickly pulls back towards Kingu as the lines grow)

1:40 – 1:52 – Kingu begins molding his weapon. Earth lifts, Electricity shoots around his hand. The red lines collapse in the distance.

1:52 – 2:07 Ea is revealed in the golden portal. Gilgamesh grasps Ea. Kingu’s blade is forged. They stare silently towards each other.

2:16 – They’re walking towards each other.

2:32 – They’re running. Portals are forming. The earth begins to glow as Kingu forms it.

2:48 – “Kingu!” “Gilgamesh!”

2:52 – The weapons fire from the ground and portals.

2:54 – “This ends here!” The flying weapons impact.

2:56 – 3:02 – Gilgamesh and Kingu impact blades. No sound. Only visuals of the shockwave tearing across the plains.

Scene cuts at 3:02. Scene IV plays out a bit. Soundtrack plays again at 3:20.

3:20 – Ishtar looks to the distance battle after firing her noble phantasm.

3:35 – 4:07 Battle sequence. Uses descriptions shown in Kingu and Gilgamesh’s battle.

4:08 – 4:19 – “Humans and their worthless sentiments like friendship! What did Enkidu ever do besides fail his only purpose in life!? What worth was that useless hunk of clay!?“

4:19 – “He did more than you can ever hope to be!” 

4:23 –  “You have no right to wear that cord, mongrel!”

4:26 – “Then come and get it, King of Uruk!”

4:27 – 5:39 –  Initiate that close combat segment. You can use your imaginations and the descriptive parts here. Basically, lots of awesome fight shots. It gets more specific towards the end.

5:35 – 5:47 – Gilgamesh is airborne, countless weapons slam into him. He’s wreathed in smoke.

5:48 – Gilgamesh unveiled in air upon using the shield

5:56 – He descends, taking out the four projectiles Kingu fired.

6:04 – Gilgamesh swipes with Ea and cuts off Kingu’s arm.

6:05 – onward –  Halbers pierce. Gilgamesh reaches for the cord, but is forced back. Their stances reset as Kingu heals his wounds. Talk sequence as the song continues to its end.

As you can tell, there’d be a lot of cuts and extensions if I had a bit more control. A lot more. It’s a great song and I feel it captures the intensity and tension wonderfully though. Ah, if only…