DD151310

DD151310

DD151310 is a letter dated 1st September 1971 from Jeffrey Boswall to the Radiophonic Workshop, the first letter about Wildlife Safari to the Argentine.

Transcript

From:     Jeffery Boswall, Natural History Unit, Bristol      1st September 1971
Subject:  RADIOPHONIC MUSIC FOR "WILDLIFE SAFARI TO SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA"
To:       Head of Radiophonic Workshop, Maida Vale
Copy:     Barry Paine, Bristol

     Could I enquire whether it might be possible please to compose
some radiophonic music for this series?

     It is being shot October 1971 to March 1972;  edited April 1972
to October 1972;  and transmitted October 1972 to December 1972.

     I imagine you like to be brought in as the earliest stage?
In mind at present is openeing and closing title sound only.  It would be
difficult I think to emplot radiophonic music in the middle of the films,
though I am open to suggestion.

     The "Great Zoos" composition was superb, and as with that we should
perhaps also bring in the graphics people at an early stage too?

     I'm hoping that if you agree to the idea at all, that you will also
agree only to use natural sounds from the relevant geographical area:
Tropic of Capricornm to the Antarctic circle.  Come recordings already
exist.  Others can be obtained on safari.

     The kind of species we might use are:

         Hummingbirds humming
         Sea elephants growling
         Bellbirds sounding like hammers on anvils
         The Giant Potoo, which has one of the most beautifully
           mournful cries of any bird in the world
         Braying penguins
         Bill-clicking albatrosses
         Screaming Crested Screamers
         Gulls mewing
         Howler monkeys howling

Enough?

     Perhaps I sould briefly try to outline my attitude to music in the
"Wildlife Safari" series.  With the Ethiopian ones I successfully resisted
pressure from the cameraman, film editor and assistant film editor to use
western style music, even that composed and resorded in Addid Ababa.
We used only traditional music indigenous to the country, and little of it
at that.

     My feeling about the next series is to avoid human instrumental music
altogether, for reasons it would take a long time to explain.  One _might_
use some AMerindian music if it exists, but to have this in the "middle"
and radiophonic either end might easilt not work.  So this brings us to
the possibility of radiophonic in the "middle", which again is somehow
rahter difficult accompanying "real" pictures as opposed to the slightly
"Conventional" title pictures.

     But enough of this rambling.  What do _you_ think?

                                J F Billington
jfb                         for Jeffery Boswall