Composing for Comedic Scenes

While I was working on RRCA’s “The Brooke Sisters”, I was challenged with the task of scoring a bizarre but potentially uproarious comedic scene. The “Brooke Sisters” is an audio series about two wacky old ladies who roam the countryside solving crime.

The premise for this scene is that the Brooke Sisters are threatening a maintenance worker with sex if he doesn’t talk. Funny, right? Every music cue I attempted didn’t seem to fit, so I just sat back and analyzed the scene. What were these two ladies doing? Threatening torture. The fact that sex happened to be their implement of torture didn’t matter; torture is torture. Once I realized that, I wrote very serious music. After I scored it and listened back I burst into laughter. Listen for yourself: <http://rrca.com/TheAsylumMurders.mp3>

Going against type was a great way to bring out the humor. Deciding whether to approach a scene in a comedic or dramatic way is not always clear. Trends, the director’s vision, and the story always need to be considered.