Documentary director Rob Epstein explains the inspiration for his film THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK and how he combined found sound with composition to create his historically-significant film.

Key Insights

Each film has its own requirements for music; using a thematic approach which works holistically, connecting the sequences and dramatic beats of the story can be very effective.
As a director, It can be challenging to communicate your vision for music. As a starting point with your composer, you can find temp music that communicates the emotion of the film to share with your team.
When sound design can enhance the narrative storytelling, consider using “key artifacts”, the real sound recordings (for example: police radio tapes) from existing documented material.
For the last sequence of the film, it was important to convey a range of emotions through the score, which needed to emphasize the tragedy and transcendent feeling of hope at the end.

Rob Epstein

Advisor

Rob Epstein has proudly been both a fellow and advisor at the Sundance Labs. Eight of his films have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He is a director, writer, and producer who has been traversing the worlds of non-fiction and scripted narrative for four decades. more...