Independent Film's song Arranging and Production
- ckrulewitch
- Jul 1, 2024
- 2 min read
These past few months I've had the honor to participate in my own small way in an amazing project, as arranger and assistant producer for an original song set to be released in an independent film. Aichaku is produced by Tokyo Cowboys and is set to be released later this year. The film's story deals with finding love and finding oneself, and centers on the queer relationship of two men living in rural Chiba, Japan.
American expat Lucas works at a small, struggling English language school and is doing what it takes to make ends meet with his meager salary. In the same small town, half-Japanese Ken has been working at his uncle's construction business since he was fifteen years old and is struggling to figure out what he wants with his life. Over the course of three days, Lucas and Ken meet and help each other realize how important it is to have people and places to attach yourself to.
Marin Ishida met the Tokyo Cowboys team through a separate video recording project with Aichaku's Video Editor, Michael Williams, and was invited to write an original song to be featured in the film. Marin asked me to participate as Arranger and Assistant Producer on her original song, "Bonsai," which we have put together over the past two months.
Bonsai trees, although raised in a confining pots, can grow to become works of art, little piece of nature bounded by human intervention. In the same way, "Bonsai" gives life to the challenges that the two main characters face in their love for each other, each bounded by their own cultures and conceptions.
The song, which has takes inspiration from 1960's Doo-Wop, features Marin Ishida's emotional lead vocals and lyrics that mix Japanese and English. Don't miss the release of Aichaku and the song "Bonsai" later this year.
Read more about Aichaku and Tokyo Cowboys on their Website:
In the mean time, I've been continuing my efforts to get as close to nature in the city by visiting something called Forest Parks. Forest Parks (森林公園) are parks that preserve large sections of forest despite being well within the city limits. The degree to which these parks authentically keep the "nature" of the greenery varies greatly. Some are more like Arboreta, sprawling parks with sparse planted trees of different types, while others keep swaths of land completely untouched from their historical state, except for pathways in between the trees.
Regardless of the level of human involvement in the layou of the park, it's nice to be able to see actual wildlife: tiny irridescent birds dipping gracefully in and out of the water, huge water striders making their way across ponds, and the rustle of small mammals in the bush.
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