I cannot express enough how thankful I am for this grant and opportunity. This film is about the lives of two individuals from different countries, Italy and Ireland, who meet in Ellis Island while immigrating to the US in the Great Depression era in search of a better future. This project is near and dear to me, being that I my parents immigrated to the US for the same reason as the characters in the film. Because the story is set in the 1920s for the majority of the film, I plan on using these funds to hire live jazz musicians to recreate the iconic 1920s jazz big band sound. These funds can help cover the cost of new scoring software, such as Dorico, since Finale has decided to leave the market. I may get a full range MIDI keyboard as my current one is a bit small for my workflow with pads and faders to help with my automation processes. I also plan on hiring an assistant to help me with the score and recording session preparations. These funds will allow me to hire a professional studio in the Los Angeles area for a day or two, recording engineer and mix engineer, and other expenses that pop up in a venture such as this. I personally believe in making sure who you are working with feels valued and appreciated, so I am glad that there will be a budget to provide refreshments and lunch for the team I will be putting together.

The score itself is going to be inspired by American jazz big band of the 1920s as well as Italian pop music of the era, as part of the film takes place in Italy. My idea is to take the listener into the world of the characters by slowly blending between the score being non diegetic to diegetic. Our thoughts on music of the era is only based on the recordings that have survived. But, what would it be like to experience the music as the people of the time? Where it sounded real and not like our nostalgia. The script has a lot of dramatic and sentimental moments, especially around the Irish character. I can certainly envision fiddle, flute, and acoustic guitar inspired music with a Celtic edge. Essentially, I want to pull inspiration from the countries of Italy and Ireland during the 1920s and mix it with the American sound of the same era that mirrors the transition they were making as individuals starting new lives in the US.

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Alexis studied at Pasadena City College for his AA in Music and went on to begin his career as a gigging musician, performing artist, and music instructor. After a few years performing all over Los Angeles he was given an opportunity to play in a jazz and funk band onboard luxury cruise lines. After a few years, he turned his sights towards film and TV music. He began his full time film composition studies through Berklee Online while working full time as a music director onboard cruise ships earning his BFA in Writing for Film, TV, and Games degree. Since graduating, he has composed music for several short films, podcasts, and other sync licensing opportunities. Currently, he works as a composer, arranger, and jazz musician around his home town of sunny Los Angeles and just got hired to score his first feature film.