Musikvergnuegen’s head honcho Walter Werzowa was recently a featured guest on the BBC Radio 4 audio branding special, “Tag Me Amadeus.” British comedian Sue Perkins hosts, so you can expect it to be both humorous and engaging. Here’s the description from BBC:
Sue Perkins encounters her own musical doppelganger, as she explores the mysterious art of ’sonic branding’: the micro-jingles that distil the essence of an entire character, emotion or product…in mere musical seconds. Sue has her own bespoke musical tag created personally for her, at one of the UK’s leading sonic branding agencies, Cutting Edge Commercial - as well as speaking to experts on film music, children’s TV, and the composer of the most famous sonic logo in history: the famous “Intel bongs”…
That last part, of course, refers to Walter. Tune in to catch the premiere on June 15th at 1:30pm BST with a repeat playing on the 19th and 3:30pm BST. Of course, if you don’t feel like waking up early or doing the math, you can “freeview” the program on the BBC iPlayer for 7 days after the original broadcast.
Thus far, this year’s LA Film Festival has been getting press mostly because it features the premiere of the third Twilight movie. However, we are particularly excited to be represented as part of the world premier of the documentary “Lost Angels.” Musikvergnuegen’s own Walter Werzowa scored the film, which peers into the lives of several of Skid Row’s homeless. Thomas Napper, who worked on The Soloist and Atonement as the second-unit director, helms the documentary.
The festival lasts from June 17–27th, and takes place at a number of venues Downtown. While the schedule doesn’t appear to be posted yet, you can see the entire lineup of movies at lafilmfest.com.
Leading up to the 6th season, the guys behind Deadliest Catch licensed Eddie Vedder’s “Rise” to grace their promos. However, they asked Musikvergnuegen to compose an alternative, original piece to score the long-form version of the commercial. In approaching this project, we didn’t want to simply rip off the original track, and we also didn’t have the benefit of Eddie Vedder’s singing ability. Instead, we tried to emulate the tenderness of “Rise” with more Bluegrass-style instrumentation. Enlisting the help of real guitars and fiddles, we were able to show a different take on what is visually a stellar advertisement.
Deadliest Catch airs on Tuesdays at 9pm E/P only on Discovery Channel.
After our work on Deadliest Catch produced positive reactions from viewers around the country, Discovery tapped Musikvergnuegen’s John Luker to score their promo for Life, the sequel to Planet Earth. This time around, their preference was for a more vocal-oriented approach, so we reached out to a frequent collaborator, Lisbeth Scott, who has sung on such blockbusters as Avatar, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Munich, and Pirates of the Carribean: At the World’s End. Combined with the natural sound design, the music attempts to capture the wonder and drama of the show’s subjects in their habitat.
Be sure to catch the premiere of Life on March 21st at 8pm EST, only on Discovery Channel.
A study recently posted on fastcompany.com attempts to find “The Most Addictive Sounds in the World” using “the latest neuroscience-based research methods.” Researches observed how the brainwaves of their 50 volunteers reacted to a variety of audio stimuli present in everyday life and determined the following sounds as the most addictive:
We at Musikvergnuegen are honored to have our Intel “Bong” listed as the 2nd most addictive sound in the world, not to mention the 1st among branded sounds. The study’s conclusion that sheer repetition has a lasting effect is a particularly interesting hypothesis, and it reinforces how effective audio branding can be. That said, it is important to understand the limitations of this study.
One main problem is the minuscule sample size. Perhaps, because of a lack of resources, the test administrators were only able to recruit 50 volunteers, which, by any statistician’s count, is insufficient for producing reliable results. Additionally, the author never offers a definition “addictive,” which is decidedly vague, and simply goes on to use the equally ambiguous word “powerful” as a substitute.
This study is certainly a great start, and we look forward to further research that expounds and expatiates on these findings.
Although Benylin isn’t as well-known in America as Johnson & Johnson’s other pain relievers (Tylenol, for example), it seems to be something of a household name in the UK. As such, Musikv was recently tapped to score Benylin’s latest campaign, which personifies the protagonist’s mucus as a combative, Luchador wrestler. To add to the absurdity of the visuals, we brought in a 7-member Mariachi band and recorded the entire piece live and in-house.
Discovery is following the success of Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol” with a 2-hour special, which examines the historical clues and locations introduced in the novel. The latest collaboration between Musikvergnuegen and Discovery features a suspenseful main title theme and bumpers aimed at establishing a cinematic experience similar to that of The Da Vinci Code movie and its sequel. Musikvergnuegen’s licensing division, Beyond Music, also participated, contributing the in-show music.
“Hunting the Lost Symbol” airs at 8pm on Sunday, October 25th only on Discovery Channel.
The 9th season of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” kicked off this past Monday, continuing with the formula that has brought much success. The promos for this round feature music and sound design by Musikvergnuegen, whom sought to bring the tension and drama of the big screen to an otherwise light-hearted program. Nailing the percussion was particularly essential to this end and we are pleased with how it turned out. To check when “Dancing With the Stars” is airing, check ABC.com.
With an influx of soldiers enlisting in the U.S. Army, a trend the New York Times has attributed to the economic recession, the Army has faced the unusual task of recruiting higher-skilled officers to lead the general infantry. The resulting ad campaign, aptly titled “Army Officership,” features a collaboration between ad agency McCann Erickson and Musikvergnuegen. On the music end of things, the project spanned nearly 2 years and ultimately involved a recording session with a 96-piece orchestra recording session. The most common option in this economy is to use digitally generated synth strings because of their cost-effectiveness, however the orchestra adds an unquantifiable third dimension to each spot. Visually, the spots feature some of history’s most prominent generals, and the incorporation of live instrumentation helps capture the prestige and historical significance of the Army officer.
The campaign’s music actually involves a misdirect, which points to the Army’s awareness of how their commercials are often perceived by their target audience. According to George Dewey, McCann’s executive creative director, “We learned through research that when the ‘Army Strong’ music came on in that first second of the commercial, those achievement-oriented students would reject it because they would think it was not for them.” Where Musivergnuegen is concerned, this involved innocuously building up to the (in)famous Army Anthem and climaxing in the last 5 seconds for the grand finale. “When these kids find out that the Army has produced these superstars,” Dewey continues, “it’s an ‘aha’ moment for them.”
Expand the post to view the spots that have aired thus far.
Although this is a few weeks old, Intel has a humorous new ad campaign, which highlights their own line of “rock stars.” For example, Ajay Bhatt, co-inventor of the USB is not known for his musical prowess. However, scores of musicians have certainly benefited from the USB’s many capabilities since the implementation of the technology.
Besides championing the nerd revolution, this commercial is interesting because the last 4 seconds feature a room full of people humming the Intel mnemonic in unison. An astounding 18 years after Musikvergnuegen’s Walter Werzowa composed the audio brand, the “Bong” has proved both timeless and effective. The melody is so ingrained that, even after altering the instrumentation, it is both palatable and instantly recognizable.
Musikvergnuegen’s head honcho Walter Werzowa was recently a featured guest on the BBC Radio 4 audio branding special, “Tag Me Amadeus.” British comedian Sue Perkins hosts, so you can expect it to be both humorous and engaging. Here’s the description from BBC:
Thus far, this year’s LA Film Festival has been getting press mostly because it features the premiere of the third Twilight movie. However, we are particularly excited to be represented as part of the world premier of the documentary “Lost Angels.” Musikvergnuegen’s own Walter Werzowa scored the film, which peers into the lives of several of Skid Row’s homeless. Thomas Napper, who worked on The Soloist and Atonement as the second-unit director, helms the documentary.
