MAS Hits the Slopes for ESPN Doc on Olympian Mark McMorris

MAS (Music and Strategy) recently scored director David Tindale’s Making Your Mark, a 44-minute documentary following 20-year-old Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris. Coordinating closely between its New York and Los Angeles studios, MAS created and scored 25 cues to help tell the exhilarating story of the phenom’s rise from snow-obsessed youngster to Olympian gliding toward gold in Sochi.

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The compositions range from tender melodies to rip-sawing action sports anthems, each a perfectly calibrated accompaniment to the story, which veers from interviews with close family members to footage of daredevil aerial snowboarding feats. MAS captured the essence of this inspirational story in tracks that appealed to both the composers and Tindale, crafting music based upon a review of the director’s favorite music and bands.

“Our team had a blast crafting tracks to match the action in this amazing story,” recalls MAS Managing Director James Alvich. “By working closely with David, we came up with something that delivered the perfect combination of youthful energy and fun. The music also helped to contribute a sense of scale that paired well with the epic sweep of Mark’s emotional, humble and insanely athletic life.”

To deliver the best possible score, MAS put a team of three experienced composers on the Making Your Mark project: Eric V. Hachikian (additional music The Place Beyond The Pines, Project X, 50/50), John Jennings Boyd, and Frank Cogliano (NYC composer and session guitarist). Working between New York and LA, the team began by scoring the main thematic material, a process that organically developed into the full score.

“This is a huge project for the original comp side of our business,” notes MAS Founder Gabe Hilfer. “This team’s background in scoring everything from serious dramas to fun-filled adventures, as well as having played in bands themselves, lent for a fluid and expansive creative collaboration. Everyone brought their own flavor to the table, and we are really proud of the results.”

Making Your Mark premiered Sunday, Jan. 27 on ESPN2, and will air again on Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. on ABC.

Downloads:

Credits:

Client: ESPN

Director: David Tindale

Score: MAS (Music and Strategy)
Composers: Eric Hachikian, John Jennings Boyd
Executive Producer: James Alvich
Senior Producer: Alex DerHohannesian

About MAS:

MAS is a music service agency providing creative solutions for brands and agencies alike. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, our team of producers, music supervisors and planners offers a broad range of services that enable our clients to enhance their message through music.