Laurence Wright
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Laurence Wright is a music composer who has composed film scores for award-winning short films as well as attractions for museums, heritage attractions, World's Fairs and theme parks.
Education
Wright was an early graduate of the then experimental art college, California Institute of the Arts (CALARTS). As one of the first students of the prestigious arts program, Wright graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Film and Video.[1]
Early Career and Awards
Wright's early involvement in film score composition began with composing the original music score for the award-winning short film, "Model Railroading Unlimited," commissioned by
Following his music composition for the model railroad film, Laurence Wright went on to compose the music score for a 1979 short educational film entitled, "Meadowlark Lemon Presents the World," which featured legendary Harlem Globetrotter, Meadowlark Lemon.[3] The educational short film, which teaches grade school children the importance of mapping and geography, remains in distribution.[4]
In 1980, Laurence Wright performed both the role of actor and the composer of the theme music for the 1980 cult film Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind.[5] This film, a parody of Steven Spielberg's 1977 box office blockbuster film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Closet Cases remains in distribution through Pyramid Media,[6] and can be found readily on the internet through IMDB and YouTube.
Theme Park Scores
Wright's early work with theme parks included his composing the music for several of the attractions featured at the General Motors'
Educational Attraction Scores
In addition to his work with theme park attractions, Laurence Wright also produced musical scores for several educational attractions. Of these are included the attractions: "The Wizard of Change" and "Our American Crossroads." The attraction, "The Wizard of Change," presented to the general public at both the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and the California Science Center, was accompanied by a soundscape composed by Wright. The exhibit, the first of its kind to employ the three-dimensional theatrical effects "Holavision" presentation, combines film, effects and Wright's musical score to trace the history of the manufacturing process.[8]
Wright also composed the musical score to accompany the presentation of a fictional "history-based" story called "Our American Crossroads," which was a traveling exhibit re-purposed from the original 1936 General Motors "Parade of Progress," originally featuring GM Futurliner traveling exhibit vehicles. The attraction presented a narrated scale model of a small town which would mechanically transition with historically significant milestones, so as to reveal the improvements brought about by the automobile age.[8]
Album
In 2010 Wright released an album, entitled "Ocarina Man," which features some of his early film scores.[1] The title of the 2-CD set is named for the woodwind instrument frequently incorporated into Wright's soundtracks.[8]
Some of the music featured on the CD include sessions composed and performed entirely by Wright, as well as his compositions that were recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios, and performed by the 90-piece Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.[7]
References
- ^ a b "Notable alumni". www.calarts.edu.
- ^ "Model Railroading Unlimited". www.choochenterprises.com. Archived from the original on 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- ^ "Meadowlark Lemon Presents the World". www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Meadowlark Lemon Presents the World". www.pyramidmedia.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
- ^ "Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind". www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind". www.pyramidmedia.com.
- ^ a b "Rare Sound Track Released [Page 11]" (PDF). www.themeit.com. 2010-02-18.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "Products [Issue 30, Page 6]" (PDF). www.inparkmagazine.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2010-11-03.