While collaborating with the team at Quests and Chaos, I connected with Tiana Hanson, the founder of the story-based roleplaying podcast “The Redacted Reports”. Following FBI agents who confront paranormal forces, the storylines are creative and often mind-bending — truly worth a listen.
Tiana commissioned me to compose a theme for the lead character, Rowan. Rowan’s character was undergoing a personal metamorphosis, culminating in a powerful transformation at season’s end. I was excited to explore the character’s psychology through music and weave it into the plot.
One advantage of hiring a composer for your project is their ability to deliver every audio track in the music, providing more value. I sent Tiana the individual instrument stems (drums, strings, piano, etc.), allowing her to use them in various ways throughout the season, hinting at the full theme until the climactic reveal. That’s a lot of mileage from a single piece!
Unlike library music, composers offer derivative works. For “The Redacted Reports”, I crafted mood tracks based on the theme’s chord progressions, further enhancing the storytelling. Also, having the full score allows us to revisit the music and create new variations in the future. We’ll be doing just that for the next season of “The Redacted Reports.” It’s going to be a really cool evolution.
Tiana is graciously allowing me to share Rowan’s theme and the atmospheric tracks. Keep an eye out for an upcoming post where I’ll share the full score and walk through some highlights.
Related Links:
- Official Site
- RR on Patreon
- RR on Discord
- RR Social Links