Cue of the Week: “High Adventure”

Circa fourteen years ago the University of Southern California, I wrote music for a short thesis film called High Adventure. It was decidedly unlike any student film I’d ever seen: it featured firearms, stuntmen from Universal, and an aerial chase sequence with actual biplanes. The film’s creator, Russ Matthews, wanted similarly ambitious production values for the music, so we rounded up a union orchestra and recorded an eleven minute microcosm of an action-adventure score.

The music definitely pays homage to John Williams and some of the other composers stuck in my head during my student days, but I also was careful to give the film its own musical voice. Though I’ve had the subsequent pleasure of working with Russ on professional projects, the results of this collaboration have a special place in my heart. Here’s the end title music, which is a medley of the score’s principal themes.

(Click on the play button to stream, or the cue title to download.)

	High Adventure