The Art of Film Scoring

Classic movie scores like Star Wars, James Bond, Psycho, and others go far beyond memorable themes or fitting a mood—they create a unique soundscape that defines the identity of a film.

At Sound Imagination, our lead composer Edward B. Kessel has been crafting those kinds of transformative scores for over 30 years. From sweeping orchestral themes to minimalist piano motifs, Ed brings a distinct musical personality to every project. He’s known for pushing creative boundaries—blending Ancient Mayan instruments with modern electronic elements, and making modest budgets sound like they were recorded with the London Symphony.

Whether it’s a feature film, a television special, or a branded experience, Ed’s goal is always the same: to enhance the emotional impact of every scene. Backed by the finest studio and orchestral musicians, Sound Imagination delivers music that doesn’t just support the story—it tells it.

Before & After: The Power of a Score

Music can completely transform how a scene feels. In the comparisons below, you’ll see the difference that a great score makes—how silence becomes tension, how a melody can heighten emotion, or how rhythm adds momentum.

See how Ed’s original score transforms each scene with before-and-after clips, along with insights from Ed about the production process

From subtle textures to sweeping crescendos, you’ll see (and hear) how the right music makes the moment.

This feature film by Executive Producer, David Lynch - starring Thomas Haden Church, Colm Meaney and Josh Whitehouse, follows Joe, who lives in a utopian community. A reluctant hero eager to please his wife and his boss, he unexpectedly finds himself thrust into a position of power by an outsider, who disrupts this utopian community. Joe must battle to save what he and others have spent years building. 

“Musically, my goal in this first scene was to create an overall feeling of happiness, as these are the “happy workers” in their “happy” environment. It was important to me for the music to be organic to match the look of the scene. I used live strings, harmonica, organic sounding percussion, live low brass and guitar. I also wanted to establish themes and a sound for some of the main characters.

For Goose (Thomas Haden Church) who’s riding the horse with his cowboy hat on, I created more of a western vibe. For Pete (the old man) it’s the sound of the harmonica. And for Joe (Josh Whitehouse) it’s the happy motif. I also wanted the music to match the natural rhythm and tempo of the scene. Before I even begin the writing process, I start tapping my foot to the tempo of the scene.”

Ed won 3 awards for his music for Cici’s Sonata, a story about a young pianist who experiences psychosis as her childhood trauma resurfaces on the night of a high-pressure audition.

Best Soundtrack – New York International Film Awards

Best Soundtrack - Oniros Film Awards

Music Award – Garden State Film Festival

“With every movie that I score, I pick the director’s brain to establish what emotions they want the audience to feel. With Cici’s Sonata, the director, Brandon Bailey, knew exactly the reaction he wanted from the audience. Musically, I created a soundscape of vocals that intensify her feeling of being overwhelmed by the voices in her head. As the setting is a classical music audition I kept the instrumentation true to the scene. Cianna plays the piano so that is of course highly prevalent in the score. One of the challenges were the drastic emotional shifts as she copes with her psychotic break.”

Another one of Ed's favorite scenes from The Happy Worker. - Clete (Colm Meaney) disrupts this utopian work environment with some modern technology from the outside world.

“The introduction of the “Earth Monger” is a turning point in the movie. I incorporated synths and modern sounding drums in addition to the organic instrumentation that had already been established to create a sense that this is some foreign, new technology that the workers had never seen, heard or experienced before. I also used a lot of low brass to intensify the Godzilla like, ground shaking Earth Monger.”

TV and Film Highlights:

Additional TV Credits

• 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece – Our music added a new dimension to the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

• "Paddington Bear" and "Babar" national spots for Macy's and numerous other national commercials including AT&T and Westin Hotels.

• "Crows" – a National Geographic Television special. Our score highlighted the quirky, playful nature of the Crows in this nationally televised special.

AWARDS

• Best Soundtrack – New York International Film Awards

• Best Soundtrack - Oniros Film Awards

• Music Award – Garden State Film Festival

• Drama Desk Award nomination (Outstanding Broadway Orchestrations)

• Garden State Film Festival Award:  Best Original Pop Song

• Garden State Film Festival Award:  Best internationally inspired Song

• Garden State Film Festival Award: Best Movie Score

• 5 Communicator Awards: Outstanding Film Scores

• 45 Jersey Awards:  Best Original Music

Broadway / National Shows

National Attention

Talk about catchy! One of our jingles was the topic of conversation on the nationally syndicated Opie & Anthony show for more than a month! Check out these two samples from their broadcast:

Awards

The best way to remember a name and slogan is through a contagious musical hook that gets stuck in your head.  When you’re a toddler, you learn the ABC’s by singing them to the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  How much success do you think you would have getting a 3 or 4 year old to learn the entire alphabet without a song?  And how many jingles from your childhood do you still remember to this day?

We’re specialists in creating commercial jingles with catchy hooks – that intangible melody that sticks with you. But it goes far beyond that at Sound Imagination.  We create a sound and personality for your company that can last a lifetime. Friendly…exciting…edgy…sexy…quirky…fun…whatever personality you want the world to hear!

Many Ad Agencies rely on us as a creative partner when they’re pitching an account.  Or to bring a value added service to a current account.  Rely on us for creative lyrics and slogans!  We offer help and advice.  Demo work is done at cost.

We have a lot of fun composing jingles.  After all…they’re just miniature, hit songs, and that’s what we love to do!

Top 40 Hits/Featured Artists

41 Industry Awards

• Songwriting for Major Artists  

• Songs for Movies

• Theme Songs

• Artist Development

Still a kid at heart, Ed Kessel easily taps into his whimsical imagination and youthful spirit. He began dabbling in children's music when his niece Sarah was born. He wrote her a lullaby entitled, "Carnival Dreamland." This led to many other children's projects including a children's ballet, "The Toy Shop" which was premiered by the New Philharmonic of New Jersey in 1994.