Wider Than The Sky is a semi-autobiographical short film, written around a body of songs that the composer, scriptwriter, co-producer Janie Price (aka Bird) co-wrote with various musical friends including Grammy Award winning John Paul White (The Civil Wars) and multi award winning Hal Lindes (Dire Straits). The songs were originally produced by legendary producer Mike Hedges (The Cure, Dido, U2) just before Covid hit and spun the world momentarily off it’s axis..(or at least that’s what it felt like for an artist who’d spent 4 years working on a project only to watch it grind to an indefinite halt..) 

 

Fast forward to 2021 and surrounded by the dust and rubble of the building site that was to become Price’s new base in Italy, she decided something needed to be done to showcase the music she had spent years working on.  She as an artist,  a reluctant and ghostly figure in the world of social media, the music often cinematic in feel, it felt like it begged a different sort of way to release and promote it, a REAL story…a film? So,  zero time scriptwriter Price decided to write what would become her first script.. Wider Than The Sky – a ten minute long story about hope, magic and the power of our imagination, the title inspired by Price’s favourite poet Emily Dickinson. 

 

Amazingly, film festival darlings EMU films (Catch Me Daddy, Jawbone, Benediction, Medusa Deluxe) offered to produce the film, and just like that a new creative project and a home for at least a few of her songs was being built. Price re-composed and recorded sections of the songs to make what has become the film’s main instrumental sound track with the help of long time collaborator, sound designer, programmer and fellow composer Pete Davis. Orchestral parts originally recorded at Abbey Road and guest session appearances from Russ Paul (Dolly Parton), Martin Ditcham (Sade), Mikey Rowe (Sheryl Crow) among others this is a soundtrack to listen closely to. Mixed in 5.1 and Atmos for both it’s theatrical and music releases. 

 

To be released on all formats, the Wider Than The Sky THE SOUNDTRACK will comprise all film music score full pieces and themes plus the original versions of the four songs the film is based on – The Tides (Price/White) What the Night Knows (Price/Swinnen) She’ll Turn To Stone (Price/Lindes) and She’s Like A Rainbow (Price/White). Bonus material to include original song writing sessions approx. 2min each, The Tides and She’s Like a Rainbow. 

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I wanted to write a semi-autobiographical short film about a particular event from my childhood that I have in my other work as a song writer touched upon often, but never explored from a true story telling and more visual perspective. Despite the inevitable trauma associated with seeing a parent seriously unwell as a young child, it was during this period that I also discovered the power of my own imagination to help me cope with what would otherwise have been a terrifying time.  After these difficult years of Covid that we have all inevitably been affected by, I wanted to give the world a little reminder that where there's imagination, there's hope and to some degree, even a little magic.

 

The imaginary shoe box worlds were a very important part of the film for me as they were something I actually made as a child.  I love how our director Phil inspired by that concept chose to always film within a contained space; be it within a shoebox theatre, within a classroom,  within a car or within a cafe.  It never breaks free from this confinement. mirroring the thoughts going on inside our young girl’s head as she tries to work out in her own mind what is going on.  I played with the same concept with the composition and recording of the soundtrack; I recorded many of the sound elements used in the shoe box scenes in an actual box we purpose constructed in the studio to further emphasise the feeling of being inside these imaginary worlds.

 

Whether by the power of imagination, medicine or a combination of both, my father against all odds recovered. This film is in part, a thank you to all the people who's science and dedication helped to cure him. It is also dedicated to the power of hope and imagination, super powers we all have within us....