Music of the Saints: Jay Beckmeyer

Hello! My name is Jay Beckmeyer. I am an Audiovisual Producer based in Cincinnati Ohio, and I am a Music Designer for the Merry Beggars. Here’s a look inside my process for scoring The Saints.

Preparation

First, I gather my scripts. These are important for deciding where to place the music. Then I study the Director’s notes on his vision for music and audio, which is crucial for the final product. 

After studying the sound vision and taking note of the requests, I comb through the script. I carefully read each episode, highlighting any sections that I think would really pop with added music. I use color coded highlighting to be able to see the emotion at a glance: blue for sad, green for hopeful, orange for tense. The series writer might also request certain kinds of music to be in a scene, and so I add those notes to my list.

Finding Unique Sounds 

Next, I set about collecting any music tracks that will be unique to this series - maybe some Ancient Roman-sounding music for Saint Valentine or traditional Hawaiian music for Damien of Moloka'i. 

Over the several months I have been working on this show, I have collected over 900 pieces of music that fit the style of the Merry Beggars. I house all of this music in an organized virtual library with a very detailed tagging system. Once I am satisfied with my musical choices for this particular show, I gather the recorded episode drafts and get to work. 

Making the Script Come Alive

Finally, I can begin to score the series. I give at least three options for each cue and sometimes a fourth. Once I have selected the music, I sync the score with the dialogue, splicing the music and automating the volume as necessary to make it rise and fall with the emotional beats. I continue this through the episodes until the series is complete.

There are an average of five cues per episode. With three options per cue and five episodes in each series, this comes out to around seventy-five pieces of unique music in each series!

The Final Product

After I finish the final episode, I package it up and send it to Kevin Conroy, The Merry Beggars’ Lead Audio Producer. He makes the final decision on which option to use, tweaks timings and volumes, and the music is complete!

I am so grateful and enthused to be a part of The Merry Beggars. The Saints gives a chance for people of all ages to grow in appreciation and love for those who have gone before us. It gives us the opportunity to learn more about the Saints, especially those who may be lesser known. I pray that God will do great things through this ministry.

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