Incredible songs are critical for great sound tracks that create a character all their own in film. Great “songs” have a great impact on the way we feel when we watch a movie; and that song choice can make or break that film. In this interview, we learn about this contributing songwriter and director of the feature documentary 4 Dancers’ Dreams, an official selection from the Artemis Women In Action Film Festival Fourth Edition .
Nancy J. Lilley has worked in the Vancouver film industry for 36 years, doing everything from background performing, acting, stunts, photo doubling, stand-in work, all while handling her various dogs! Nancy has written, directed, and produced three award-winning short films, titled Tattle Tale Hero, Friends and Fools, and The Messy Lie. Wildly multi-talented, she also sings . . . just like she impressed her audience with her vocals on her CD A Whisper and a Sigh. She has been a professional entertainer for some time now and frequently performs in musicals, at piano bars, and sings at weddings. 4 Dancers’ Dreams is her first feature documentary, and in this interview, we will be focusing on the music for 4 Dancers’ Dreams.
A bit of backstory: Tony Chotem was the musical collaborator on the three songs, co-written and discussed in this interview. He is also the producer of Whisper and a Sigh. Nancy met Tony when was the lead guitarist in a band Nancy’s brother and sister-in-law had hired for their wedding.
Questions: Bella Composer
Responses: Nancy J. Lilley, Contributing Songwriter and Director of 4 Dancers’ Dreams
Tell me about your background. What led you to music?
I always had music as my escape, from the time I started playing piano at nine. I played cello, and flute in school. But singing was always a passion, and I cried when my parents paid for my first singing lesson [when I was] 21. They would have preferred I become a lawyer. I sang in piano bars, weddings, singing telegrams, choirs etc. I met Tony [Chotem], singing at my brother-in law’s wedding. I wrote my first song at 13, but didn’t record anything until my lullaby CD, A Whisper and a Sigh, which was released in 1993, prior to my baby girl being born. She was born in 2002. For some reason, I just wanted to do a lullaby album.
What inspires you musically; who are your favorite composers and/or songwriters?
My taste in music is varied and runs the gamut of classical to folk to blues, rock, and pop. I love kd lang; Carol King; grew up on Canadian’s Gordon Lightfoot, (first guitar song I learned); Anne Murray; Burton Cummings, (I saw him live in Toronto); The Guess Who; Randy Bachman; BTO; Blood, Sweat & Tears; Murray McLauchlan ( my eldest brother loved him); Joni Mitchell, (friend had a cottage next to hers at Pender Harbour); Dan Hill (met him in an elevator in Toronto. Dan Hill worked with Art Garfunkel and I loved Simon & Garfunkel); Carol Pope (met her at a tennis match); Leonard Cohen (heard kd lang sing his song at the opening ceremonies of The Vancouver 2010 Olympics); Linda Ronstadt (saw her in concert with Gordon Lightfoot & Murray McLaughlan at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Stadium when she wore roller skates and a Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey shirt); Steppenwolf (Born to be Wild); Chilliwack (knew Bill Henderson through his brother Fred from acting); Shari Ulrich, (she threw a dirty diaper past me once when I was visiting Bill Henderson backstage, and she was a new Mom – she hit the garbage bin); Jane Mortifee (she sang backup on Ulrich’s LP One Step Ahead (I heard her sing at a penthouse fundraising concert). Then . . . Liona Boyd (classical guitarist); met Roy Forbes (Bim), Robbie King (pianist – worked with us on Dawn’s Light and Spice Mama’s). Peggy Hodgins was the ghost writer for Red Robinson’s book on Rock and Roll – she was one of my best friends). Also loved Elvis, Cat Stevens, The Carpenter’s, The Beatles, (My best girlfriend was British and had all their albums); (Murray McLauchlan wrote “I Hate your Gun,” written about John Lennon’s killer; Marc David Chapman (who I talked to just hours before he shot John when he was waiting outside John’s apartment in NYC- he gave me the willies, but I didn’t know he had a gun under his trench coat – I never told the police as they had already caught him). [Also influenced by] the Monkey’s (Carol King wrote songs for them) Loved classical too, Chopin, Beethoven (played classics on the piano). I went to junior high with two of the guys from RUSH and knew they would be rock stars [back] then. ( We used to ride our bikes to their garage rehearsals and hang out on the driveway- I was 14 – they were 16). I grew up during an era of tons of great music and singer/songwriters – I still love good melody, harmony, and lyrics I can hear and be affected by. Not a big fan of rap, but my daughter has asked me to write a rap about her! Lol . . . she’s 15.
Tell me about 4 Dancers’ Dreams. How did you go about completing the music? Please elaborate about the style of music, and if you hired musicians, who were they? Did you have a budget? Be very detailed about the start to completion process of your music for this film (i.e. recording process to scoring session; and were you present when they mixed your score to final picture?)
We didn’t have a scorewriter for this feature documentary, but tons of amazing music from legends is on the film, due to it being chosen for the dances. When our sound engineer tried to change the version of the song for one of the dances for sound quality, both the editor and I were adamant that couldn’t happen, as the choreography and dancing were intrinsically attached to the version of the song. It was all about the dancing not the sound quality. The 3 original songs written for the film were collaborated with Tony Chotem and myself. Tony hired professional musicians. We recorded at his home recording studio. Yes I was present when they did the final mix and gave the final okay.
PRODUCTION STILLS FROM 4 DANCERS’ DREAMS
Original Songs written for the film:
“The Dancers’ Dreams”: Composer: Tony Chotem Lyricist: Nancy J Lilley Recordist: Stephen Bulat, Singer: Elle Cunnings 2017 *
“The Truth Speaker”: (didn’t make it to final cut) Composer: Tony Chotem Lyricist: Nancy J Lilley Recordist: Stephen Bulat, Singers: Tiana Pazdierk, Jaelan Mills, Madison Simms.*
“Goin’ Professional” (Lauren’s Song): Composer: Tony Chotem Lyricist: Nancy J Lilley Recordist of Band: Mike Paton Recordist of Singer: Justin Brown Singer: Lauren Phillips*
*(c) 2017 All rights reserved SOCAN
Band:
Lead Guitar: Tony Chotem
Keyboards: Brenda Baird
Bass: Jeremy Holmes
Drums: Kristian Braathen
How did you go about selecting the songs for the film? As a songwriter, why did you write that particular song(s). What is your songwriting process?
I wrote about five lyrics for songs for the film, conceptually and subject- related to suit the film’s topic of four young dancers finding their way in the world; and then Tony and I picked the songs we liked the best. I had a concept of what I wanted the song to sound like, and Tony would take that input and work on the music. He would then play it back for me and we would work collaboratively on the music and the lyrics so the lyrics would fit in with the rhythm of the song etc. We wrote three for the film and recorded three but only two made it to the final cut of the film, bits during and part of both during the credits of the film, sung by singer/dancers in the film. Elle Cunnings sang “The Dancers’ Dreams” and Lauren Phillips sang “Goin’ Professional.”
What advice would you give to aspiring songwriters today?
Write from the heart and write down ideas whenever they come to you, wherever they come to you. Get out the meaning you want to deliver and the words will follow. Know the feeling you want to convey and the music will stem from that.
What obstacles have you faced in the film music industry?
I don’t feel I have faced any obstacles in the film music industry. I just chose to write music for myself for my lullaby CD, A Whisper and a Sigh, which I included in my short films, “The Messy Lie,” “Friends and Fools,” and “Tattle Tale Hero.” I wrote the songs for my first feature documentary as part of the fun creative process of making the film and letting the project flow through me. I have never tried to make it in the film music industry.
What have been the highs on your career?
As a singer, it was the first time I sang in front of an audience; it was the song “At Seventeen” by Janis Ian at a full ballroom with a full orchestra. It was such a high I didn’t want to get off the stage. I was 21. I sang and played piano at Whistler in Nancy Greene’s Piano Bar. I wrote two musicals for the stage and they played at Vancouver’s Fringe Festival and won awards, Dawn’s Light and The Spice Mama’s. I played Ginger. Recording my first CD, [entitled] A Whisper and a Sigh, while wearing a sling with a golden retriever puppy in it. He was a puppy-in-training assistance dog. Recording the three songs for 4 Dancers’ Dreams with a live band and hearing them back for the first time.
Watch the trailer for 4 Dancers’ Dreams.
To learn more about Nancy J. Lilly and 4 Dancers’ Dreams, visit her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/4DancersDreams