Production Notes: Music and Sound for ‘Hayward’s Heart’

Hayward Demison was an Oregon high school football player who died - and then came back to life - on the field. His return to action, a year later, after heart surgery, was the basis for “Hayward’s Heart”, a 2012 story by producer Martin Khodabakhshian that has a stylized mix of music and sound.

Here Khodabakhshian describes his use of music and sound:

“The story starts off that he’s dead - it tells the story of a kid who died. We used a lot of stills and screen grabs. At that point the music strategy was to be spare. Music can be typecast - you want to avoid that. Droney means something is going to happen. Piano keys are melancholy. Triumphant means somebody has won.

“Leading up to that point, no music, just ‘nat’ sounds from the game - then you kick in the music to set an ominous tone.

“When he died it was a surreal ambient high, then thunder cracking, and nails of lightening. Then the music picks up -- the reveal is a quarter of the way into the piece -- then the music comes alive like Hayward does.

“Where we reveal he’s alive we brought in the chaotic heavy percussion - sound effects more than music. Then the music stings. He is staring at the camera - the music does the talking. When you see him in the interview setting and see he is alive it is underneath music that stings. Then the piece continues.”

Following is the music, in sequence, for “Hayward’s Heart”:

TIDES /AZ20 (nonstop)

Non Stop International Publishing bmi / Yoni Gileadi