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A Heartbeat Away features father and son music collaboration

Press release from J&E Publicity

Movie maestro Guy Gross and his teenage son Oscar, a musical prodigy collaborated on the score for upcoming feature film, musical comedy: A Heartbeat Away starring Isabel Lucas.

The father and son teamed up on the score for a film coincidentally about an estranged father and son who could not see eye to eye due to their clash in musical tastes. Acclaimed theatre director, Gale Edward’s film debut is about a teenage rock god wannabe who is forced to become the musical director of his father’s marching band after he is hit by a bus just four weeks before a major competition.

The integral love theme was discovered purely by accident. At home Gross heard his fifteen-year-old son working on a composition. “I would have really loved to have sat next to him and help him finish it but I just let him go and find his own way, after a few days I heard it develop to a really beautiful piece of music,” said Gross.

Gross asked Oscar if he could play it to the director, Edwards loved it and ‘Mandy’s love theme’ was born. This was no easy feat as Edwards forte is musicals. She has directed Les Miserables, The Boy From Oz, Sweeney Todd and won an Emmy for her filmed version of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Oscar was ecstatic that his score would feature on the silver screen. “At the premiere I couldn’t stop smiling when I heard it,” Oscar said.

The original composition was developed by Gross to a large orchestrated theme. “A Heartbeat Away is an exception; most films can’t afford live musicians so it was a pleasure to use a real orchestra in the film.”

Gross also worked with rock session musicians and a brass band to tell the musical story that crossed various music genres. The main characters in the film are obsessed with music. In the film, it is music that brings people together, unites a couple, family, band and a whole town.

Screaming rock n roll guitar solos, classical piano melodies, brass bands, conventional underscore, dance and Mo Towne 60’s sounds underscore the performances of Isabel Lucas, Sebastian Gregory, Tammy Macintosh and Colin Friels.

“I had a crazy amount of music to compose in all sorts of styles which was hard work but great fun,” said Gross.

Gross compositions can be heard in the upcoming series 3 of the Emmy award winning East West 101 with a distinctive Middle Eastern flavour and an exciting upcoming feature, details soon to be released.