/
← Back Home
La Sonata del Caos - poster

La Sonata del Caos

Role: Composer Format: Short film · Fantasy Year: 2023 Director: Eleonora Valentino

La Sonata del Caos is a fantasy short film directed by Eleonora Valentino, set in a space suspended between reality and folklore, where the presence of the Banshee embodies the theme of death and the inevitable.

The score is built around a main leitmotif associated with the Banshee, which returns throughout the film in different forms and orchestrations, adapting to the protagonist's narrative and psychological shifts.

Alongside this central theme, I developed secondary leitmotifs tied to characters and phases of the story, creating a coherent musical structure that follows the short's emotional evolution without resorting to redundant commentary.

Soundtrack

La Sonata del Caos - Original Soundtrack by Pietro Montanti

Original soundtrack

La Sonata del Caos

Pietro Montanti

A Close Encounter In The Wood
Something Threatening
Waiting
The Mother's Tale
Talia's Farewell

Case studies

Eris Reads, The Banshee Story and the First Cough (Dialogue)

Dialogue
Goal
Keep the scene tender and dialogue first, while turning the family myth into a real threat through one precise hinge, the mother's cough, without telegraphing horror.
Result
The beat stays domestic and readable. Eris is framed through a soft piano statement, Talia is gently seeded, and the cough carries a minimal Banshee fingerprint that links folklore to the first physical crack.
Final choice
C
Options tested
  • A: Only Eris theme on soft piano, no other references.
  • B: Eris theme plus a short Talia hint, still purely domestic.
  • C: Eris theme on piano, a gentle Talia hint, and a minimal Banshee accent exactly on the cough, then immediate return to domestic neutrality.

The Mother's Tale, Banshee Motif in Focus (Dialogue)

Dialogue · 00:52
Goal
Bring the already established Banshee leitmotif into clear focus for the first time, assigning it to the violins while the piano and harp sustain the scene, so the dialogue remains fully readable.
Result
The motif becomes unmistakable and memorable without overpowering the scene. Later variations are perceived as narrative recall rather than new material, strengthening cohesion across the short.
Final choice
B
Options tested
  • A: Room tone and light pad only. Clear dialogue but no thematic seed.
  • B: Piano bed plus short motif on the first Banshee mention.
  • C: Full motif early. Draws too much attention away from the story.

A Close Encounter in the Wood, Scream to Face-to-Face (Reveal)

Reveal · 01:02
Goal
Turn a domestic night cue into a real external threat in one clean arc. Start from Talia's fragile presence, introduce the Banshee identity the moment the scream is heard, drive Eris' run with rhythm, then stop the music exactly on the first sight of the Banshee.
Result
The audience feels the threat arrive as an identity, not as generic horror mood. The escalation motivates Eris' movement, and the hard stop makes the face-to-face moment hit as a visual shock rather than a musical sting.
Final choice
B
Music in/out
00:00Talia motif enters on celesta.
00:20Banshee incipit starts in contrabasses, then climbs through the strings as Eris runs into the woods.
01:02Cue ends exactly on the first sight of the Banshee.
Options tested
  • A: Atmosphere only, save the motif for the reveal. Too neutral and the run feels less motivated.
  • B: Talia motif on celesta, Banshee incipit in contrabasses, orchestral climb, then rhythmic drive for the run, hard stop on reveal.
  • C: Banshee theme stated strongly before the scream. It announces the monster early and kills the discovery.

Talia's Farewell, Last Story (Reveal)

Reveal · 02:00
Goal
Write a funeral elegy that stays gentle and intimate, supporting Eris reading without turning the scene into melodrama. Make Talia feel pure and present even as the illness wins.
Result
The scene feels like a tender farewell rather than a dramatic hit. The music reads as love and dignity, with a quiet sense of inevitability.
Final choice
B
Options tested
  • A: Only pads and choir. Too vague, lacked emotional contour.
  • B: Strings-led melody with soft synth bed and wordless choir, held back dynamically under the reading.
  • C: Stronger orchestral swell. Felt theatrical and pulled focus.
← Back Home