Since the release of Once Upon an Earl, the OUaE team has watched as your numbers climbed steadily from the hundreds to thousands. Shocked and elated at the news, we’ve decided to highlight a special member during this postmortem who YOU have constantly brought up.

Mark Alan Knapp Jr!

CONCEPT STAGES:

During the beginning pre-production stages of Once Upon an Earl, I knew what I wanted but didn’t know how to describe it. The pieces would be influenced heavily by real-life victorian waltz music along with some foreboding pieces. Noelle Culpepper, our protagonist, is a character muddled in lies and deceit, and even in the comforts of her own home, she has to wear her disguise in case of intruders. So the first beginning scenes would have to show that despite her fortune and valor, this period era where she is forced to dress like this isn’t all happy.

My main inspiration for references was the series Black Butler, also known as Kuroshitsuji. I took their middle episode jingle and some of their well-known songs and compiled them into a document to send to Mark. At this time, Mark was someone I just hired and I was nervous but excited to work with him. This would be my biggest production, led by me, and I filled so many roles that I never thought of before. It was exhilarating, but I entrusted Mark with my references.

That is where Mark delivered. 

PRODUCTION STAGE:

Throughout the jam, Mark demonstrated enthusiasm and engagement with the team. I was excited to know he’d take the position since he was interested in the premise. But I was so happy to see him enjoy himself while making the music that would eventually become a special part of OUaE. We all had so much fun hearing his concept stages, and talking to him about how to make the music fit each scene. 

The office, the waltz, the carriage, each lovely bachelor's song, he was a joy to work with.  We listened to the music and edited 

A PIECE FROM MARK DETAILING THE PROCESS:

Overall, the soundtrack to OUaE was an extremely fun one to compose, and might just be my personal favorite OST that I’ve done to date! Here is a quick breakdown of the three character tracks for our love interests.

Earl Darlington:

Oh, Darlington… his name says it all! Your “typical” fairytale Prince Charming (for the most part… 😉 ). For his track, I wanted to evoke that very stereotypical “Disney” sound- romantic, light, feathery. The harp and harpsichord really helped in achieving this high-class and romantic sound instrument wise, while the chords I chose are typical of Disney and Studio Ghibli-esque music (7th and 9th chords).

Lord Cassius Marsden:

For the most part, this track is very mysterious. We don’t know much about Lord Marsden (nothing at all before he was eight), so I wanted the music to evoke a strong sense of mystery, yet still be playfully confident (as he IS quite the playful and charming fellow!). Around 1:12 in the music, we get a complete change in feeling, just for a bit. A melancholic bridge of solo piano, hinting at Marsden’s past, as well as his secret identity. (Composer’s note: Cassius all the way!)

Butler Everly:

Ah yes, our faithful companion. I believe the writer of Everly’s route (ThatOneParadox) described this sound best as “dark academic”. Everly’s track has a certain sophistication to it- mysterious, yet familiar- cool, calm, and collected. Intelligence in abundance. While I usually don’t enjoy writing for solo piano, this composition has started changing my mind. Just one instrument, but the emotions it evokes is mystifying- even to me!

Thank you Mark! I’m sure this is encouraging to those who wish to learn from you and apply this thinking process to their games.

FINAL NOTES:

OUaE isn’t finished yet, not at all! We have plans to finally add the CG’s that have been missing since the release and a possible gallery release with short stories around each of the cast members. More special news is awaiting, so stay tuned! 

I've learned a lot working with Mark, and I wish him luck with his endeavors. I wouldn't have changed a thing about the work ethic my team has demonstrated throughout the two months.