The 2024 deadCenter Film Festival had several locally made movies playing at this year’s main event, but perhaps none were as ambitious as Cricket. Produced by Filmmakers Ranch, the Oklahoma-based studio co-owned by Richard and Amy Janes and directed by Richard, the lyrical film has long been a passion project for the duo. The film is about an introverted 14-old from a broken family drawn to stealing from churches for her ailing mother. The film has been through several iterations over the last seventeen years before finally completing production ahead of this year’s deadCenter with star Skye Dakota Turner. This impressive talent most prominently played young Aretha Franklin in 2021’s Respect. Given the movie’s subject, finding the right sounds and motifs for the score was essential. Creating the sound of a lyrical film like Cricket is no small feat. Janes tapped vocal coach and musical artist Deonna Marie to perform the film’s theme song. Not only does she provide the soul for the film’s sound, but she also worked closely with Turner on the vocals. The results are emotionally stirring. In today’s episode of The Cinematic Schematic, Marie joins us to tell us about the emotional story behind how she arrived at the sound of the theme. She also talks about her experience collaborating with Turner and the team at Filmmaker’s Ranch. Find more deadCenter 2024 exclusive coverage only at The Cinematropolis. Left to Right: Deonna Marie (Cricket vocal coach) and Caleb Masters (podcast host) Special Guest Deonna Marie Cricket Vocal Coach Vocalist for the theme song About Cricket According to the deadCenter website, Cricket is described as: Cricket Sullivan (Skye Dakota Turner) is an introverted 14-year-old struggling to come to terms with a broken family. Drawn to churches as an easy mark to steal candles for her sick mother, she is caught by a grieving choir director and set a penance of polishing the church pews. The most unlikely friendship emerges as Cricket finds her true gift to the world and unlocks a channel through which both student and choir director can face their own fears and emotions. This is a lyrical film about love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit. Follow The Cinematic Schematic Podcast Find more of our past and future episodes by subscribing to The Cinematic Schematic on your preferred podcast app and leaving us a rating on Apple Podcasts! Follow The Cinematic Schematic on Spotify Like The Cinematropolis on Facebook