Moonfall by Kelly Yu - Promotional Single for Moonfall Movie

Concept Development, arrangement and orchestration.

Moonfall is a promotional single for Moonfall, a hollywood blockbuster by Roland Emmerich.

The original demo already carried an edgy pop-rock energy, but because this project was tied to a major Hollywood film, I requested access to the visual concept, colour palette, and film synopsis before writing a single note. Understanding the cinematic world was essential. I documented my initial emotional responses, thematic impressions, and interpretation of the artist’s intent, then aligned those observations with the production team to ensure we were moving in the same direction.

Rather than building from instrumentation first, I built from narrative.

For this project, I developed a sonic character list alongside a structured set of keywords. Sonic characters act as storytellers within the arrangement, while keywords define the emotional trajectory and dramatic pacing. This framework became the blueprint for the production.

To construct the sonic palette, I researched NASA’s public archives and sourced authentic Apollo mission rocket launches, transforming them into risers and atmospheric textures. Impact elements — including cannon explosions and boulder drops — were layered to form the percussive foundation. Additional sound design was drawn from my personal library, developed over years of production work.

With these elements in place, I built the first draft. The initial direction was approved, followed by seven refinement passes focused on tension and release, textural depth, and alignment with the film’s visual narrative.

The arrangement was developed using instruments from Spectrasonics, Native Instruments, Arturia and Universal Audio, with the orchestral mock-up built primarily on Spitfire Audio’s orchestral libraries — many of which remained in the final production.

I performed most of the instrumental parts myself, including guitars. A medium-sized string section in China recorded additional live strings, while operatic female vocals, live drums, and bass were added to enhance scale and realism.

The final arrangement was structured as a cinematic arc — beginning in the emptiness of space, building through impending catastrophe, and resolving with human resilience.

Every element serves the story. Nothing was added for spectacle alone.