# THE OFFERED HAND (in game) · original suspense BGM: similarity vs the style reference (MUSIC, 28 Oct)

Files (local only, never synced): `/Volumes/Workspace/Scratch/movie/ref1hd/our_score_suspense_v1.wav|.mp3|.ogg` (18.5 s, in-game clock, 0 = ink drop). Compare image: `/Volumes/Workspace/Scratch/movie/ref1hd/score_compare_suspense_v1.png`. Style sheet: `/Volumes/Workspace/Scratch/movie/ref2/STYLE_SHEET.txt`. Generator: `score_tools/suspense/render_suspense.py`; this report: `similarity_suspense.py`.

**Honest note:** we measure distance; we do not certify. No tool can guarantee "copyright-free".

## What is shared (genre traits only) and what is new

- **Shared traits:** a minor key (D minor), about 130 BPM, a 16th-note low-string pulse, war drums, choir and string pads, a riser into an impact, a dark mix.
- **New, written here:**
  - the harmony: a D drone with a Phrygian Eb, then i – VI – iv – V for the lament (the reference alternates i – bVII);
  - the cello / viola motif D3 Eb3 D3 C3 | Bb2 A2 Bb2 C#3 | D3 F3 Ab3 A3;
  - the lament line A4 Bb4 A4 G4 E4 | F4 E4 D4 G4 E4 D4;
  - the ostinato accent grouping 3+3+3+3+2+2 with the Eb pull on the last 16th;
  - the whole form, which is cut to the picture (intro swell, build, hush, stab, braam, lament, fireball swell, resolve).
- **The reference itself has no solo melody.** Its "lines" are held chord tones (D5 / F5 / A5 and C / E / G), so the melodic comparison below is against its tracked top and middle lines.

## Line metrics (audio, the same tracker on both files)

"Baseline" = the OFFERED HAND original cue (ref1) vs ref2: two unrelated pieces in the same genre and key family. Ours should sit at or below that baseline.

| line | metric | ours vs ref2 | baseline ref1 vs ref2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| top | interval 3-gram overlap % | 1.4 | 7.0 |
| top | interval 4-gram overlap % | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| top | interval 5-gram overlap % | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| top | longest shared interval run | 3 | 3 |
| top | pitch-class histogram cosine | 0.908 | 0.808 |
| top | best contour correlation (any lag ±3 s) | 0.23 | 0.28 |
| mid | interval 3-gram overlap % | 1.5 | 4.0 |
| mid | interval 4-gram overlap % | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| mid | interval 5-gram overlap % | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| mid | longest shared interval run | 3 | 3 |
| mid | pitch-class histogram cosine | 0.901 | 0.754 |
| mid | best contour correlation (any lag ±3 s) | 0.23 | 0.38 |

## Our written lines vs the reference's tracked lines (score data)

| our line | intervals | 3-gram overlap % | 4-gram overlap % | longest shared run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cello motif | [1, -1, -2, -2, -1, 1, 3, 1, 3, 3, 1] | 22.2 | 0.0 | 3 |
| lament line | [1, -1, -2, -3, 1, -1, -2, 5, -3, -2] | 25.0 | 0.0 | 3 |
| ostinato pitches (1 bar) | [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1] | 100.0 | 100.0 | 6 |

The ostinato row is 100 % only because it is one repeated pitch (D2, zero intervals) with one Eb pull: a single-note pedal pulse matches any repeated notes in any piece, so it is a genre trait, not a shared tune. The 3-gram rows for the motif and the lament are short generic steps; no 4-gram is shared.

## Rhythm cell

- The reference's bar-folded 16th-note pattern (high band, normalised): [0.29, 0.59, 0.46, 0.38, 0.35, 1.0, 0.52, 0.47, 0.08, 0.42, 0.55, 0.25, 0.23, 0.4, 0.33, 0.41].
- Our accent template vs it, best of 16 rotations: r = 0.38. Our rendered pulse (3.6-9.1 s) vs it: r = 0.61. A steady 16th pulse is a genre trait; the accent cell is ours.

## Loudness

- Reference segment: -8.1 LUFS (a dense, mastered soundtrack).
- Ours: -16.0 LUFS, by design, so the game SFX sit on top.

## Fit to the in-game cue sheet (MOVIE-PORT)

- **0-1.40 ink:** a low swell (D strings + D1/D2 drone), a faint air shimmer that is gone before the blade glint, and a reverse swell into the film.
- **1.64 S2:** one distant drum, then the pulse wakes up (quarter notes, then 8ths).
- **3.60 S3:** 16th pulse, war drums growing bar by bar, the cello motif.
- **7.28 S4:** 8th drums, a choir + brass swell with a b9 on top, a riser.
- **9.12-9.86 HUSH:** one held A5 harmonic + a soft D3, at 27 % of the S4 bed level; no rhythm.
- **9.88 STAB:** a compact orchestral stab (pitched drums + low strings / brass sfz), with no sub boom.
- **10.32 BRAAM:** our downbeat lands with it: the Dm(add9) lament chord tutti, a dark crash.
- **S6:** i – VI – iv – V under the slow-mo, the lament line.
- **S7:** a softer choir; the swell peaks on the 15.20 fireball.
- **16.40:** resolves to Dm(add9) with the outro ink; silent by about 18.0.
- **Room left for the SFX:**
  - a -3 dB dip around 3.5 kHz all the way through;
  - the 1.5 kHz+ band ducks by 6 dB on every blade hit (3.85, 4.45, 5.55, 6.70, 8.0, 9.62, 11.68);
  - the 110-500 Hz band ducks by 4 dB on the pierces (13.70, 14.80, 15.60);
  - the sub ducks by 6-9 dB around 9.88, 10.32 and 15.20, and by 6 dB under the heartbeat bed (13.2-16.4).