Think Like a Composer & Music Supervisorā€¦ Write Like a Songwriter
This blog will focus on the core concept of my course techniques. It’s the foundation of my success, and one of the most valuable tools I use every day when I am writing for film and television. Make sure you’ve downloaded the e-book Getting Started in Music For Picture, and worked through those exercises first. They are the foundation you will need to understand the concepts here, as I explain how I combine my skills as a composer and music supervisor in every song I write and produce. Here is the link to the free e-book:
GETTING STARTED IN MUSIC FOR PICTURE
I begin by thinking of a specific show, or shows that I want to target for music placements. I have already gone through the process in the e-book:
- Analyze the work of the filmmakers and understand the creative vision.
- Made a list of mental notes on style, storylines, and characters.
- Played my existing instrumentals against picture to confirm my instincts, or find a basic direction.
Now I enter the writing phase, and I use my iPad or laptop to loop episodes for visual reference while I explore my instrument and work on a sound palate that melts into the cinematography and storylines. [Don’t miss the Pro Tips on video looping in the e-book]
My process starts by exploring the countless ways I can approach that first chord of the song. I can strum it, pick it, stack it, imply it over a root, whisper it with vocals, distort it, arpeggiate it, pluck harmonics lush with delay, voice it as a perfect interval or color it filled with tensions, and on and on. The possibilities are endless. As you first begin to experiment, I encourage you to explore as many ideas as possible, at multiple tempos, and in multiple key signatures. This exploration process is the most valuable hour or two you will spend in the song production process. Starting off, it may seem like you are just lost in the world of hunt and peck, but over time, you will build a mental library of these approaches and they will begin to flow out as soon as you lay eyes on the footage.
Once I find the musical vehicle that feels right, I begin to adapt it into a chord progression. For there, I begin to adapt it and produce it into a song form style. I continue to reference it against picture, as well as without picture to see how it feels as a music bed and also as a soundtrack element.
Next steps are developing the sound palate to enhance the visuals, finding a song structure that supports the pace of the editing and the pulse of the audience, and eventually a lyrical approach that elevates the storyline without being specific or storytelling. We’ll be looking at all of these things in the weeks ahead.
