MOVIE SCORES -Important or Not?

The composer usually enters the creative process towards the end of filming at around the same time as the film is being edited, although on some occasions the composer is on hand during the entire film shoot, especially when actors are required to perform with or be aware of original diegetic music.

The composer is shown an unpolished “rough cut” of the film before the editing is completed and talks to the director or producer about what sort of music is required for the film in terms of style and tone.

The director and composer will watch the entire film, taking note of which scenes require original music. During this process, composers will take precise timing notes so that they know how long each cue needs to last, where it begins, where it ends, and of particular moments during a scene with which the music may need to coincide in a specific way.

In some circumstances, a composer will be asked to write music based on their impressions of the script or storyboards without seeing the film itself and has more freedom to create music without the need to adhere to specific cue lengths or mirror the emotional arc of a particular scene.

This approach is usually taken by a director who does not wish to have the music comment specifically on a particular scene or nuance of a film and which can instead be inserted into the film at any point the director wishes during the post-production process.

When writing music for film, one goal is to sync dramatic events happening on screen with musical events in the score. There are many different methods for syncing music to picture. These include using sequencing software to calculate timings, using mathematic formulas and free timing with reference timings. Composers work using SMPTE timecode for syncing purposes.

When syncing music to picture, generally a leeway of 3–4 frames late or early allows the composer to be extremely accurate. Using a technique called Free Timing, a conductor will use either (a) a stopwatch or studio size stop clock, or (b) watch the film on a screen or video monitor while conducting the musicians to predetermined timings.

These are represented visually by vertical lines (streamers) and bursts of light called punches. These are put on the film by the Music Editor at points specified by the composer.

In both instances, the timings on the clock or lines scribed on the film have corresponding timings which are also at specific points (beats) in the composer/conductor score. Learn More

Another common element in film scores is Leitmotifs. This is a reoccurring musical idea that appears throughout that is usually associated with a particular character or place. Leitmotifs can come at any length. They could be a long lyrical melody or a concise yet distinct cell.

Composers can change the character of the leitmotif depending on the scene’s mood. If something sinister was occurring, the leitmotif of that specific character could become musically more threatening too. Think of the shark in “JAWS”.

This can be achieved by adjusting musical elements such as harmony, texture, dynamics, and rhythm. The leitmotif could become fragmented (made shorter) or develop into something longer.

Once the spotting session has been completed and the precise timings of each cue determined, the composer will then work on writing the score. The methods of writing the score vary from composer to composer; some composers prefer to work with a traditional pencil and paper, writing notes by hand on a staff and performing works-in-progress for the director on a piano, while other composers write on computers using sophisticated music composition software.

The length of time a composer has to write the score varies from project to project; depending on the post-production schedule, a composer may have as little as two weeks or as much as three months to write the score. In normal circumstances, the actual writing process usually lasts around six weeks from beginning to end.

The actual musical content of a film score is wholly dependent on the type of film being scored and the emotions the director wishes the music to convey. A film score can encompass literally thousands of different combinations of instruments, ranging from full symphony orchestral ensembles to single solo instruments to rock bands, etc.

The style of the music being written also varies massively from project to project and can be influenced by the time period in which the film is set, the geographic location of the film’s action, and even the musical tastes of the characters.

As part of their preparations for writing the score the composer will often research different musical techniques and genres as appropriate for that specific project; as such, it is not uncommon for established film composers to be proficient at writing music in dozens of different styles.

Once the music has been written, it must then be arranged or orchestrated in order for the ensemble to be able to perform it.

The nature and level of orchestration varies from project to project and composer to composer, but in its basic form the orchestrator’s job is to take the single-line music written by the composer and “flesh it out” into instrument-specific sheet music for each member of the orchestra to perform.

Some composers orchestrate their own scores themselves, without using an additional orchestrator. Some composers provide intricate details in how they want this to be accomplished and will provide the orchestrator with copious notes outlining which instruments are being asked to perform which notes, giving the orchestrator no personal creative input whatsoever beyond re-notating the music on different sheets of paper as appropriate.

Other composers are less detailed, and will often ask orchestrators to “fill in the blanks”, providing their own creative input into the makeup of the ensemble, ensuring that each instrument is capable of performing the music as written, and even allowing them to introduce performance techniques and flourishes to enhance the score.

In many cases, time constraints determined by the film’s post-production schedule dictate whether composers orchestrate their own scores, as it is often impossible for the composer to complete all the required tasks within the time frame allowed.

When the music has been composed and orchestrated, the orchestra or ensemble then performs it, often with the composer conducting. Musicians for these ensembles are often uncredited in the film or on the album and are contracted individually.

The orchestra performs in front of a large screen depicting the film, The conductor and musicians habitually wear headphones that sound a series of clicks called a “click-track” that changes with meter and tempo, assisting to synchronize the music with the film. 

More rarely, the director will talk to the composer before shooting has started, so as to give more time to the composer or because the director needs to shoot scenes according to the final score.

Sometimes the director will have edited the film using “temporary music”: already published pieces with a character that the director believes to fit specific scenes.