Spontaneous Modulations

Spontaneous Modulations A very common device used in film scoring, especially when writing action music that leads to a climax is to spontaneously modulate up a semitone, whole tone or minor third.This works most effectively on ostinato-driven music with...

Watching Rough Cuts

Watching Rough Cuts When you see a film you’re going to be working on for the first time, there might be a big chance that it is far away from picture lock and you might easily be lead on the wrong track regarding its dynamics. Usually you get a quite rough cut which...

The Film Mix

The Film Mix During the phase where your music is being mixed together with the movie, you should be well prepared for spontaneous requests to re-deliver certain files. Sometimes that has something to do with technical issues (e.g. audio glitches, unreadability of...

Pedal Points

Pedal Points Pedal points are very common in film music, meaning usually that you change chords over a sustaining bass note. Even very dissonant chords in relation to the bass note work under such circumstances. Pedal points are great for buildups. In a busy sequence...