Working Around Songs and Source Music

Working Around Songs and Source Music Many movies nowadays don’t only contain score music but also songs that are usually not written by the score composer but licensed. Also, the places where they are used in the movie are usually already fixed before the composer...

Paying for Job Offers

Paying for Job Offers There are quite a few people and companies who try to make money from the fact that the market for media composers is extremely crowded and everybody is looking for jobs. There are a few platforms online that promise access to “job offers” if you...

Highest Note in a Chord

Highest Note in a Chord In well balanced orchestral chords consisting of several instrumental colours (e.g. a chord that is orchestrated in the woodwind section) the instrument on the highest note will dominate its colour impression. This means that even in a chord...

Good Samples vs. Bad Orchestras

Good Samples vs Bad Orchestras On low budget movies, composers often try to squeeze the last penny out of their budget and try to get amateur or student orchestras involved to record their score. My general experience on such experiments is to rather go for a good...

First Statement of a Theme

First Statement of a Theme When composing a piece, present your main musical idea for the first time in the clearest direct and most unobscured way to your audience so it is actually being perceived as important and remembered for further appearances where it might be...

Anticipating Hit Points

Anticipating Hit Points One of the most overlooked things by learning composers is the difference between a hit point that can be anticipated by the audience and one that can’t. Unfortunately, these issues are not discussed a lot in literature on film scoring but are...