Daily Film scoring bits
Welcome to the Daily Film Scoring Bits. On this page I post little tips, tricks and advices about film scoring in general but also more specific topics like orchestration, composition, working relationships, business advices etc.
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Varispeed for Tuning
By now, most film scoring studios have the technical possibility to use Varispeed to compensate for the standard a= 442 or 443 Hz tuning of a normal…
Influence of Sample Limitations on Composition
A lot of what defines today’s style in commercial orchestral music is actually defined by the limitations of samples. Certain things clearly…
Satisfying the Customer vs. Satisfying Yourself
Quite often clients will be pleased already with quite mediocre products and many composers develop a habit of saying “The customer’s happy, that’s all…
Alternative Chord Structures
The structure of having a chord consisting of root, third, fifth etc. is nothing that is written in stone. Alternative chord structures may have a very…
Music and the Perception of Time
Music can alter the perception of time quite heavily. It can actually even work like a subjective slow motion. For example imagine a huge battle…
Non Disclosure Agreements for Composers
So-called non disclosure agreements (NDA) are quite common practice in the media world. Some companies/clients handle them very strictly…
Working Under Stress
Hitting deadlines can be one of the scariest but also most productive things for a composer. When time AND inspiration is short, things can become…
Excessive String Divisi
Many composers coming from the sample world tend to use massively split up string sections. Things like triads in the violas alone, several…
Getting Used to Different Monitoring
Whenever you work in a different monitoring situation than the one that you’re used to, spend some time to get to know the system acoustically…
9-1 Resolutions
In practically any chord type and progression you can add very filmic sounding inner voices by relying on the 9-1 resolution. When you for example…
Setting a Time Period with Music
One of the many functions of film music is to set a time. This is especially helpful in period pieces and can be a big part of the concept. However…
A Composer’s Unique Selling Point
If you seriously want to pursue a career as fulltime composer, you should try to develop a strategy that sets you apart from the rest of the…
Glockenspiel Orchestral Use
The Glockenspiel is a fantastic instrument to highlight soft chords or double a melody. It works especially well to play the highest note of…
Revisiting Cues in the Same Recording Session
When recording with real musicians, try to get a perfect take of a cue while you’re at it. It usually doesn’t work that well to revisit a cue “if we have…