Daily Film scoring bits
Welcome to the Daily Film Scoring Bits. On this page I post on a more or less daily basis little tips, tricks and advices about film scoring in general but also more specific topics like orchestration, composition, working relationships, business advices etc.
Use the search bar on the right to find specific topics or click on the tags to filter posts by specific topics.
Please don’t hesitate to comment on the bits, a lively discussion with different points of view is desired 🙂
Optimal Range for Timpani
Timpani sound best between the f below middle c and the f one octave lower. Even though their range exceeds that limit, in the very lowest register the membrane needs to lose so much tension that the sound gets muddy and unfocussed. Inexperienced…
First Chair Simulation in Mock-Ups
A good way to make loud brass chords in the same family (e.g. a triad in the trumpets) sound more realistic in mockups, is to have the top note playing with a slightly stronger dynamic than the other notes. In real orchestras, this effect will also…
Subconscious Plagiarism
Another issue that bothers practically every composer once in a while is to subconsciously plagiarize existing music. Everybody writing music knows the feeling of asking oneself the question of whether that isn’t something everybody knows…
“Bridgeing” Hit Points
When you need to score a scene that has several important points you need to hit and highlight, it is a quite effective way to first create a proper tempo map for the entire scene. So before you write a note, you should have the cue and hit points…
Waiting for Feedback
Every well planned work schedule with lots of planned in buffer time for edits and perfect work discipline can get absolutely chaotic when you need to wait forever for feedback on cues. Some clients have just so much to do during the post production…
Panning Instruments After the Scoring Session
You should be aware that it is practically impossible to change the panning of an orchestral recording in the mix. As you use the signal from the decca tree in the room as your main mix signal, you can place the (usually mono) spot microphone signals…
Dynamic Shaping of Sustained Brass
Brass instruments have the greatest timbral change over their dynamic spectrum. Therefore swells, crescendos, sffz, fp are highly dramatic and very effective on them. If you use long sustained brass chords or tones on key parts of your score, consider…
Key Change Dramaturgy
Key changes can be not only effective musical tools but also very effective structural elements. Trying to build towards a climax in a piece that persistently stays in one key might not be the most interesting thing to do and approaching the climax…
Presenting Ideas to a Client
Finding the right thematic material and having both parties (you and your customer/director) agree on it can take quite some time. When you present possible themes/ideas, it is common today to present them in their best shape as directors very…
Taking Care of Business Contacts
Taking care of your precious business contacts and keeping the contact alive is a very important thing to do. This is especially important when you haven’t worked with them for a while. Producers/directors often have so many things on their…
Hiding Behind Orchestration
Having the sound of a full symphony orchestra at your fingertips to play with is always exciting and opens up endless possibilities for interesting soundscapes. However, orchestration should never be a tool to compensate for a weak composition…
Choir Recording
When you’re adding a real choir to your music, in most cases it is recorded seperate from (and after) the orchestra has been recorded. There are three main reasons for this: A choir needs to rehearse and can’t really sing music prima vista. Even the best…
