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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Stereo Snare Drums
The advantage of recording a score in a scoring stage versus playing a “regular concert” with an orchestra is that you can alter the setup of each cue…
Balance Between Surprise and Being Expectable
Compositions that are considered attractive and interesting by most listeners usually find a balance between being expectable and suprising. This…
Scene Change Transition Cues
Music can help a lot to smoothen rough transitions between scenes. Particularly scene transitions that change location and time can often feel very…
Dealing With Criticism
Criticism is something that is hard to digest for any artist but it is also something every artist has to live with. It is impossible to please…
Dynamics in Score Sheets
When studying score sheets of classical works, you will often notice how ambiguous dynamic markings are notated. There might be hairpins leading to or…
Alternative String Seating
The standard orchestral seating for string instruments from the conductor’s point of view would be from left to right: Violins 1, Violins 2, Violas,…
Low Interval Limits
The reason why some chord voicings sound muddy and unfocussed often lies in the fact that they violate the so-called low interval limits. These limits…
Quasi-Authentic References
Particularly with geographic references in film music, there often is a glaring difference between the music that is traditionally being played at that…
Film Premiere Nights
Premiere nights are not everybody’s cup of tea. It’s usually a loud, crowded night with lots of meaningless small talk. However, as a composer you…
Close vs. Open Position Chords in Brass
When writing chords in Brass it is usually better to stay in close position voicings rather than in open position. As basically all brass instruments…
Mix Automations in Orchestral Music
Mix Automations are pretty common in music productions. It basically means that you program parameters of the mix (like fader levels, pan, reverbs etc.)…
Drop 2 and Drop 2+4
A very easy way to gain more sonority in your chord voicings or to make more space for the top line is to “drop 2”, “drop 2+4” or traditionally called…
Scoring Big Hit Points First
When you need to score a scene that has one or even several points you need to hit and highlight, it is a quite effective way to lay out your sketch the…
Staying Up To Date
Watch as many movies as you can. If you want to seriously work in the film music field, you need to know what is going on in the “business”, you need to…