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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String Divisi
Dividing string sections into several parts is a common technique called “divisi” and for section strings is usually the preferred way over making the players play awkward double stops. However samples make many composers believe that a…
File Versioning
Keep track of your versions. Many professional programs (be it DAW, Notation etc.) by now offer to save versions of your project to be able to later revert to them. It is extremely helpful to actually write comments on these versions (about what…
Doubling in thirds or sixths
Doubling melodies in thirds or sixths (e.g. first violins playing the main melody while 2nd violins double in a third below) is in general something that is musically quite effective as additionally to providing melodic information it also…
Compose around the sound of a scene
Scoring movies is often writing music that needs to fit in a certain frequency range to actually be heard. You need to compete against sound effects and design which in many cases leaves only small possibilities for the music to come through….
Getting help
Don’t be too shy or to proud to ask for help if a project asks too much of you. Every composer once in a while encounters a situation where he/she is pushed so far out of his/her comfort zone that it becomes a struggle to handle the project…
Pitch impression on Double Basses
Double basses have a quite unfocussed sound, especially in their very low register. In some occasions, it might be even tricky to actually identify clearly which note they are playing. This occurs on passages where the basses have a quite solistic…
Learning a new Software
Every now and then, you have to learn how to use a new piece of software, for instance you switch to a new sequencer or simply get to know a new sample library etc. With quite complex software for music professionals, the learning curve can sometimes…
Fix filmic shortcomings with music
One quite big part of scoring for films that is very rarely mentioned in books is to compensate for shortcomings in the film making. This happens especially at the beginning of a career where you work on amateur or semi pro productions. Quite regularly…
Losing a Project
Losing a project for whatever reason is in general very disappointing and depending on how much effort you already put into it can be financially quite damaging. However, it happens to everybody in the business from time to time. Sometimes,…
Harmonic Spectrum of String Instruments
String instruments in particular have a very rich harmonic spectrum meaning that besides their “played” pitch, a whole set of harmonics will sound quite prominently as well. This applies particularly for the next few harmonics being…
Music mix as part of the concept
Not only your musical concept and style is part of making a score homogenous but also the mix. If you record a live ensemble for your score, you will most likely have a quite homogenous mix throughout the score as the room/mics etc…
Rhythmic Variety
The rhythmic placements of notes can be just as important as their pitch. Unless you’re writing a march or something compareable, avoid monotonuos rhythmic figures. Hitting every downbeat of a bar makes melodies very firm but also quickly…
Placement of Hit Points
The exact placement of musical hit points is very often a matter of psychology and should be done quite carefully. On quite a few hit points it’s not the most effective thing to place the musical accent exactly on the visual action but rather prefereable…
Face to Face Meetings
Nothing beats face-to-face meeting. Even though the internet and Skype have made it possible to work on a project over long distances without constant personal meetings, meeting a client in person and spending an evening together…