Knowing what you want
Dear Filmmakers,
As a composer who’s worked on features, shorts, and commercials, I’ve noticed a few “universal” things about how musicians are used in productions and I have some thoughts that will lead to better efficiency, relationships, and ultimately a better project. Filmmakers fall into one of 3 types:
Filmmaker knows they want music but don’t know what kind. This leads to tons of back-and-forth, drafts, etc while the filmmaker figure out what they want. Why not just research types of music, similar to how you think about how you plan your shots. Don’t make it an afterthought, make it a forethought, and come with a plan of where you want music, what type(s), reasonable expectations about drafts and rewrites. Be prepared to stay paying extra for rewrites—digital had spoiled this aspect of the working relationship where everything is considered WIP until last minute. N.B., when outlining a cue, please stick to emotional language and unless you’re a professional musician, refrain from using musical terms like “melody,” “harmony,” “orchestration” etc. unless you are explicitly aware of their technical meaning. Simple words are fine.
Filmmaker knows what they want and use it as a temp score but can’t afford to buy the music. *THIS IS THE MOST COMMON TYPE. Please be explicit that you want as close to a duplicate of the temp score without being sued for plagiarism and if you’re paying well, we will do it and do it quickly. This should be a paint-by-numbers job and shouldn’t require a lot of discussion or drafting, just make clear in the brief: “simile temp music” or some equivalent note.
Filmmaker is well-versed in music of many types, possibly a musician themselves and musically literate, and specifically reaches out to a composer for their speciality/style. THE RAREST ONE OF ALL—perhaps even the kind of person you can play your ideas out for on just a piano and they can begin to imagine it as the full orchestra or whatever, without all the need for computer-orchestra placeholder music which takes tons of time to make. This is honestly a composer’s dream client, though this type does always have the danger of turning into #1. You will, guaranteed, get the best score if you try to be this type, and it is quite possible to become this type as you research and plan your project. In that process, you’ll discover all kinds of cool music and be a more well-rounded person and professional as a result. Tip: Spotify makes this easier than ever.
Ultimately we’re all crafting a product here but if you follow these tips (feel free to add some!) you’ll be A-OK, because it really just boils down to communication and anticipating communication pitfalls. Being a good communicator is honestly 85%