Your approach to scoring: first impressions

[phil Kelly]

Everyone does this differently, so what routine(s)
do you employ upon viewing a picture you're gonna score for the first time?

I'm not talking about all the tech stuff, timings, breakdowns, etc here. I'm interested in what goes on in your minds during the initial spotting sessions ..or ever earlier ( when you get a rough cut VCR to look at before meeting the director ..or whomever you'll be answering to )

I have a series of mental excercises I go through depending upon the nature of the assignment, but I'd like for you to show me yours ..before I show you mine ..

...or words to that effect :)

[phil Kelly]

Steve:

A lot of the time in the professional scoring business ( especially in TV and non theatrical projects ) the composer isn't brought on board intil later on in the process and the first impressions will be from a rough cut of the actual project. ( Also, being the "last man in " syndrome usually sets up a time constraint upon the composer in these cases ..one is sometimes meant to feel that he's "holding up" finalizing the film with his musical tasks. )

The only times I ever saw scripts were on a few full length features
( and what actually appeared on the cut might differ greatly from that )
I usually reserved my responses to both viewing the actual film ..and the directors input and ideas at the screening and beyond )


Phil Kelly
www.philkellymusic.com
NW Prevailing Winds
SW Santa Ana Winds
Origin Records

[Marko Hautamäki]

It's my experience as well that I'm always brought into a project a bit later than I would have considered optimal timewise. I usually request a copy of the script before starting but now I've learned not to read the script before I have something to watch as well. Otherwise I'll start writing stuff based on what I've read and not on what I should be watching on the screen.

So when I watch the clip the first time I usually make notes in the script and at that point I usually have a pretty good idea on what the director/producer wants as well. (Sometimes, of course you meet people who don't have a clue about what they want in the first place.) I don't really think specifically about themes or textures and such at that point. I just basically collect spontaneous ideas that occur when watching the film. Then later in the composing process I review them and see what could be reasonably incorporated in the score. Those original ideas often have certain naivety to them and they're practically never very subtle but they often make wonderful "hooks" in the score.

My first post in the forum, by the way ;-)

[phil Kelly]

Hi Marko:

Welcome to the group!

My method is quite similar to your approach with the exception that I don't refer to the script very much ,just the video and dialog and the VTC numbers as to locating the points where I either "hear" something or have an actual
kernel of an idea. ( if you haven't already, you might read my 6/12 post as to my basic working method.

Also, I try to have the luxury (?) of being able to view the film at least TWICE prior to a meeting with the director / producer or who ever else might have the music "say so ". This way , I can go into the first meeting armed with something in the way of an approach. ( being prepared to chuck it all if the client has a totally differing valid approch to the score in mind I hadn't considered .. )

[Brian Scott Phraner]

One of the techniques I've learned in dealing with themes for a film is to test them out ahead of actually employing them. That is to say, identifying the potential different ways a theme might need to be used and trying to use them briefly in all those ways to see how well they may or may not work. For example writing a main theme identified with a character that experiences love, happiness, tragedy and sadness at different times in the film and just trying to write short versions for these different types of scenarios using the melody or motif for that theme. Just to make sure I don't compose myself into a corner that will be difficult to write my way out of later.

Brian Scott Phraner

[phil Kelly]

Brian:

Your process is one many of us employ in story based films.
It's good to able to use your theme(s) in as many contexts and moods as may arise.

This practice is sometimes called the "leitmotif" approach ( assigning specific motifs to recurring characters ), originated by Wagner for operatic purposes, and in the so call "golden years of Hollywood scoring ) -30s and 40s by many of the early giants like Erich Korngold and the other migrant mid-European composers like Frans Waxman .

The approach was revived by Steven Spielberg and John Williams in the "Star Wars" series.

Unfortunately , these days the hot new approach is the "ambient scoring" or "sound design " fad -which ( being an old fart ) find quite boring and a cheap cop out. This is the "lotsa loops and layers ,sounds and stuff to fill up 64 tracks of proTools and then play mix and match " style.

yecch .... grumble grumble ):^(> .. .. .. ..ralph!

[David W. Hamilton]

The first thing I do is figure out what the tone of the picture is.  That helps me define my instruments, techniques, etc.  My next step is to take that knowledge and start developing a Collage of ideas, working my way through various moods, techniques, etc. and working my way up to the Theme.  Once I have the Theme, like Brian, I test it in various moods, etc. to make sure that it has the flexibility that I want/need.  I strive primarily to build themes/motives that can be easily altered into forms that sound different from each other--I'm really into the whole use of Theme frameworks for my music.