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 :)

[Adrian Ellis]

Assuming the film is good and gives me something to work with... not always the case - and then it's a little like drawing water from a stone...

I'm big on themes, and I don't mean musical themes in this case. I watch with an intent to discover the overarching, and the smaller themes that give the film cohesion. In essence, what is the film really about, deep down inside. Other things might give hints to a direction in the score - cinematography, art direction, characters, style/genre, period... I like to work from a copy of the script, and really treat it as a literary analysis. I find this really helps you organize and compartmentalize - if you are dealing with an hour or more of music, I couldn't imagine not doing this. Usually, while watching the film and reading the script, I will jot down notes of what the music should do, not in technical terms but just words - is it fast, slow, swelling, falling away, hopeful, dissonant, clashing, harmonious etc... and a lot of metaphorical ideas, based on the themes and characters. The music is very anthropomorphic; it hides, it jumps out, it recedes, it battles, it relents, it plods on, it schemes, it goes backwards, it reverts, and so on. I also try and get a sense for what instrumentation might suit the film - something in the film itself might clue me in, or it might just be a combination of factors that lead me to say "a symphony of distorted guitars, timpani and a nose flute will be the signature sound of this film." So the process begins with a lot of writing, but not musical notes.

Beyond that - who knows what the mind does when it goes about the task of creating a melody for a theme... it's partly mathematic, it's partly by myriad association, and partly mystical and unknowable. But it's definitely GUT. Stuff jumps into my head very quickly, needing whittling and working on, while watching a scene, reading the script, or even just thinking about it. I find going for a walk (Brahms was a big proponent of walking) really helps generate melodies.

So for me, the process is defined by moments of analysis, and moments of experimentation and free association, noodling and trying. I find it important to compartmentalize those two, so as to allow the maximum profit from both areas, because they can conflict - over-analysis kills your spontenaity, and noodling all the time results in a mud-score with no cohesion.

[phil Kelly]

Adrian:

"Assuming the film is good and gives me something to work with... not always the case - "

well ..we've all been there :)

Aside from that, your process is similar to mine in that if appropriate, I try to find a "main theme" that's appropriate to the feel of the film. I try to make it something that can be indentifiable with a shorther phrase as well as containing several "sub motifs" ( repetive rhythmic figures that work even without the theme included, and hopefully, a short "stinger" - like the echoplex trumpet gimmick in Patton -I can drop in occasionally as an identifying link. )

Beyond this, if it seems appropriate, I might create some leitmotif themes for various characters ( this works well especially in period films or films designed for childrens consumption - both of which I've done a number of over the years )

OTOH: I've done a lot of educational and PBS scientific films that permit a more abstract approach -sometimes a "collage" technique similar to the current "ambient" approach in our current loop happy environment ( except back in the Mesozoic, we had to create our own loops (with big hunks of 1/4" tape sometimes draped over a boom mike several feet away from the deck playing the loop )

Even within this approach, I'd usually try to devise a several note "stinger" that could be dropped in occasionally to allude to some attempt a cohesion in the score, no matter how "outside" it got!

[Chris Alpiar]

haha Phil I have done 1/4" loops back in my analog days using pencil(s) jammed into the wall (it was a kind of mesh stucco at that studio so easy to do. Then you can start the loop and tug on the pencil for cool effects :D

[phil Kelly]

Chris:

I used to work with one zany enginerr who have a method of looping the tape in a "z path" around the capstan that would allow a loop to playy BACKWARDS!

Combining that with a varispeed transformer enabled to create some pretty weird stuff WAAAAY before computers!

I'll hve to dig around and see if I've saved any of those old non computer strango cues to CD .. if so , I'll post one of them :)

[Adrian Ellis]

On the non-artistic side of this process:

Those in the industry like to remind the up-and-comer's that "this IS a business". I have a bit of background in sales, specifically in the optical industry, and I find that this definitely kicks in during this process.

What does the director/producer want? And I mean, REALLY - not from my perspective or personal artistic desires, but what is it that is going to make them feel that the music really makes their film?

How am I going to make sure I get to do what I want, and still make the boss feels that they are being served? I find it key to speak to them in terms they understand, and to sell them my ideas. I don't say, "this is MY idea, and it's so great and check out the cool counter-point and unusual harmonies", I say, "this aspect of your film has driven this idea, and the scene will be even greater because I am supporting the great ideas already in there". It's a fine balance of having the director feel like you are an necessary expert and that you are in control of the music, but that you are following their vision exactly. I rarely use musical terminology.

If I am careful with how I present stuff (always in 'supporting your ideas' terms, not 'my ideas are great' terms), and if I always sell how great each cue makes the already great film, I get to do what I want, and rarely have cues rejected or even re-written. If you tie the your idea in with an idea that the director had, as if it was their idea but in musical terms, then rejecting it would be like rejecting their own idea, and they are not often wont to do that. I never send off a cue without a specific statement of why and how it works, specifically in relation to the ideas present in the film/scene.

I have to say, as weird as it sounds, I am very grateful for the sales experience I have. Selling something you believe in (your music) is easy, and what it really comes down to is understanding a bit of human psychology, and working with that to get what makes everyone happy. It's win win - less friction, more confidence, you get to write music you want to, and the director gets music that works for the project.

Of course, you still have to write music that works... an atonal suite for 16 detuned banjos and 4 cats over a tender love scene will be a hard sell... :)

[phil Kelly]

Adrian:

You bring up a lot of good points: AS a composer we HAVE to learn to communicate in non musical terms that the client will understand . Early on in my career, I took a job actually writing, shooting and producing cheapo commercials just for the purpose of learning the other side of the process.
( I really didn't know squat, but I had a pretty good eye and the film folks I hired were quite generous in showing me all the processes as we weent along )

This rather frustrating year paid off in spades later on , because it gave me the tools to communicate effectively with the film and TV folks on their own terms -not to mention that it relaxed them to be able to express their musical desires in the abstract -which actually in many ways, afforded me MORE leeway in the execution later on.

BTW: whats wrong with detuned banjos ? I've often used them in Oriental atmosphere music to simulate a koto!! :)

[Susan Poliniak]

I usually get a "texture" in my head before themes start coming to me. When I watch something for the first time, assuming that it's good (ha! well, that topic has been covered already), I can usually "hear" where I want to go with the instrumentation. I've noticed that, on my more successful projects, the director/producer ends up saying at the end that he couldn't imagine the score with a different combo of instruments, or a different score--very gratifying, but I find it interesting that the first part of that ends up being 80% set at first viewing.

BTW, can we talk pet peeves? As in, a week or so into the scoring, getting an email that says, "Oh, by the way, it's not a big deal, but I made just a little cut in the film. Just a few seconds. I think it's in the middle of one of the cues."

[John Doryk]

Been there..Done that. I agree, though, with most of these posts. I do my best creative thinking/composing when I'm just viscerally and emotionally reacting to the scene, not trying to overanalyze or worry too much about the client. Once the ideas come, of course my job is ultimately to support the drama and make the director(client) happy. But if it's a good client/composer match, I'm essentially hired to translate a story, drama, emotion into musical language. Of course, there are some directors/producers who know exactly wht they want and my job is to basically technically translate "their" ideas into music or as Stephen Scott Smalley says become "human juke boxes"

[phil Kelly]

Ha .."pet peeves" ?

I think mine is probably the director who listened repeatedly to his temp score so much
he's fallen in loive with it and can't envision any other approach from the get go.
( this is where the Smalley comment about being a "human juke box" comes into play. )

Temp tracks CAN be helpful in letting a non musically literate director show what he feels in a given scene ..IF ..he is still open minded enough to listen to alternative approches.

When I get a rough cut for spotting and it has a temp track in it, I try ( and not always successfully ) to get a dub with dialog only in addition. If I get it, this is the one I'll do most of my work off of BEFORE listening to the version with the temp score.

[Christian Wood]

I haven't read any responses yet, but here's mine . . .

I will watch the piece, usually after having had a conversation with the director/producer, keeping some of what he/she said in mind, but I usually like to watch the piece with no preconceived ideas. Ideally I would prefer to get through the entire film without stopping; you know, take the whole thing in and then start absorbing it, and then I'll watch it again (taking notes this time) and start coming up with ideas. But sometimes an idea, theme, melody, etc. may just jump into my head during the initial viewing and I can't help but stop the film and play it into the sequencer before I forget it. After the initial viewings, at that point I'll load it into my DAW and start going through my notes and begin creating themes, etc.

On a side note, I just completed an independent horror feature where the director supplied a temp-track. This was both helpful and hurtful at the same time. Because it was there, I was always aware of how the director wanted the mood to be in a particular scene. But because it was there, I was always trying to recreate what another composer had already done for another movie and make it work for this one. Not sure how some of you feel about temp-tracks, but I have mixed emotions.

Good topic!

[phil Kelly]

Christian:

Regarding temp tracks:

See my comments on this procedure directly before your entry. When a temp is present, one of your first tasks must be to learn from the director how much the temp has influenced his musical viewpoint ( especially since he's been "living" with this stuff for some length of time during editing )

Sometimes, the editor has added a temp on his own as an aid for his editing pace( with or without consulting the director depending on their working relationship ) This situation can muddy the creative water for the actual composer unless the
validity and impact of the temp on the director ( he's your boss, right?) of the temp is thouroughly examined.

Establishing the directors feelings about the temp is very important especially if this the first time you've worked with him.

Other times with directors you've worked with previously and know and like your work ( you've been hired again again, right? ), the temp is merely a communicative device to give you a "sorta like this maybe ?" sample that you can feel free to challenge if you think you have a valid alternative to offer.

my $0.02 worth :)

[Steve Gallant]

Hey, guys. First forum post here. Intesting topic, this.

I've only had a handful of short film project (besides my Music for the Media course training). But, so far, in all cases, I've had a working script in hand from the director, before shooting even commenced. From the script, I immediately come up with an overall theme, which generally also sets the overall mood. So far, in all but one case, these "pilot" pieces of music have been agreed by the director, and they thus form the basis for the rest of the score when I get the final cut of the film.

The rest of the music just seems to flow out, and I guess, for the most part, I'm following the dialogue and visuals for inspiration. (I'm seldom clever enough to figure out really deep stuff in the story, not so far anyways!)

I don't know why, but so far, I've always worked sequentially from the beginning to the end of a film. I never intend it this way, but it just seems to happen. I guess it's sort of an operatic approach.

Of course there will be changes by the director, but so far, each experience has expanded my abilities and matured me as a musician. Oh yes, and it's thickened my skin, too. ;-)

Steve Gallant
www.SteveGallant.com