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December 15, 2013

Scoring Films - Part 2: Ten Questions To Ask Your Director

I was 15 when I got my first job flipping patties for his royal highness, the Burger King. As anyone who has plied the fast food trade knows, the burger-making process is the essence of streamlined simplicity with a final product that is utterly predictable, every time.

If you've never had the privilege, trust me, it's a riot. Heel, ketchup, mustard, pickles, patty, cheese, crown, wrap, and down the chute. Over and over again. Oh, to relive those glory days all over again. I knew exactly what was expected and if I didn't do it right, my boss and I knew exactly why.

Composing a score for a movie is, as you might imagine, nothing like making burgers. The process is anything but simple, and nobody - not even you - has the slightest idea what will come out on the other side. Sure, you have a boss called the director who expects you to deliver something that will satisfy his customers. But as mentioned in part one of this series, directors often have no clear idea what they want, what their story needs, or even what they're talking about. They just want it done. It's your job to figure out what "it" is.


I have had the opportunity (though not always the pleasure) to work with directors ranging from the musically well-versed to the musically illiterate, from type A to type Z-z-z, from collaborative to downright despotic. Some did, in fact, know exactly what they wanted in terms of tone and pacing while others didn't have the foggiest. I'm fine with either. What matters to me is that they're willing to sit down together and build a plan.

For that to work, of course the composer needs to instill confidence in the director that he or she is up to the task. (We'll talk in Part 3 about some of the basic and necessary groundwork a person must do before they're qualified to start composing.) A productive composer-director relationship also requires that you clearly understand why a score exists, which is primarily to serve the needs of the film and satisfy the director's vision. But let's assume for now that you get all that, you've been approached to score a production, and you're good to go.

Rule #1: Before you take another step, meet with your director. (Not the writer, the producer, or the music-lovin' sound editor. The director.) Rule #2: Don't let them leave the room until you've had the following questions answered (or they need to use the washroom). Don't just let someone pass you a DVD with a rough cut of the film and wish you good luck, trusting that you'll just magically "know" what to do. If no one else has bothered to do it, call a meeting immediately.

Then, with pen and notepad at your side, ask the following 10 questions to help clarify your objectives and get you to the composer's chair as soon as possible:

1) What format/venue are we dealing with?
Is this a short film, feature film, TV show, web series, radio commercial, video game, audio book, corporate promo video, etc? While not radically different, each format or venue tends to have it's own unique flavour, function, and set of audience expectations.

2) Who’s your intended audience?
Not all productions are designed for general audiences. Who is the director hoping will watch this? Sometimes, a production is targeting a specific group of people. For example, a flashy promotional piece designed to wow buyers will probably seek to arouse a different set of emotions than would a documentary about mosaic tile artists. (And remember, manipulating people's feelings is what the music is all about!) Know who they are and be prepared to tailor your music accordingly.

3) What's the genre?
Is this going to be a comedy or a dramatic piece? Are we in horror territory or is it a spy thriller?

4) What's the tone?
Somewhat understandably, people sometimes confuse genre and tone. However, they're not the same thing. For instance, compare the equally excellent scores of The Ring and Drag Me To Hell. While both are horror movies in terms of their genre, tone-wise, Hans Zimmer's gentle and understated approach to the former is utterly unlike Christopher Young's intentionally bombastic, cliché-riddled take on the latter. Even within a franchise, tone can often shift as the story and characters evolve. Compare John Williams' relatively light and playful score for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with Alexandre Desplat's brooding requiem in The Deathly Hallows Part 2 and you'll know what I mean.

5) What’s the story?
As mentioned in my previous post, a good score is much more than background music: it's a critical part of telling the story and conveying key emotions at the right times. Which means you have to know what the story is. If a rough or final cut of the production is not available, get a hold of the script or have your director walk you through the story. Besides further clarifying the tone, this will help you determine what kinds of people your characters are, what's at stake, how and in what ways the action rises, where the conflict and tension should be, and how it all goes down in the end. It will also give you a bit of a head-start mapping out the timing of your tracks and big dramatic moments.

6) Who are the characters (especially the protagonist and antagonist) and what do they want?
Composers often assign themes or motifs to major characters, depending on their personalities, what they're chasing after, and what is motivating them to do so. John Williams' soundtrack for The Empire Strikes Back or Howard Shore's for The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring are classic examples. Williams' assigns unique melodies and even instruments to Luke, Leia, Yoda, and most famously, Darth Vader, while Shore gives not only characters but entire kingdoms their own anthems. While not absolutely necessary, these assigned themes and motifs can be powerful tools for a composer, especially when interwoven in scenes where characters either clash or come together.   

7) Can you think of a film, or films, that have a score similar to what you're going for?
Some might feel nervous asking this one. After all, you don't want to rip off another composer or sound derivative. It can also add unnecessary confusion to the process as the director racks his brain for answers that may not exist. And in the end, even if they can point at a particular film's score, it may be absolutely wrong for the film you're making. But I still think it's a good question to ask because if you do get a solid answer, it can save you a whole lot of time figuring out where the score should go. Feel free to make a few suggestions of your own, by the way. My approach is to get answers to the previous questions, then refer to film scores I think fit the project's story and mood. Not to copy, just to get in the ballpark.

8) How do you see the film's music and visual elements working together to tell the story?
Some productions are highly stylized, rely heavily on visual storytelling, or for other reasons require a closely choreographed relationship between sight and sound. Animation, kids' shows, and screwball comedy are also great examples. On the other hand, some films work best when the music and visuals are free to move in their own directions and yet still work together, kind of like jazz musicians. This includes knowing where not put music, so the audience's brain can take a rest or because the suspense of a scene is better-built in silence. In the beginning your director may not know or care, but it's still worth asking.

9) How soon will I get to see a rough cut and the final edit?
Even though I've listed this as my final question, it's always my first. If I have a copy of the film, I'm off to the races. I still meet with my director, but now the meeting is fast-tracked as we watch and map out the music together, answering every question along the way. Very important to ask about that final edit, by the way. If you've timed, scored, and locked everything to a rough cut, be prepared for some changes. The editor has invariably shortened, extended, and/or completely altered certain scenes for the final cut.

10) What are our deadlines and when am I getting paid?
In most cases, there will be a final deadline and several milestones attached to future meetings along the way, all determined by the size, scope and stakeholders involved. Rate of pay will be similarly determined by the amount of music you write, the size of the production's budget, your experience and standing in the industry, and other factors. Contract and payment may or may not have been sorted out already prior to your first meeting, but either way, it's wise to confirm here.

Other questions require attention, including post-production considerations such as the format in which your sound editor prefers to receive recorded tracks and "stems". But these should get you started.

Happy scoring!

NEXT POST: 7 Steps to Becoming a Film Composer
LAST POST: Where to Begin?

1 comments:

  1. Great article! Highly informative. I look forward to the next one.

    ReplyDelete