Composing

Both for me, it just depends. Sometimes I wake up I the middle of the night hearing something that I need to get written and I grab my phone and start humming in to a voice memo. This happened when I needed to create the main tune for the Vesper clip, basically the last half of the clip. Then other times it's not so natural and coming to me so easily so it's helpful to set at the keyboard with a piano patch or something and find something that way.

Depends on the film or project I’m writing for.

Sometimes I start with chords then melodies.

When I did the EP - Collaboratio - I had Ed’s piano part to write from. Then I used different instruments to add melodies and other lines within the song structure.

It’s called Rhythm n Keys on YouTube and all DSPs.

Yeah, I subconsciously hear things—melodies, soundscapes, abstract textures—but I prefer a workflow where I sit down with my DAW and instruments ready, record ideas as I play, and then refine everything afterward.

Very interesting question. Both work for me, both are fun to try :)

It depends. 9/10 times, it helps for me to get a pad down and then start writing. I love ambience, so getting that down usually spawns some moticom of creativity, especially if I'm having trouble finding something. However, I do think that trying to compose in my head away from my DAW ends up encouraging me and is more fulfilling for me as a composer.

Thanks for the answer, Rob Lowry. I like the "Something ethereal, beautiful, sad (etc.) plays... like Radiohead" idea. Thanks. When you read through a script for sounds, is it easier for you if they're in all caps?

Maurice Vaughan we go through scripts very thoroughly, so I wouldn't worry about us missing anything! Again, I think whatever best expresses your artistic vision is usually best!

Ok, great, Rob Lowry. Thanks. "Again, I think whatever best expresses your artistic vision is usually best!" Yeah, I agree.

Thanks for being here, Rob Lowry! When you’re building the sonic identity of a film, what inspires your first steps: script, character, setting, or something else entirely? And how do you know when a track choice is truly elevating the story rather than just sounding good?

Hi Ashley! Script is usually the first concrete identifier, though I will say I love a good moodboard / deck really inspire me and visuals are a great jumping off point. From there, I think it's a lot of conversations with the filmmaker and bouncing a lot of ideas back and forth (good and bad) to really hone in on a musical identity and the relationship with music to the film and narrative. I think a key identifier of a song truly elevating the story rather than just sounding good is when it's operating on multiple levels: sonically, it's in line with the DNA of the film both musically as well as aesthetically; it feels aligned and in sync with the greater whole of the soundtrack and the film, rather than feeling like an outlier or something that stands out rather than "fitting in."; lyrically, it may be commenting on the scene or even the film as a whole in a way that doesn't feel specific, but rather capturing an overall idea or theme vs being prescriptive and telegraphing exactly what is happening. But overall, I do think it's more about how something feels. It's okay for lyrics to be esoteric OR be on the nose. It's okay to be obligatory sometimes. It's nice to be cerebral and add layers and depth and questions, but I do think ultimately the question is how does this feel, and is this helping us push the narrative in the direction we're wanting to go?

I just finished listening to the concert, Linwood Bell. It’s phenomenal! And it’s for a great cause! Thanks for sharing the video.

That's the stuff Maurice Vaughan.

Thank you Kerry Kennard! Primarily to put music out there, build my music & art portfolio and see where that takes me, but also to pitch to music libraries along the way. - A whole other trek! Ha ha

Yes it is, Insiya Foda - :~) Need to follow and listen to Michele Maslin - she's quite a lady with lots of wisdom in this area.

Kerry Kennard Good to know! Thank you!!

Me and Leanne greeman just completed this experimental work! It's me on the nylon string guitar, where I altered the sound, a little sound design I guess I could say, and Leanne contributed haunting vocals using her voice as an instrument with very few words. This is a more ethereal haunting and cinematic sounding peace. We are going to do simple vocal and guitar cinematic scores. We will also be adding some other instrumentation as needed.

https://johntinger.bandcamp.com/track/light-the-stars-with-lee-loo-on-vo...

I’m doing my Artist music project.

I did finish a Latin piece, from last year, and this contemporary piece also (string and tpt melody)

Yep definitely drum set in there.

Linwood Bell , I listened to this interview few hours ago. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

I look forward to "Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert".

Fantastic interview! Thanks for sharing it, Linwood Bell. I talked with Hans Zimmer way back about composing music for my feature film, but he was busy with projects. I don't think I would've had enough money in the budget to hire him anyway. Haha I didn't know that back then though. There was a lot about producing I didn't know. Hans is a nice guy.

Rick Beato asked Hans "how important is your space, your environment for being creative?" and Hans said it's hugely important. Hans is right. One thing that distracts me when I write and create things is having a lot of clutter in my space. And an uncomfortable environment distracts me too. What about you?

Maurice Vaughan My space is no where near as nice as Hans', but I'm grateful to have it. I try my best to keep it clean. I find I'm more productive when it is and I like to go to work early. :)

https://www.stage32.com/photos/3634348350976829986

Terrific space, Linwood Bell! And I like that you can turn your chair around and be at the keyboards. What are the white panels against the walls for?

Maurice Vaughan The white panels are called “Real Traps”. Long story short; they make the room sound better. It’s not sound proofing. They help with echos/reflections, the low end of things, and the imaging. They're really a great product. You hang them on the wall just as you would a picture. Very easy to do and they don’t damage the wall when you take them down if you move. A tiny nail hole is all it leaves. This room I’m in has a pretty high ceiling that slopes up at like a 45°. I could use 4 more up there, but then I’d have to get up on a ladder. :)

Thanks for sharing the video, Florin Şumălan. Great Q&A! Steven Weintraub asked Hans Zimmer what’s the first things he does when making music for a project. I’d like to hear what’s the first things everyone here does when making music for projects.

Wow! So much talent, Amanda Toney! John Williams is my favorite composer. Hans Zimmer and Ennio Morricone are two of my favorite composers as well. I talked with Hans way back about composing music for my feature film, but he was busy with projects. I don't think I would've had enough money in the budget to hire him anyway. Haha I didn't know that back then though. There was a lot about producing I didn't know. Hans is a nice guy.

Thanks for sharing, Amanda. They are all legendary composers.

Awesome Amanda Toney and I agree Maurice Vaughan, those are my favorites too!

Thanks for sharing, Amanda. These are all great composers!

This is such a fascinating topic, K.. Yeshwanth! Music is such a powerful storytelling tool, especially when it bridges the gap between what is said and what is felt.

One of my favorite examples is in A Quiet Place. The absence of spoken dialogue throughout much of the film makes the score even more impactful, heightening tension and emotion in ways that wouldn’t be as effective with words. Another is Interstellar; the organ-heavy score by Hans Zimmer is practically a language on its own, carrying so much weight in scenes where the dialogue is minimal.

Sometimes I like silence, though let the instruments ring out a few seconds - connecting the two scenes.

Kind of like the below example- at :50 - 1:00

I tried to have a short silence so the guys voice would share the emotion, and even had a local film

Producer watch what I had done, more music in between, … it turned out well for my writing, but think (feel) the judge wanted more emotion brought out by the music.

The Spitfire sounds rang out a lot, hence what I was talking about above … there’s not too many seconds in this part of the scene. I did best using a plugin to stop some of the long ringing the instruments have.

I live the 3/4 change into the next scene as they “ attempt to dance”, which is why I wrote it in 3/4 to interact with the scene.

https://youtu.be/JnTUtLeL_YE?feature=shared

Ashley Renee Smith Exactly Ashley!! A Quite Place is an epic example of creation and blending both "the dialogues and music". Both of them played a major role in the movie by creating a silence intense and horrific scene into a Epic one.

And Of course, I again agree with you about the interstellar score, from a Organ creation to the final complete movie.

Both the scores deserves a hats off.

Kerry Kennard First of all, the composition is very nice, but you need to add more backend elements. Try to focus creating backend with Low and Mid-Low octaves, so that it gives a huge strength to main Melody and Counter Melody.

This score could've also worked with 5/8 and 6/8. The 3/4 you had taken is a good thinking, it works in all of them.

Also when it comes to compositions, try to create the more textural elements, first, and then move on with your Melodies, Ostinatos, Runs, Harmonies, Backends & Rhythms.

Rest everything is good, you have done great job!!

This sounds like a golden spot! I can think of a muffling transition with musical texture coming in, either subtle or strong, depending on the emotion we want to bring. Sometimes, melodies can’t really stand alone, or the cue is too short to fill the space, so at times like this, a soundscape or musical texture with emotional chords might be a good option. And maybe there are even better ideas, I’m really curious and eager to learn!

That's great, Geoff Hall. I'm way behind on David Lynch films. I'll keep an ear out for the music when I watch his movies.

Geoff Hall Thank you for sharing that! I will never forget Twin Peaks.

Kat Spencer thanks, Kat.

Maurice Vaughan yeah, I’m just wondering what to watch next!