Composing

Directors Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans and cast Arden Cho, Ji-young Yoo, May Hong, Ahn Hyo-seop unpack how the team fused K-pop songcraft, Korean mythology, and animation timing into one son...

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Netflix just dropped a great BTS featurette on the film’s music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTAKCFPYdOo

Directors Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans and cast Arden Cho, Ji-young Yoo, May Hong, Ahn Hyo-seop unpack how the team fused K-pop songcraft, Korean mythology, and animation timing into one sonic world.

Why this matters for composers and songwriters:

The soundtrack didn’t just support the movie; it became a standalone pop phenomenon:

• “Golden” (by the film’s fictional group HUNTR/X) held #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for weeks!

• “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop” (by Saja Boys) also cracked the Top 10.

That kind of crossover raises juicy craft questions for anyone scoring, songwriting, or music-directing narrative projects where the songs are part of the story world and also need to perform IRL.

Craft angles worth dissecting:

• Worldbuilding through pop idioms: How the harmonic language, topline shapes, and production textures differentiate HUNTR/X vs. Saja Boys (group identity via sound).

• Diegetic vs. score integration: Seamless pivots between on-stage tracks, rehearsals, and underscore, shared motifs, tempo maps, and key relationships.

• Hook engineering: Melodic contour, bilingual lyric placement, call-and-response, and chantable post-choruses designed for virality.

• Choreo sync: Arranging for movement, count structures, downbeat “landings,” percussive fills for transitions, and stems that give editors latitude.

• Sound design as pop production: Foley/FX woven into drum programming (risers, whooshes, demon textures) that double as musical fills.

• Localization & mix strategy: Alternate language cuts, vocal stacking conventions, and mastering that translates across earbuds, theaters, and TikTok.

Drop your stems-vs-score tactics, favorite production hacks, or cue breakdowns below. If you’ve got a short clip or lead sheet showing how you’d approach a HUNTR/X-style chorus vs. a Saja Boys bridge, share it and we’ll all geek out together.

Post-rock and cinematic scoring share a lot of DNA: layered textures, evolving dynamics, and emotional builds that pull the listener in. But how do you take a track from idea to finished mix in a DAW like Logic Pro?

In this video, composer Mattias Holmgren breaks down his track Coastal Bloom, sharing...

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Wyman Brent

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2 people like this
- Ashley Renee Smith
- Maurice Vaughan
2 months ago

I will most definitely be there. This songwriter will try to compose himself properly.

Maurice Vaughan

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2 people like this
- Ashley Renee Smith
- Wyman Brent
2 months ago

Hi, Lagueria Davis. I'm looking forward to the panel!

Masha Kamerhorodska

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3 people like this
2 months ago

Hello, thank you for sharing the link

Jason Ray

This sounds awesome thanks for sharing

Mark Gosney

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4 people like this
2 months ago

I find it easier to write to picture. The visuals, the energy of the scene drive what I’m hearing in my mind as I watch the scene, which helps me musically. I do enjoy both though!

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1 person likes this
- Cyril Pineau
2 months ago

Fantastic score, Cyril Pineau! I get script ideas, scene ideas, etc. from things I see.

Kat Spencer

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2 people like this
- Cyril Pineau
- Maurice Vaughan
2 months ago

Cyril Pineau Beautiful! Yes, it does happen to me. Life is my inspiration.

View all All comments

Yeah, Dwayne Williams 2. Maybe a scene where a character is walking to downtown. I can see those songs having Horror versions. The slowed and chopped version of J. Cole’s “She Knows” feels kind of ins...

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Hannah Woolmer

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2 people like this
- Dwayne Williams 2
- Maurice Vaughan
2 months ago

Dwayne Williams 2 I think this is such a powerful move and yes it works so well, I also love how they do this in Westworld. I think in order for it to work their needs to be a good working relationshi...

Dwayne Williams 2

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1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
2 months ago

Great point, Hannah Woolmer. Do you think this could grow into studios having their own musicians or singers and also promoting their music through film?...

Dwayne Williams 2 definitely, I think any song-writer would love to have their music used in this way (as long as they approved of the project)

Gary Edwards

I love to write ohorror music because of the expansive possibilities for different sounds. I usually compose in Finale and export the MIDI files to ProTools.

Starting by far! Once I get my writing groove or rhythm going I don’t usually have a problem finishing, but finding that musical idea that’s inspiring and sets all that in motion is what’s difficult for me and can be time consuming!

Mark Gosney Do you have a trick to get yourself going?

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5 people like this
2 months ago

I just write lyrics. When I write a song I can immediately write a new one. The most I ever wrote in one day was 18. I was a busy guy.

I haven’t at this point figured out what triggers that other than a lot of hard work and trial and error! I don’t struggle to create good ideas but finding the correct musical idea that sets the scene...

Cyril Pineau

For me, finishing is much harder than starting. With orchestral compositions, I often begin with a part of the piece, sometimes just a hazy fragment, in my head, but endings are always tricky: should...

Libby Wright

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3 people like this
3 months ago

Great question. I'd have to say it would sound discordant with a really sweet and surprising ending.

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1 person likes this
- Maurice Vaughan
3 months ago

Libby Wright Nice!

The last unexpected twist in my life took place in April of this year. That is when one song I wrote titled What the Mack? unlocked my creativity. I discovered that I am on the extreme spectrum of cre...

Emmanuel Obiejemba

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4 people like this
3 months ago

It would start off sad, melancholic. Maybe with just piano and some strings. Probably revolving around just two chords, to show how trapped and unfulfilled I was. Then gradually, the composition would...

Einaudi - Passagio

Definitely synths and pads for me.

Leonardo Ramirez 2

Great video - typically synths overlayed with a simple/soft piano melody to build on. Regardless of how bombastic it may end up, I start with an ethereal atmospheric foundation.

Ashley Renee Smith

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2 people like this
- Leonardo Ramirez 2
- Maurice Vaughan
2 months ago

I forget sometimes that you're also a musician, Leonardo Ramirez 2.

Some day I'll have more time to dedicate to this Ashley Renee Smith. I'm currently saving up to upgrade my Mac to something that has both Pro Logic and Final Cut Pro....

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2 people like this
- Michael Dzurak
- Maurice Vaughan
2 months ago

Maurice Vaughan, I know what you mean. I have added things into my scriptwriting and songs that have a connection to me. I have done it without thinking about it first. Get some real fun looking over...

Douglas Esper

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2 people like this
- Maurice Vaughan
- Wyman Brent
2 months ago

I wrote a song called Alive on Arrival about my grandmother passing. a song called rusty about my biggest mistake. it’s good to go super personal at times, but daunting to play them in concert ;)

Douglas Esper, I am fortunate that I do not need to worry about performing in public. I am a simple scriptwriter and songwriter. I have written more than 400 songs. Of course, most of them are not so...

2
2 people like this
- Wyman Brent
- Maurice Vaughan
2 months ago

Wyman Brent 400 songs wow! that’s incredible. heh, performing live is a thrill, but so much stress ;) I was lucky enough to be on a small tour years ago and experience “the road”, but not sure I can d...

Douglas Esper, I can understand the stress. I used to help set up concerts at a venue in California. I know the musicians went through a lot that the public rarely thinks about. I have definitely expe...

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CRAFT AND BUSINESS

GENERAL DISCUSSION

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