Transcript Music Business Handbook and Career Guide

Part 6: Music in Broadcasting, Film, and Theater
Chapter 21
Start Thinking. . .
 It has been said that “the musical score is the glue that
holds much of a movie together.” In what way is this
true? How does music enhance a movie, TV show, or
video game?
Chapter Goals
 Become knowledgeable about motion picture music
history and changing musical styles.
 Learn how music for film, TV, and games is created,
recorded, and synchronized to events on the screen.
 Gain awareness of how musicians and technicians are
used in the motion picture music field.
Background
 Silent films
 accompanied by small orchestra or organist
 First music on a movie sound track
 the Jazz Singer in 1927
 initially music borrowed from other sources
 then classical composers scored original music
 Major studios in the Golden Age
 salaried, full time composers
 staff orchestra
Background
Changing Styles
 After World War II tastes changed
 musical clichés abandoned
 experimentation with contemporary American sounds
 Composers influenced by cartoon techniques
Background
Changing Styles
 Value of popular songs discovered in 1949’s The Third
Man
 Composers developed into three groups
those able to underscore drama on film (1950s)
b. the pop songwriters (1950s)
c. artists able to underscore film drama appropriately
and also invent attractive pop melodies (1960s)
a.
Background
Changing Styles
 Jazz
 found its place in film scoring
 given impetus by TV shows such as Peter Gunn
 Instruments
 some experimentation with synthesizers
 return to late-19th-century neo-romantic music with full
orchestra
 native instruments for films with strong ethnic element
Background
The Emergence of Sound Tracks
 Song scores now prominent in movie sound tracks
 Songs and sound track albums have potential for
tremendous profits for films’ producers and composers
Background
The Emergence of Sound Tracks
The Craft
The Process
 Film shot completely and edited at least once
 Temp score put together by music editor
 Sometimes the temp score is preferred
 2001: A Space Odyssey
 The Exorcist
The Craft
Spotting the Film
 Composer, producer, director, film editor, music editor
watch the film together
 Director and composer spot the film
 Composer receives first part of fee
 Music editor makes spotting notes
The Craft
Spotting the Film
 Scene breakdowns
 SMPTE technology
 click tracks
 tempo
 video tape “striped” with SMPTE code, or DVD is slaved
in Quicktime
The Craft
Composition
 Once familiar with film, composer composes score
 Composer receives another payment
 Tight deadlines expected
 Composer composes orchestral sketches
 instrumentation indicated
 orchestrator renders full score
 Film scoring done electronically and acoustically
The Craft
Recording to Film
 Music is recorded
 Final installment of fees paid
 Some composers prefer conducting using streamers
and punches
 Feature films
 recorded “live” all at once
 recorded on movie scoring stages
 Producers and directors may throw out score or
demand changes
The Craft
The Final Mix
 Dubbing sessions
 music combined with dialogue and sound effects
 composer, music cutter, sound effects person, engineers,
and film directors attend
 Rerecording sets relative sound levels
Music Scoring for TV
 Same stylistic approach as for feature films
 faster pace
 producer makes music decisions
 TV dramas
 use original and library music
 music use varies from show to show
 New shows
 composer composes two to three week’s music to create
feel
 music editors cut required bits for later shows
Music Scoring for TV
 Styles
 same wide range as feature films
 music cutter lays in various musical sources as
appropriate for new timing and dramatic situations
 TV series composer
 may be a one-man band
 usually has assistants and music engineer
 Society of Composers and Lyricists
Music Scoring for Video Games
 Process very similar to film and TV
 Composer’s objective = catch a game’s personality and
emotional heart in music
 Audio content is mostly original to “brand” the game
 Composers are hired on a freelance basis
 Popular music is also licensed
 non-linear synchronization rights
 Music-based games act as aggregators of music
 Game music added as a category to industry awards
Library Music
 Library music tracks
 used for educational films, documentaries, and films for
business and industry
 low cost
 includes all clearances and licenses
 Library services
 classify cues in predictable ways
 music often prepared by composers with MIDI studios
Hiring Practices
AFM Contracts
 AFM does not set scales for composition
 AFM does set scales for other personnel
 Musicians working in film
 additional income once a year
 AFM Film Musicians Secondary Markets Fund
Hiring Practices
Package Deals
 All musicians and support personnel hired on
freelance basis
 Producers negotiate package deals with independent
contractors
 Producers like package deals
 transfers all financial risk to independent contractor
 Composers who budget time and expenses come out
well
 AFM has a two-tier scale for motion picture work
Hiring Practices
Composers
 Many employment opportunities in scoring
 Few agents
 composer should be aggressive to secure employment
 must achieve several scoring credits to secure an agent
 Additional opportunities for breaking in:
 top composers need assistants
 orchestrators work as ghost-writers
 be an advanced student of a busy composer
Hiring Practices
Music Supervisors
 Responsibilities of a music supervisor
 find songs and music to support and enhance the film
 act like an A&R executive
 could be in charge of everything from the song to hiring
the composer
Hiring Practices
Music Supervisors
 Potential duties of a music supervisor
1. draw up budget and make deals
2. place existing songs in appropriate spots of the movie
3. oversee a musical movie
4. be in the studio when a performer is recording a song
5. prepare people for the set, including lip-synching
6. assist the director and choreographer in designing
shots that will work with the music
7. explain “score design” to investors
Hiring Practices
Copyists
 Engaged by the composer or orchestrator
 Copyists work under intolerable time pressures
 head copyist may engage a music preparation service
 Most copyists now use computer music programs such
as Finale
 allows for instant changes of key and time signature
 Supervising copyist attends film and TV recording
sessions
Hiring Practices
Orchestra Musicians
 Instrumentalists most often members of AFM
 non-union musicians increased
 MIDI studios and computer one-person bands
 High-paying work for small pool of musicians only
 auditions rare
 prove abilities to inside pool of players
 teachers are often orchestra musicians
Hiring Practices
Orchestra Musicians
 String players
 Brass players
 Woodwind players
 Studio percussionists
 Keyboard players
 Guitarists
Hiring Practices
Music Editors
 Music editing can make or break a film’s score
 Copies and cuts cues
 Job of a music editor:
 ensure music is cued to the right spots in the action
 understanding of SMPTE code, click tracks, and Pro
Tools essential
 Music editors usually acquire skills on the job
Hiring Practices
Society of Motion Picture and Television
Engineers
 SMPTE serves as an information exchange
 Attempts to standardize recording and
synchronization techniques
For Further Thought. . .
 What are some of the subtle differences between
scoring for a feature film, a television show, and a
video game?
 How might an aspiring musician gain entry into a
studio orchestra?