By Roger Jackson and Klaus Badelt
Previously: Whatever It Takes
Some directors believe that music is a full 50% of a film. And that there are fundamentally just 3 or 4 “true” creative inputs to the movie — the writer, the director, the composer…perhaps the editor. Whatever the numbers, movie music — that skillful combination of score and song — has the potential to turn a good story into an amazing audience experience. But how do you musically super-charge an indie film when you don’t have the budget to hire a top composer?
I asked Kinonation co-founder — and prolific film score composer — Klaus Badelt.
Klaus has scored over 80 films. His work spans Hollywood blockbusters such as Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, Catwoman, Poseidon, Rescue Dawn, 16 Blocks, The Recruit, K-19. And a ton of US and European indies, including documentaries, shorts and even video games.
Here’s what Klaus has to say about making the very best — and most economical — music choices for a film.
1. Composer as Filmmaker
The director-composer relationship is that of two filmmakers. It’s not about musical genres, or instruments. It’s about driving the story and emphasizing characters and creating emotion. That’s the role of music in film.
2. Script
Think about music (both score and songs) at the script-writing stage. Fundamentally, a filmmaker must decide what character development and story arc she wants from each scene. That is, how do you want the audience to feel about this episode? There should be a single, unambiguous answer. i.e. every shot in every scene must have a clear objective in moving the story forward. So thinking about the music at this stage– and making musical choices — actually helps propel and clarify the script-writing process. Deciding where the music in each scene starts — and where it fades — forces you to think with greater clarity about story shapes & arcs.
3. Schedule
Schedule enough time for the composer to do his work. Ideally three months from picture lock. Yes, a full 12 weeks. Does that happen? Rarely, but it always yields better results. Any composer needs time to get immersed in the film, story, the characters. If you rush the process you will compromise the outcome.
4. Budget
You should plan to spend 1-2% of the overall budget on the score. That’s a good rule of thumb — whether it’s a $100k budget or $100 million.
5. Spotting
How do you — and your composer — decide which scenes should be scored, or have a song…or have no music at all? This process is called “Spotting” and is obviously mission critical. Don’t assume that every scene needs music. Too much music dilutes the overall impact of the score.
6. Score or Song?
Songs are great for communicating authenticity. They take the audience to a specific time, place, or emotion. A well-known song has the benefit of recognition, and is a great way to communicate a desired cliche. But songs are uni-directional — they rarely change direction. Whereas a composed score can take twists & turns and therefore enhance & emphasises the twists and turns of the plot.
7. Scorce?
Klaus and his team are innovators in the creation of hybrid film music that blends a composed score with source (song) music. i.e Score+Source=Scorse. They find a band or recording artist to collaborate with, then the composer creates music for the scene, the artist creates custom lyrics…and the end result is an omni-directional song that follows the changing contours of that arc. For example, lyrics & music that starts as romantic then transitions to investigative and wraps with a gun-fight — all within a 4 minute scene.
8. Don’t…
Don’t ask a band you like to write you a score. Just because you dig their music doesn’t mean they can score your film. This is a classic — and all too common — recipe for music disaster. Similarly, don’t ask your composer to write music that mimics a cool band you like. Again, think of your composer as a fellow filmmaker and storyteller — not a musician for hire.
9. Temp Music
A common issue for filmmakers is getting overly attached to temporary music — and then having to say goodbye to that rockin’ but expensive track. Nevertheless, temp music is a good idea and no composer worth his salt will be intimidated by the scene you show him with score borrowed from Max Steiner. BUT: don’t ask your composer to replicate that temp score. If you must have it, just license the original. Perhaps Casablanca is copyright expired!
10. Think Holistic
A common mistake is to create music so “customized’ to each scene that you end up with an esoteric patchwork of overall music. i.e. the amusing scene has funny music, the sex scene has a raunchy track, the tense scene evokes The Bourne Identity…and so on. The audience goes home feeling nothing at all, even though they rather liked each individual scene.
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Next Up: Post # 40: Music for Movies, Expert Tips, Part II Scoring for Big Arcs, Picking a Composer, Scoring Documentaries, Music for Trailers, Cutting Costs…and more.
Roger Jackson is a producer and the co-founder of film distribution start-up KinoNation. He was Vice President, Content for digital film pioneer iFilm.com and has produced short films in Los Angeles, documentaries in Darfur, Palestine and Bangladesh, a reality series for VH1 and one rather bad movie for FuelTV. You can reach him at roger@kinonation.com.
