The composer is an important crew member, as is the scriptwriter, editor, director of photography, and creative director. In rare cases, it is considerably higher. And yet, so many directors leave this critical relationship till the very end, even forwarding their film out for some music and establishing little or no contact with the composers. It is critical to collaborate closely with the composer, since they will be the casting director for your film, in order to secure the greatest actors. The music composition for the film is one of the critical components for establishing its success rate. There are certain things that must be avoided while composing music for a film and some of these are mentioned below:
- Avoid music getting loudly blended: The music is either too loudly blended or too ‘vibrant’ in the title track. This can frequently wipe out the speech and background music, completely trying to dominate the film. There will be times when the music must transcend and take center stage, but these times must be deliberately selected. As a basic guideline, reduce the volume of the music throughout the soundtrack.
- There is far too much music: Apart from action movies or when the script asks for it, it’s an indication of an inexperienced filmmaker whenever there’s too much music in every scene. On a low-budget film, it generally goes like this: you trim a sequence, it’s not perfect due to screenplay, performance, audio, or trimming issues, but integrating music gives it a nice gloss. You proceed to the next stage and repeat the process. By the finish, you’ve got a 70-minute movie with 62 minutes of music. If there is too much music, the mind starts to filter it out, and it rapidly becomes a distraction, similar to wallpaper. Pick your music transitions with consideration.
- Don’t let the composer lose his mind: Some artists desire to produce an opera for each and every tracking shot, even if it’s only a basic drone or no music at all. Let him use his expertise rather than the perception of musical choices.
- Don’t go toe-to-toe with sound effects: The most crucial lesson is to avoid having a buildup of music and an outburst at the same moment. The combination of the two elements is sloppy and results in an uninspiring moment. On the other hand, the picture has a magnificent high fall. Taking the score out at a time when the scene screamed for music only served to emphasize the intensity of the passage and keep it from devolving into melodrama.
- Make a theme and stick to it: Even in important motion pictures, experts are frequently astounded by how they may leave with no remembrance of the score. They should be singing a theme as they walk out of the door, or it should have been plaguing their mind.
- Alternatively, use Sound Effects: The mix of sound effects, foley, and moods may be incredibly powerful, frequently outperforming music. Authorize your sound designer some moments of respite before the sonic hurricane. These are innovative options to keep the music in check so that when it’s essential, it can surge in loud and amp up the drama.
So, these were some helpful and practical tips to avoid while composing for film. Composing for movies is an excellent method to enhance your recording, blending, and application of human creative skills.
