π¬ Stop Scoring to Picture
Jun 20, 2023![](https://kajabi-storefronts-production.kajabi-cdn.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/file-uploads/blogs/2147596299/images/508a346-6682-d7a6-f568-d2f0b6664454_Scoring-for-film.jpeg)
Here’s a tip that’ll change the way you score scenes forever.
When starting off composing for media, many composers start by matching on-screen emotions 1:1.
If a character is angry, they think:
“What does angry music sound like?”
But here’s what separates the good film composers from the great:
To be truly impactful for an audience, music needs to speak beyond what we see on-screen. π
Is that character really angry?
Or...
Are they lonely, betrayed, disappointed, bitter, tired, or even heartbroken?
By aiming to capture a character’s unspoken thoughts and feelings, we speak to their psyche.
That enables our audience to relate to them far deeper than if we mirrored their surface-level emotions.
So...
Next time you’re scoring to picture, ask yourself these questions:
- "What can music offer to the scene that isn't already there?"\
- "What's the character really thinking or feeling?"
- "How does this moment in time relate to the character's long-term hopes, dreams, or fears?"
Explore how music can speak to these points, and you’ll INSTANTLY notice a difference in how your compositions work to picture.
Look beyond the screen, and let your music speak to the unspoken. πΉ
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