Image by TAOX {w/ victrola courtesy of Takkk CC 3.5/GNU 1.2 license} 

The art and craft of music and sound for film is nothing short of magic.
It can weave story and image together in a rich tapestry that stirs emotions and creates an enduring impression upon audiences. Great music and sound can heal many “wounds” in a “less than magnificent” film, but bad sound will immediately jar the viewer out of their comfy suspension of disbelief.

Hearing the grinding gears of your production process’ sonic shortcomings quickly wrenches people’s attention even faster than most visual distractions and flaws.

This being the case, why do so many independent filmmakers still insist on treating such essential aspects of the post production budget (sound and music) as an afterthought? It can easily be argued at just about any stage of a production that EVERY part of the process is the most important part at any given point in time. Actors need to be sharp. The picture needs to look great, the story has to be compelling, dialog: plausible and interesting, and the director needs the juice to guide the team and deliver the goods, which in turn need a good marketing campaign! But sound and music set the mood and flavor like nothing else and are crucial to a film’s aesthetic, pacing and ultimate potential!

If you are a serious filmmaker you want to make the most exceptional film you can at any scale. Cutting corners on your production’s music and sound requirements is not the road to a better film. A worthwhile approach might be to seek to hone your skill in (and focus more attention on) the financing/fundraising department. If this isn’t “your thing” then finding a team member/partner who DOES have these skills might be a good place to start. Insufficient funds can be the death toll for many a business/project and extends way beyond one or two line items on a budget. Sometimes it’s fine to have a “go for it” attitude and run on a wing and a prayer, but this is a method that grows old fast which might make it worth a little more time and energy spent working on or delegating the (less than glamorous) chore of securing sufficient production finances. Lather, rinse, and repeat for every other key aspect in your budget {writing, actors, cinematography, art direction, editing, etc.}

Regardless of one’s particular budget for any given production, an ideal situation (on a creative level) would allow for potential time and room for some experimentation. This can lead to exciting and fertile new ground, adding that extra unique ingredient that really makes a film stand out.     I would make the case that directors should hook up with the composers as early in the process as possible so they have the advantage of really forging a collaborative relationship and developing at least some of the basic themes and ideas prior to production. Some of the most recognizable pieces of cinematic music in the world come from circumstances that allowed the director and composer to be engaged together early on.

The team up of Sergio Leone/Ennio Morricone for “The Good , the Bad and the Ugly” (and the subsequent Spaghetti Western series) defined the genre and launched the rise of Clint Eastwood’s long and illustrious career. Certainly these were well written, well-acted, entertaining stories, beautifully shot, but it is the haunting music that remains indelibly embedded in the minds of generations of cinema lovers and the general collective consciousness.

The familiar “coyote howl” whistling and strange choral arrangements inspired by actual sound design elements (real coyotes) are haunting and unforgettable. It touches a raw nerve on the edge of the soul and displays the depth that integrating sound/music/visual aspects of a film in an intimate and creative way can produce. Leone and Morricone met early in preproduction and forged a union that fostered great and memorable results! By the time they were shooting they had themes to work with for each of the major sections of the film. It is even said that during some of the shooting they actually played the demo themes (including “The Ecstacy of Gold” for Eli Wallach’s famous run through the graveyard).

It only takes a few notes of John Carpenter’s theme for “Halloween” to recognize it. Being both the director AND the composer, he had about as intimate a connection between the two processes one can have. The original “Halloween” (while terrifying to many people at the time of its release) is fairly tame by today’s standards, yet that theme immediately calls forth “Horror” to the mind of the listener.

In the Danny Boyle film “28 Days Later” the use of brilliant British Composer John Murphy’s music “In the House in a Heartbeat” propels one of the most intense scenes of the film.

This piece went on to be used in several other soundtracks/films including “Doctor Who”, “Kick Ass” (which also has an excellent soundtrack that truly helps make that film and which coincidentally  includes one of Ennio Morricone’s aforementioned tracks) as well as the exceptional giant Robot alien invasion short by Federico Alvarez: Ataque de Pánico! (Panic Attack!) 2009 (produced by: Aperato Post)

The right music and sound can make or break your film, so don’t wait till the last minute to find “solutions” (this presumes you have problems.) Get on top of the music and sound early in the game. Make these items a priority on any film budget. Find the right composer for the job at hand. Ensure you get quality Foley, sound design and mix. Do not skimp here. Hire a high quality on set sound recordist and you will save your sound designer/editor lots of effort! Why have your skilled professional creatives fixing things, when they could be using their time more creatively to enhance your film?

Sound and music can be a rising tide for filmmakers, increasing the drama and amplifying their story in magical and memorable ways, some of which may be so subtle they seem to go by  unnoticed, delivering an invisible touch that is felt deeper, somewhere under the skin. Sound FX, from chirping birds and creaking doors to alien blasting laser cannons, provide an environmental reality that physically delivers the blows recorded in their minds by their eyes and helps the viewer suspend disbelief. The sentiment of music triggering emotional engagement makes this a powerful multidimensional medium for storytelling.

Fusing music and sound with picture in an effective and compelling way is an art and craft that needs to be in the blood of the artist. Scoring a feature length project is a very different process than “songwriting” and not every musician is cut out for it. A score for a film is not an excuse to “drop” songs all over the picture (despite what we see from some studio films that are overtly committed to a particular record label/partnership). The art of music and sound for film is just that, “an Art”. It is not a mere skill that can be done “by the numbers” or replaced with “hit songs” or generic filler tracks. Even if (perish the thought) your production budget only inspires a ‘buyout’ music mentality, at least do yourself a favor and hire a competent music supervisor  to select tracks and secure appropriate licenses and a music editor to cut it all together.
That said; there is nothing that can help deliver your story and make it stand out better than a custom score, quality sound design and an overall excellent sound team. Make sure your composer understands deliverables, sampling restrictions and intellectual property law concerns. Make sure you have all the appropriate contracts and licenses in place! If you intend for your film to hit an actual market beyond your living room or a student film presentation I cannot recommend hiring an amateur for a task of this importance.The liabilities are simply far too high!

 But enough beating around the budget; Next time I’ll talk more about the actual work involved in bringing music & sound to picture, including simple steps that can be taken to make the whole process smoother for everyone!