Let me guess?

What a great word 'guess' but how does it relate to music?  Well my point in today's blog is that it doesn't or rather shouldn't relate to music ...

Yesterday I explained how I might be approached and asked to write in the style of a certain composer.  And that, with long dead ones like Mozart, it's generally more satisfying for the audience and film makers to use an actual piece of Mozart rather than a pastiche.

But what if the director wants it to sound like John Williams who is very much alive?  Of course I can't just use a piece of his music in your film that would break way too many copyright laws ... So do I ... guess?  Do I sit down at the piano and pick out the theme to Jaws or ET or that cool bit in Star Wars?  Constantly restarting the CD at 2:46 because that is the production company's favorite bit?

Ha ha, no of course I don't, because the secret to sounding like John Williams isn't idly picking out one of his melodies on an instrument - no matter how much fun that may be.  No no, the only way to sound like John Williams is to orchestrate like John Williams, in many ways the melody is secondary to this.

'In the Classical world and in the world of film scoring even John Williams knows that melody is the slave to the all mighty power of rhythm'.

Every composer has a personal style of orchestration, like Hanz Zimmer and Ennio Morricone and the only way to really understand what is going on is to get hold of their music scores and look at their orchestration.

What is Orchestration?

Let's just say that it's a style of instrumentation particular to a period or a composer.  But, for dense compositions like John Williams' work it's very hard to guess what it is that every instrument is doing at a given time.

But, because knowing what every instrument is doing at any given time is SO fundamental to a pastiche (style imitation) sounding like a particular person or a particular genre, it cannot be guessed at.  So, I would sit down with a John Williams score (no matter how daunting that may sound) and study his orchestration and his use of articulation and dynamics.  I would then make a template based on my observations.  The only thing I do not copy is the music itself.  But what about the melody?

I love melody, oh how I love the tunes that we hear in the world today ... they are all around us like the whistle on the MacDonald's advert.  You might think I am being smart here but I'm not, I really love melodies but when it comes to film making, the only problem with melodies is they are intrusive.

The exact reason the MacDonald's advert uses that little whistle melody is to be as intrusive as possible.  Just think of it now, hum it to yourself now imagine it in your film - played backwards so as to disguise it a little.  The question is how much melody can your audience stand before they walk out on your film?

Those three little notes over and over again.

The truth is that in the Classical world and in the world of film scoring even John Williams knows that melody is the slave to the all mighty power of rhythm.  It's rhythm that drives every aspect of our lives from the moment you wake to the moment you sleep ... I know it's kinda gross but think of the rhythm of your bowel movements (sorry for making you think of that).  Once a day maybe?  But there is a 'rhythm' to it even if it's tied to a 24 hour cycle.

As humans we generally thrive on routine so if the rhythms of our lives are interrupted we can often feel unwell.  So, just as our own lifestyle rhythms cannot be quantified by a three note melody, that takes a second or two to hear.  Neither can our life plans and routines, which function on a much, much larger scale.  Even if we don't notice them!

And really, that is the key to a great score - you don't necessarily notice its presence but its absence makes you feel uneasy.  After all, melody must bend to rhythm and rhythm must always be the driving force in your film's score.

- David C. Hëwitt

For more info: http://dchewitt.com

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Mozart is very, very dead.

One of the most common questions I am asked is about licensing music for film.  It's probably one of the most misunderstood areas of film making but also one of the most important, especially if you want your film to come across as a considered, holistic entity, which you do!

Let me start with a misunderstanding that I encounter time after time in this business ...

I may get a call or an email from a production company wanting a piece of music like Mozart but they are on a tight budget.  No problem film making is expensive I understand this.  So the best and the cheapest thing to do would be to license a piece of Mozart that already exists and, of course, sounds exactly like Mozart because he wrote it ... Problem solved!

Well, yeah the problem is solved in my head ... But this is where the misunderstandings begin.

Now, I'm not suggesting for a minute that you lovely film makers and directors should know anything about licensing and how it works, especially how to keep within the law ... I know you really want Mozart but will you get bored with my explanation?  Will you finally settle for that ubiquitous and obligatory 'random piano chord' underneath your scene instead?  Don't do it, stick to your vision!  A random piano chord is not a vision, music should never be just some random shit that you stick under your film because you cannot be bothered with the paperwork ;0)

So that brings me to two things really, yes if you want Mozart or Beethoven in your movie there will be paperwork if you want a random piano chord then you can probably do that yourself and save yourself the paperwork.

"If you lift a piece of Mozart from a CD without the express permission from the recording artists involved then you are breaking the law".

The other thing which is often misunderstood is the fact that you can have real Mozart at all.  Surely I can't have Mozart in my little film?  You might say.  But of course you can as Mozart is very, very dead and his compositions are now in the Public Domain (another area of discussion).

However, if you lift a piece of Mozart or Bach or Cliff Richard (hmm) from a CD without the express permission from the recording artists involved then you are breaking the law.  That random piano chord is calling to you ... I can hear it!

So, if you can have Mozart's music but you can't have a recording of Mozart without permission how can you have Mozart at all?  This is where licensing comes in.

For instance in the film Prometheus, Ridley Scott licensed this exact piece of Chopin unfortunately he did not license that particular performance which was my version.  But the music is of course identical and that version on Amazon only belongs to me because I'm the performer and I (my company) own the recording copyright.  Ridley could have just as easily licensed my version and of course I wish he had!

The fundamental thing though is the music, it's Chopin and it worked perfectly in that scene.  We can always learn from those master film makers, if Ridley had decided to go with a random piano chord then I would not have devoted quite a sizable chunk of this blog to his film!  And you do want people to talk about your film don't you?  Yes of course you do and that is another great reason to license great music ...

Finally, do look at Kubricks's work for inspiration in this area, he licensed many great pieces and his films were discussed more and more successful because of it.

And if, after all that you still want a random piano chord for your latest film 'The Time Before Pianos' then try D minor it's the most cliched choice ;0)

- David C. Hëwitt

For more info please visit my site here: http://dchewitt.com

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First Blog

Greetings, so I'm finally starting a blog after pressure from my fans ... ha ha do you really want to hear what I have to say?  Actually, as I'm a Twitter addict (@david_c_hewitt if you want to follow) it is nice to be able to write without running out of characters.

If you do follow me on Twitter you will know that I was working on a new orchestral project called 'Necronomicon' I decided instead to release a CD of famous classical pieces called 'Famous Classical Pieces' and you can find that here.

So why am I a composer?  Hmm is it because I like to rebel against the norms of society?  Probably.  I never did feel like I fitted in anywhere but I guess we all feel like that at some time in our lives ... Is it because it impresses people?  Ha ha no way it really does not impress people it just makes them think you are weird!  Am I weird?  Hmm No I don't think I am ... I eat and breathe air but if you want to know if I'm weird as far as how my mind works then yes I probably am a little odd.  I have a very odd sense of humor quite fatalistic and twisted but I am down to earth and likeable.

Ok that is about all the time I have for my very first blog.  I will soon be posting some very interesting stuff about the music industry and what it means to be a film score composer in today's society.

- David C. Hëwitt 

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