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| AFX Industrial (film scores) |
Consideration.
One of the dictionary definitions for the word consideration is: 'thoughtful and sympathetic regard', I think that sums it up nicely. Films that are scored for free generally fall down in this area simply because a considered score takes time. And we all know, especially in this time starved society we live in today, time is money. Having time to sit down and consider to a minute degree, what will make your film sound better and come across more powerfully takes such a large amount of time that you will never truly have a considered score on your film unless you buy that time.
But the concept of buying time that belongs to somebody else, still seems strangely alien to many of us. We all like to buy something 'tangible' something we can 'touch' like an iPhone and music is unfortunately neither. This is where the problem lies, because with music what you predominantly pay for is the one thing you can never touch and that is time. Added to that, music doesn't really exist as a tangible 'object', it exists in the ether, and sadly music just like time it itself cannot be held in your hand.
You could look at my role as a film score composer and compare it, in a functional way, to the role of a psychiatrist. After all, if you visit a psychiatrist you will be expecting an allotted period of time, during which you would also expect 'thoughtful and sympathetic regard' or consideration of the problem in hand. Which is exactly what you pay them for. But still, you effectively go away 'empty handed' as the psychiatrist can offer you nothing 'tangible', except peace of mind.
The free score problem.
I had a call recently and the film makers had just a few days to find music for their film I don't recall why but I do remember there was a rush on. AFX always do our utmost to give you the score you want but it isn't instant. There are contracts to sign and licenses to consider and unless you accidentally made a film without realizing it in your sleep or something, then surely you knew at some point that you were going to need a score? So, back to that phone call, well, all I could offer in the time frame was a license to use a preexisting work from the back catalog. So four days before the film is due for completion I get another call saying they want a score specially written for the film in the next two days - and that they have 'no money'. The initial option of licensing a beautifully recorded preexisting work was the best way to go, as it would have given the illusion of a considered score, thus satisfying the audience. Unfortunately, leaving it to the last minute like this always results in a score that has little or no bearing on the actual film content itself. I couldn't take the job as the only viable solution was to license a piece to them and that isn't a free option.
Even more worrying than churning out a bespoke score written in two days, is the need to record it in a rush as mixing, recording, editing and mastering are massively time intensive processes. In the time it takes to come up with and record an ill-fitting one, clever editing of a preexisting work can give the illusion of a tailor made score - with all the benefits of it being recorded and mixed to perfection.
You see, what impresses an audience is a score that sounds expensive no matter where it originated. Being too dead set on rushing to have a bespoke score is often detrimental to a film. The people you need to impress are often people like me, and if somehow you managed to license a piece by Clint Mansell or Zimmer then not only would you impress an audience but you would also impress other film makers. To assume that being 100% original with your score impresses anyone is merely idealization, it doesn't.
I do hope you make your next score a considered score ;0)
For confidential advice you can email me directly here: mail@dchewitt.com
- David C. Hëwitt
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