Are you looking for help with music composition for your next film project? Check out some of these useful tips for getting started.
With the music industry netting $25.9 billion worldwide in 2021, it’s no question that music is a powerful tool. Played in restaurants and stores and streamed by users across nations, music is the language everyone speaks.
That’s why music composition is a vital part of your film, podcast, and any other project you create. Let’s take a look at 3 important tips to get you started!
1. Realize the Effect of Music
Understanding how vital of a role music plays in your work is the first step you should be taking. Think about the important movie scores that you hear a few notes of and scenes of that movie begin playing in your head. Just to name a few…
- Star Wars
- Jaws
- Harry Potter
- The Graduate
- Titanic
German composer, Hans Zimmer, has an incredible career and is known throughout Hollywood because of the outstanding musical arrangements he has created for box office sensations! Most of his work is completely wordless and yet is remembered by listeners everywhere.
Music has the ability to shift entire moods, striking fear or evoking tears of sadness and joy. An emotional scene or even a story told through a podcast feels empty and dry without the soundtrack moving the storyline along.
Scientific research has stated that music affects the brain. Johns Hopkins Medicine says that music provides a total brain workout; that it can lower anxiety and reduce blood pressure.
Putting music behind your work engages your audience in a way that they would not have because it stimulates their brains! This keeps them fascinated and emotionally invested, which is great for your creation.
2. Avoid Copyright Infringement
Avoiding copyright is a tricky but important step. Legally, songs and/or music created by other musicians and songwriters cannot be used on someone else’s work. There are two ways around this.
- Buying the right to use the music/song
- Receiving written permission from the copyright holder
This is someone else’s intellectual property. It is the same as stealing a physical copy of an album.
The best way around copyright infringement is original music. This can be time-consuming and you may not have the skills required, but there are ways this can be done. Our company for example creates original music for projects to keep you in the clear of any legal battles.
If you think you may be able to get by using someone else’s creative work, you’re wrong. Even if you think your project will never be seen by the artist you’re stealing from, it’s much easier to get caught than you think.
3. Hire A Professional For Music Composition
It may be enticing to ask your musical friend to help with your soundtrack or background music, but hiring a professional is the safest most effective way to get the best results. Your friend is probably not well-versed in copyright laws and may not have the home recording studio equipment necessary for high-quality work.
After creating a body of work, there is a whole process on the backend as well. Editing, mixing, and mastering are extremely-time consuming if done by a novice. Hiring a company that has audio engineers with music composition software that know what they’re doing will save you a lot of headaches in the end.
Enjoy the Music
Music is a powerful tool for your project that enhances the mood and dramatic effect, whether it has lyrics or not. Music composition when done by professionals adds great value and results in a great return.
Check out our services while you’re here! We can help with creating, music recording, and engineering your soundtrack to completion.
