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    • Rosie Record
      • 6 min read

    Writing Theme Songs & Understanding Their Impact on the Audience

    By Rosie Record


    B&H article available here


    Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Star Wars; you can probably hum the theme song to all of these films. John Williams is the master of composing iconic and memorable themes that transcend time. Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar, The Dark Knight; Hans Zimmer’s themes are immediately recognizable and stunning. Themes are an incredibly powerful tool within film. They can add another dimension of emotion, meaning, and interconnectedness to the story and characters if executed properly. This synergy creates an enhanced experience while the audience watches a world unfold before them on screen.

    So how do you create a powerful theme song? Keep it simple, create a good foundation, play with variations while keeping it cohesive; but also, seeing music as a language of its own and utilizing the question-answer formula creates dynamism in a score. When a theme is associated with a character or concept in the film, and referenced effectively, it can have an incredibly powerful impact on the audience. Being aware of the different psychological effects music has when combined with the visuals will also help you carve out the perfect viewing experience for your audience.

    Question-Answer Formula

    When I started composing and researching music, my background in linguistics came to the forefront. I remember staring at my DAW and realizing how writing music can be likened to speech cadences and sentence structuring. And I’m not the only one seeing this connection, Daniela Sammler, Cognition and Neuroscience researcher at the University of Leipzig, has been conducting research into this topic and has found there to be an innate connection between music, language, and communicating. Now, you can do a deep dive into music theory and neurocognition in music, or you can try this:

    Try playing a song you’ve never heard before and pausing it in the middle. Does it feel resolved? How can you listen to something you’ve never heard before and know it’s incomplete? It’s similar to when you’re half-listening to someone and you realize they’ve asked you a question. And why would you pick up on when someone has asked you a question? Have you ever noticed when someone asks a question there’s an upward inflection at the end to denote this? Did your internal voice just go up as you read that? When you’re half-listening to someone and there is a change in the speaker’s intonation, your mind picks up on the difference. This same inflection transcends speech and can be applied to music in what’s often referred to as the question and answer. Likewise, it can catch the audience's attention, just like a half-listening husband realizing his wife asked him if he has been listening.


    The question-answer formula is a sequence of two distinct musical phrases, where the first phrase ends in a question inflection and the second phrase is a direct response or answer to the first. To accomplish this question inflection you need to know your key signature and your home note or tonic. For instance, a C Major key signature would start the scale on C, and C would also be the home note. The question of a theme goes up (or down) from the home note of your scale, while the answer generates a completed feel as it finds its way back to the home note. Now this formula is meant to be played with, not a simple 2 bar question, 2 bar answer. You can have any combination of questions and answers thus creating a conversation, and it could even end in a question if it fits the visuals. Being aware of this grammatical approach to music will add a lyrical interest to any melody. So explore the question-answer formula, know your home key, and try to create a conversation within your music.

    A theme has the power to make an audience feel like they know something. Humans are creatures of habit and take comfort in the known. Even with key changes, different instruments, different intensity or tempo changes, utilizing a familiar melody makes the audience feel a sense of comfort because they feel like they know and understand the theme. The sense of understanding, of ‘home,’ or feeling a song is complete can be attributed to the intrinsic grammar of music. Maybe that’s why the key signature’s root note is called the home note.

    Keep it Simple

    The director and composer should always think of the score holistically. Having a consistent collection of instruments, using themes effectively and variations of that theme all create a sense of cohesion. While the concept of a theme is straightforward enough, the application can be very involved. It’s great to have a question-answer melody that can be built upon, and generally the more simplistic the more memorable; just look at Jaws. While there is absolutely more to that score than the ominous two notes, those two notes are what everyone remembers. So…


    • Keep it simple. A simple tune provides an excellent foundation. You should also experiment with variations on that tune. Can you change keys, alter, loop or delete bars to make the theme span different emotions or situations?

    Build Connections

    If a theme is associated with a corresponding person or object, the repeated union can build up a subconscious interconnectedness. Star Wars was able to have a theme for almost everything, for the overall film, for certain characters, and film motifs. It can strengthen the emotional attachments or help make mental connections, so if the visuals don’t show something, the audience will think of it anyway because the music acts as a stand-in for that character or object. Just think of the theme song for Darth Vader and the Empire. While it might be used as the ringtone for an in-law to denote dread, most people will immediately filter to a memory of Vader’s dark figure walking the halls and that iconic helmet breathing heavy. That’s the power of nostalgia and effective theme songs.


    • What are you associating the theme with? A character, item, concept, feeling? You can have a theme for every character if you want, just make sure you can connect them and make them make sense as a story.

    What Else?
    • Themes can also be simple musical elements. Hans Zimmer’s theme for the Joker in the Dark Knight is a single elongated note, that just vibrates and fills the audience with discomfort.

    • Pick a main instrument. Having a consistent base instrument grounds the theme and makes any departure from that instrument more significant. For example, if you are using a piano for the main theme, and then create a variation of the melody while using violins to denote sadness, the audience will pick up on the shift.

    • Remember, a theme does not have to be repeated multiple times to be effective; use the theme when relevant and impactful.

    • Themes can be used for end of scene/transitions to create a sense of “to be continued…”

    • It’s very effective to bring back the original theme song when there is a moment of conclusion within the film. This solidifies a sense of completion.

    Theme Variations

    If music is like a language, you know that people pause, stutter, get excited and speed up or elongate their words when they’re sad. That same concept can be applied to creating variations of your theme. Alterations to the theme can be accomplished with augmentation, added complexity, melody abstraction, etc.

    • Change the key signature. For example, going from D minor to E minor creates a positive shift of sentiments with that simple upwards movement on the keys.

    • Move the melody up an octave to increase a sense of urgency or completion, move the melody down an octave to slow things down or create a sense of dread or sadness.

    • Double or half the rhythmic values of the melody.

    • Change meter. This abstraction of the melody creates auditory interest while keeping the same color and tone of the original theme.

    • Alter harmonic progression.

    • Play with bitonality or polytonality by combining two or more keys together (ie. Stravinky’s using C and F sharp major keys together in Petrushka).

    • Fragment or break the melody into pieces and reassembled in a different order. You might discover something really cool!

    • Change phrase length. For example, Playing 2 bars of the original 4 bar theme; the audience will be anticipating the conclusion of the melody, but by cutting it short they know there is something more. For an even more subtle, yet incredibly impactful example, think of the end of Inception when just the last note is cut short as the screen goes black on the spinning top. That minor incompletion of the melody plus the hard cut creates a gripping cliffhanger. Was he still dreaming?

    A Second Narrator

    Themes can be a powerful tool within a film. A successful score can magnify emotions, cue a sense of suspense, make the audience feel a profound connection to characters, and want to delve deeper into the world on screen. With the right questions and a handful of techniques, you can create and vary a theme to fit the evolving visuals. Utilizing the question-answer formula for construction and thinking of music as a language altogether can completely change the way you score a project.


    When you think of music as a conversation, you realize the score is almost like another narrator for the film. And when a score is given the latitude to be a complementary narrator working in tandem with the visuals, the partnership is electric!


    #filmcomposer #mediacomposer #musiccomposer #composer #composing #film #filmscore #howto #director #featureFilm #filmcomposition #media #movie# music #score#soundtract #theme #homekey #quetionanswerformula #formula #narrator

    • Rosie Record
      • 7 min read

    Kit Your Music Studio: 5 Basic Essentials Needed to Get Started

    By Rosie Record


    When presented with the incredible opportunity to compose an all-original score, I ended up embarking on a career change. The film was "The Loyalist," an award-winning short film about the Revolutionary War. This stunning period piece explores the emergence of espionage and the birth of the Culper Ring in Long Island, New York.


    For me, networking and sussing out opportunities always seemed really random, making it hard to know when to cram my toe into the door of opportunity. However, when my partner was in the process of making a film, I immediately asked if I could be involved in the scoring process. The plan went from collaborating with another composer on melody to writing the end credit sheet music, then from composing the opening song in Logic Pro X to doing the entire score; all while building up my own music studio. I am not a gear-head, and like John Snow I knew nothing, so throughout the 5-month process I leaned on my contacts and the internet to kit my music studio. From my personal experience, I’ve compiled a list of 5 basics needed to set yourself up as a media composer or solo artist.

    #1: DAW
    DAWs: Where your musical genius is articulated

    First thing needed, a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Some more recognizable names are Ableton Live, Logic Pro X, and Pro Tools. Essentially, these DAWs are software programs that enable live recording, midi, mixing, and overall composing and producing. These programs allow you to bring in melodies, choose instruments, layer and create your personal sound. Now, all DAWs enable you to make music, but differ in features, workflow, and cost, making it essential to establish musical goals and price points before deciding on the best fit. Will you be recording live instruments? Are you composing with midi? Are you remixing for other artists? Depending on your answers, your workflow will vary and impact your final decision.


    According to Hans Zimmer’s Master Class, he uses Cubase. Several articles list Skrillex, Diplo and Deadmau5 as users of Ableton Live. I personally use Logic Pro X because, despite the handful of late-night Google searches and yelling at my computer screen, I found it was fairly intuitive and it fit my budget at $199.99. Logic Pro X is one of the more affordable options, plus it’s beginner-friendly, has virtually every editing feature, built-in plugins, and video syncing. Logic Pro X also offers a 10-day free trial, allowing you to test it before deciding. However, recently I started using Pro Tools because it is the industry standard for film composers.


    Pro Tools, developed by Avid Technology, is accessible on either Microsoft Windows or macOS. It’s excellent for mixing and editing up to 128 audio tracks, 512 instrument tracks, and 1,024 midi tracks. This program provides editing features like changing tempo, editing notes, trimming clips, fading, or even pitch correcting with Elastic Pitch. It is available via monthly or annual subscriptions or a perpetual license. There is also a cloud feature, making it easier to store, share, and collaborate with other artists. With Avid Cloud Collaboration, you can work with up to 10 others on a single project, which is an excellent feature if you’re composing scores for films.


    Your choice of DAW will be foundational to your studio. Although there are free applications out there, such as Audacity and GarageBand, if the end goal is a career, it's worth the investment to get one of the top DAWs.

    #2: PLUGINS
    Plugins put all instruments and sounds at your fingertips

    I can only play the piano, so discovering I could take my piano skills and translate them into any instrument imaginable was incredibly exciting. Thanks to midi technology, melodies and ideas can be captured within DAWs and brought to life with instruments/plugins. Plugins are self-contained programs operating as effects such as compressors and distortion filters, or instruments. These virtual instruments can be sampled, acoustic, synthesized or electronic. Sampled plugins are created from live recordings of musicians, while electronic instruments are computer-synthesized for a completely unique sound.


    Diversity and complexity of sounds come from plugins and building out a comprehensive library. From classical orchestral instruments, to alien-sounding whines, to drum loops, there is an abundance of libraries for purchase. All range in quality, price, features, etc., but with so many fun and interesting options out there your music library will most likely be an ongoing expense.


    If you want to start slow, Output has a 30-day free trial that delivers new content daily within the plugin. This is a great option to explore what Output has to offer and to get a feel for what can be accomplished with different instruments and effects. Additionally, Output is known for providing incredible instruments with tools that allow you to transform and customize your sound. Output also provides engines, effects and expansion packs in a non-subscription option. These bundles include Portal, Analog Brass and Wind, Analog Strings, Substance, Movement, Exhale, Rev X-Loops, Signal, Rev.


    Native Instruments Komplete 12 has an incredible instrument and effect bundle, with over 60 products and 25,000+ sounds. With such a comprehensive bundle, you can create virtually anything. When composing The Loyalist's score, I needed to maintain a sense of historical integrity, so I chose traditional instruments such as pianos, violins, drums, and flutes. Consequently, the main plugins I worked with were Session Strings, Session Horns, Una Corda, and Kontakt Factory Instruments; all contained in the Native Instruments Komplete 11 Unlimited bundle now listed at $449. It was a big purchase, but absolutely indispensable. Plugins are completely essential to a music studio, however, it will be a sliding investment dependent upon music goals, needs, and budget.

    #3: MIDI CONTROLLER
    Music is a language... how will you translate your voice?

    When first starting out, I only had a Yamaha keyboard tucked into my apartment. However, for composing I needed a midi controller. Midi (musical instrument digital interface) controllers are hardware that transmits musical information to your DAW; populating colorful rectangles on the screen, rather than an audio wavelength. Midi also allows you to paint notes with your pointer, adjust the length, placement, and velocity.


    After much research, I chose the M-Audio Hammer 88-Key USB/Midi Keyboard Controller at $459. I preferred the fully weighted keys because it replicates the feeling of playing a real piano. Also, the velocity-sensitive hammer-action key feature was important because it translates the light or hard touches of playing into soft or loud midi inputs; making the instruments dynamic and expressive. Additionally, I purchased the Nektar NP-2 Universal Piano-Style Metal Foot Switch Pedal so I could manipulate the midi controller keyboard just like I would a real piano.


    Although it is not necessary to know music theory, how to read and write music, or even how to play an instrument, it does help. Being a piano player was instrumental to the composition process and it defined my personal workflow. I play the piano in an almost stream-of-consciousness style, so I wanted to hit record and have everything I played be captured as midi notes. Afterward, I would go back and edit, quantize, adjust, etc., making the full-sized keyboard midi controller perfect for me. However, there are different options such as mini keyboards, pad controllers or a hybrid of both. Workflow, style, preference, and budget will all contribute to your choice of controller.

    #4: HARD DRIVE
    Redundant hard drives are essential

    One thing to note, because libraries contain massive amounts of information, you will also need to have a separate hard drive. For example, Komplete 11 required a minimum of 170 GB free disk space and my music projects took up varying MBs of space as well. It’s really important to have a hard drive and a back-up hard drive with optimal capacity and speed. At $69.95 each, I purchased two G-Technology 2TB G-Drive because they are compact, reliable, Microsoft Windows and macOS compatible, and have data transfer speeds up to 130 MB a second. Although drives operating at 7200 RPMs may have shorter lifespans, be noisier, and generate heat, they allow for quicker read and write speeds.


    Hard drive folder organization and redundancy is also really important. There are articles on this topic, but for me personally, I save all music files directly on the hard drive, if I haven’t decided on the final name, I name my music with descriptions, making it easily searchable. Then I’ll rename the project and all corresponding files once I’ve decided on a name. When exporting audio files, I use versioning naming conventions and store all with the corresponding original project folder.


    Quality hard drives are absolutely essential to your studio set up, and if compromised, could be devastating, so be sure to purchase a high caliber product and a backup.

    #5: SPEAKERS & Misc
    Multiple audio output sources inform your mixes

    Once I stacked my two pianos and placed my laptop on a stand, it started to look like a music studio. Since I work with a laptop, I found the Pyle Pro DJ Laptop stand a really affordable and helpful purchase; it’s essentially a small desk or work station. The tripod stand is light-weight, easily adjusts to heights of 29” to 52” enabling you to sit or stand, and has an adjustable workstation tray to angle for ergonomic comfort.


    I purchased the M-Audio BX-5 speakers so I could engulf myself in sound. At $149.95 each, they are an affordable set of quality speakers that deliver a frequency response of 56 Hz to 22 kHz with a signal-to-noise ratio of 100 dB. While they are great for home studio recording and mixing, it is important to listen on multiple speaker systems and even cheap earbuds, so you can adjust, optimize, and ensure your mix sounds good on a variety of output sources. Ideally, your song will be playing on the best quality speakers or high-end headphones, but that’s not always reality. Using multiple output sources will allow you to identify potential problem areas, open up your mix, EQ, compress, and etc.; ensuring a clean and powerful song.


    Lastly, I was gifted a Big Knob. This is a studio monitor controller that allows you to toggle between two audio sources and two monitor pairs. It’s used to adjust volume easily and more gradually during the mixing process, instead of scrambling for your laptop volume key. Plus, it looks cool.

    Conclusion

    All of these products were invaluable for scoring and mixing within my workflow. However, everyone’s product list will alter according to style, preferences, and overall project needs. So with this guide and some research, you can start building your dream home studio and begin creating!


    #RCRecord #LogicProX #ProTools #DAW #Plugins #NativeInstruments #Kontakt #Komplete #Output #MIDI #HardDrive #Gtech #Gtechnology #MAudio #Speakers #MusicStudio #Composer #Composing #AudioMixing #Composing #FilmComposer #MediaComposer #MusicComposer #ElectronicArtist #SoloArtist #Audio #AudioEquipment #homestudio #Music #HowTo #ListArticle


    rcrecordmusic@gmail.com

    ©2022 by Rosie Record