5 Tips for Composing Music for Television
Music is a powerful storytelling tool. It can evoke emotions, tell a story, and elevate a scene to another level. The right music can also create the right atmosphere and setting for a scene. For instance, a scene set in the woods can be made more eerie with a slow, eerie piece of music. The right music can also help with pace. If the pace of a scene is too fast, the music can help slow things down.
If you’ve ever watched a television show and wondered how they were able to compose music that fit so well with the show, you’ve come to the right place! Read on as multi award winning, Ottawa music composer Andrew Huggett gives 5 tips on how to compose music for television.
Be aware of the environment
The first step to writing music for television is to be aware of the environment that you are working with. Television shows are often shown on a small screen and have sound effects, dialogue, and background noise added during production. You should also think about how different types of music will work in different environments. For example, a slow and somber piece of music would work well in a horror show, while an upbeat piece would work better in a comedy show.
Know your show’s characters
Before you start composing music for your show, it is important to understand the characters. There are many aspects that make up a character, but one of them is their personality. For example, if your show has a character who is very serious and doesn’t like anything happy or fun, you would want to compose music for them in a way that fits their personality, explains Canadian freelance musician Andrew Huggett.
Another aspect that makes up a character is their background. If the show focuses on an individual coming into the limelight starting from humble beginnings, then you would want to create music that helps tell their story as it unfolds. It is also important to know what genre your show falls under so you can find artists who fit with the specific tone of the series.
Know the mood of your show
The mood of your show is the first thing you need to know. The genre and age group of your show will also help determine the mood. There are many ways to convey the mood of your show, including setting, camera angles, and plot.
The tone of a scene can change drastically depending on the choice of music chosen for that scene. For example, Andrew Huggett adds, if a scene has a lot of tension, you may want to use more fast-paced music in order to keep things moving along quickly. If a scene is mostly dialogue-heavy and less tense, you may want to use more calm music in order to create a more relaxed atmosphere.
Get to know the right people
If you want to compose music for a television show, it’s important to get to know the right people. You can do this by talking to someone who works on the show or through social media. It might be worth reaching out and asking them how they typically work with music and what their process is like. You can also look at composers in your area and see how they work with television shows. It’s important to find a composer that has done good work before so you know they will do good work for you as well.
Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback
One of the most important tips that music composer Andrew Huggett can offer on composing music for television, is to ask for feedback. Ask your friends, family members, and colleagues if they think the music fits well in a specific episode. This will provide you with a more objective perspective on whether the music fits with the show or not.
Music composition is subjective, so ask for feedback from as many people as possible to get a variety of opinions about your work.
Conclusion
Music is one of the most important parts of the entertainment industry, but composing music for television is a more complex process.
Aspiring composers should be aware of their surroundings, get to know show’s characters, know the mood of the show and be willing to ask for feedback.