I recently got a call asking about my availability for the weekend, because they needed an editor that can lay down music. As much as I hate accepting summer weekend gigs, I jumped at the chance. (In case you skipped the first paragraph, let me reiterate: big music nerd here!)

Tonality

This is the most basic form of scoring your sequence, and it’s where a lot of editors call it a day. Picking a piece of music that fits the tone of your edit is of absolute importance. Here, we can reinforce happiness, sadness, comedy, suspense, etc simply by selecting a piece of music that mirrors the feeling of a scene. A lot of folks will drop it in and call it a day, but there is so much more we can do to make the most of music as a storytelling aid.

Phrasing

Like language, music has phrases. Even the most upbeat piece of music will have sections that are faster or slower, maybe a key change, or a build-up of new instruments; it will have different ‘phrases’ that make up the song. A lot of people will listen to the first 10-20 seconds of a music track to decide if it fits tonally. Listen to the entire piece of music! If the tone of the on-screen action changes even slightly, you can underscore this by using a different phrase from the same music track. It’s a great way to subtly add some interest to a scene, and to alert the audience to a new idea.

Orchestration

Have you ever watched film/TV and the music was so over-dramatic that you wanted to light yourself on fire? Yeah, don’t be that guy/girl. If you’re scoring a fairly straightforward scene, chances are that you don’t need an entire brass section to make your point (I’m looking at you, 3rd French Horn)!

Many music libraries will also have what’s called a ‘music stem’, which is an isolated instrument(s) from the original track. Using the percussion mixed one other instrument is a subtle way to add movement to a scene where maybe a full blown orchestral romp isn’t working.

Fin

So, you’re at the end of your scene and you need to transition out of your music track, but you’re not sure how to approach it musically. Here are a few ideas that will hopefully get you started:

1. If the scene ends organically and we’re heading into something completely different, don’t overthink it! Skip to the end of your track and find the downbeat/fade that the track ends on, then match it up to the music at the end of the scene. A straight-forward ending is the easiest way to signal to the audience that we’re done with this scene and it’s on to something new.
2. If the scene spurs into more action, consider fading down your music track under a cymbal swell, then hammering into to a new fast-paced track that begins with a big downbeat. You build a bit of anticipation through the cymbal, and then hit the ground running!
3. If the scene continues, but you want to switch up your music subtly, consider fading out one piece of music at the same time you fade in another. It may not always sound beautiful or seamless, so I try to carefully hide the transition under some dialogue.

Sometimes a music track just won’t work, and that’s okay! Play around with it a bit keeping these tips in mind, then try something new. If you embrace the fun of adding music to your edits, you’ll unlock a whole new language of editing. For editors who are particularly visual, sometimes this can be a challenge. But as my piano teacher always told me: practice, practice, practice!