In the edit, the farewell at the station is played over a borrowed piece of classical music. Everyone loves it, but the rights are too expensive. The composer watches the scene a dozen times, then writes a theme that rises at the same moment the train pulls away, but in a key that ties back to a melody heard earlier in the film. The director stops using the borrowed track the next day. The composer is the person who writes the original music for a film.
What a composer does
The composer works for the director and is hired by the producer. Some composers are involved early, reading the script or writing themes before the shoot, but most of the work happens in post-production. Once there is a solid cut, the composer and director hold a spotting session, going through the film to decide where music starts and stops and what each cue (a single piece of music in the film) should do.
The composer writes the cues, sends mock-ups (computer versions) for approval and adjusts them as the editor changes the cut. When the cues are approved, the music is recorded, with live musicians, electronically or both. The finished score goes as separate tracks to the re-recording mixer for the final mix.
Responsibilities
- Discuss the musical direction of the film with the director
- Agree in a spotting session where music is needed
- Write and arrange the score, cue by cue
- Present mock-ups and work through notes from the director and producers
- Rework cues when the picture edit changes
- Organise or supervise the recording of the music
- Deliver the final music tracks and the paperwork that lists every cue
How the role touches the budget
Through a single, clear agreement. Composers are often hired on a package deal, one fee that covers writing and recording, so the composer pays musicians and studio time out of it. Other deals pay a fee for writing and let the production pay for recording separately. Either way it sits as one line in the music section of the budget. Who owns the music and who collects royalties is agreed in the contract, often with help from the music supervisor or a lawyer.
How people become composers
There is no fixed route. Many composers studied music, some come from bands or electronic music, and many start by scoring short films, documentaries and games. Working as an assistant to an established composer is a common way in, preparing mock-ups, technical files and orchestrations while learning how the job is done.
In TV and commercials
For a TV series the composer often writes a main theme and a set of recurring cues that are reused and adapted per episode, on a tight schedule. Commercials use original music less often than films, and when they do the composer may write a short piece in days. Many commercials license existing tracks instead.