22 !!Chapter 2
Commercials are minifilms. Consequently, a musical assignment must be
accomplished in a much shorter time span. The average film score contains
approximately 40 minutes of music; the average television commercial
lasts 30 seconds. Composers who specialize in writing music for commer-
cials must have the ability to compose music that sounds unified while
working within severe time restrictions.
Some composers who compose music primarily for commercials find
it challenging to write expanded compositions because they have devel-
oped an unusual compositional skill. The opposite is true of film compos-
ers. They find it challenging to compose in short forms.
The following are some of the differences between the two diciplines.
Films: The director is the creative force.A film director usually hires
the composer and provides the creative direction for the musical score.
Most directors or editors will include temporary music to the film while
editing. This music is referred to as a ‘‘temp track (score).’’ The music for
temp scores can be extracted from any source, such as CDs, music from
other films, symphony recordings, and so on. The purpose of a temp score
is to provide the director, producer, and composer with a sense of the style
of music that the director feels will enhance the film. The composer is
given the film with the temp score so that he or she can reference the temp
music while composing.
Some directors want the original music to be in the exact style as the
temp score, whereas others direct the composer to use the temp score only
as a guide; all directors work differently. Most directors want to hear a
demo of each film cue (music section), which is usually accomplished by
scoring the cues on synthesizers and samplers. The director usually asks
for revisions, and the composer rewrites the music before the final record-
ing session.
Commercials: The copywriter, the art director, and some producers
are the creative forces.Composers are normally guided by a committee.
They usually work directly with a creative team. The creative team, plus
the agency creative director and the client, must approve the final music.
Sometimes this structure creates problems. The creative team might not
agree with the creative director and/or the client as to the musical style
that works best for the project. When disagreements occur, it is usually the
executive creative director of the agency who makes the final decision,
unless the client insists on using an alternate composition.
!!Some large agencies
have music departments.
The music producers guide
the composers and act as
the intermediary between
the music department and
the creative department.Commercials: The final approval
comes from the client.Usually, the suc-
cess of a commercial or a commercial
campaign is measured by increased sales
and/or the public’s awareness of a prod-
uct. Clients want final approval on all
aspects of a production. If a difference of
opinion occurs between the client and the