72 !!Chapter 5
compressed format, which, in many ways, is more challenging than writ-
ing an extended composition. The craft can be learned and developed
through practice.
The second step is to decide the sections of the film that have to be
emphasized (‘‘hit’’) with either musical accents or effects.Take the video
counts in frames (where actions occur) and mark them either on the com-
puter sequencer’s ‘‘markers’’ window or on score paper. These counts will
determine the measures and beats where the accents have to occur at a
particular tempo. A change in tempo, obviously, changes the placement of
the hits. It becomes more complicated when there are multiple tempos.
With modern technology, a computer sequencer program will automati-
cally convert the timings into the proper measures and beats. Example 5-1
shows hits at different tempos.
Example 5-1 Tempo hits.When developing music for a commercial campaign, an agency will
often request that a theme be composed, submitted, and approved prior
to scoring the film or storyboard. The theme usually must be adaptable to
various styles, tempos, and arrangements. Above all, the composition
must be a piece of music that has merit without seeing the film. The com-
poser should submit at least three themes. If the client and the agency
choose one of the pieces, the theme must be adaptable to various styles. A
theme helps to create an identity for a product and, therefore, must
become recognizable in its various versions. The following are the most
common compositional mistakes and should be avoided.
Beginning or ending the music at the wrong time.When writing for
television, always begin the music approximately seven frames into the
film and finish the music half a second before the film ends. (At the begin-
ning, it takes time for the video to ‘‘roll in’’ and get up to speed, and at the
end, time is needed for a smooth transition from the film to the next event.
There are 30 video frames per second.) Current technology might enable
the music to begin on the first frame of the picture and end on the last
frame. Ask the producer before composing the music.
Composing a theme that is too long to fit into a shorter version of the
same commercial.The most common assignment is to write a 30-second
theme that can be shortened to 15 seconds. Depending on the musical
needs of the film, one suggestion is to write short thematic fragments,