Writing Music for Television and Radio Commercials (and more): A Manual for Composers and Students

Video Game Music!! 199

recording sessions; budgets do not allow for rewriting. The mock-ups

(synthesized music cues) are approved before the final recording. Film

composers usually rewrite and/or reorchestrate certain cues. ‘‘Film bud-

gets are usually higher than those allotted for game music recording

although this is changing remarkably from year to year and before long,

they may equal or surpass film music budgets.’’—Jack Wall

Composition

Since game music requires certain sections of games to work as a unit, the
key of the music in those sections is important. One solution is to write the
various sectional cues in the same or related key, such as C minor followed
by E-flat major. Game players can steer the stories in many directions. If
the key varies, the music might sound jarring. As with film composition,
the music is supposed to create an emotional mood and not necessarily be
‘‘heard.’’ Therefore, the composers create musical techniques that allow
smooth musical transitions. ‘‘However, overall, game music tends to be
more ‘foreground,’ driving the actions, where film music needs to lie
underneath dialog much of the time and thus be ‘background’’’ (Jack
Wall).

!!One of the main differ-

ences between film music

and game music is that it

might take a player 30 or 40

hours to play a game; there-

fore, the music has to re-

main interesting for a

longer period of time than

the time it takes to watch a

film, which is designed in a

linear mode. The viewer

watches the film from be-

ginning to end. Games are

not linear. The player deter-

mines the direction of the

game.

Another musical technique is to
record a loop (repeated section) and add
and/or change the music or sound design
that is performed over the identical loop,
also known as a ‘‘bed.’’ This affords com-
posers options without changing the
mood. This technique can subliminally
keep game players from becoming bored.
The music could become monotonous
because it is repetitive. Creating stems
(orchestral sections rather than the entire
orchestra) enables the musical phrases to
be stretched so that it extends the time it
takes for the melodic content, or sound
design content, to be heard over the loop.
This process also keeps the music interest-
ing. For example, stems might consist of a
percussion track, a melody track, a count-
ermelody track, ambient effects, and so
on. This format must be designed so that the stems work simultaneously.
For instance, if the percussion track is playing, the melody can be added,
followed by the countermelody, and so on. Musical chaos occurs if the sec-
tions are not written correctly.