Analyzing Commercials!! 59direction has been chosen, ask if they want the same instrumentation and
musical mood heard in the example. Often they will like the general feel-
ing of a piece but want the new music to vary from the example. For
instance, they might want the original composition to be slower or faster
than the example. Make certain that the original composition and arrange-
ment is not plagiarized. It is common for the creatives to expect composers
to make their original compositions sound similar to the example. If this
occurs, insist that a musicologist examine the composition prior to the
final recording. Many agencies request that composers sign an agreement
absolving the agency from any claim of plagiarism.Do not sign such an
agreement!
R
Author’s Note: While working on a commercial for the
CD-ROM game ‘‘Elmo’s World,’’ based on the Sesame
Street character, the creatives played a musical exam-
ple of a simple jazz composition in which the same
musical pattern kept repeating. They liked the tempo
and instrumentation but not the monotony of the
repeated melodic phrase. The first step in analyzing the
music was to determine what the creatives liked about
the example; they had already revealed what they did
not like. The repeated phrase was catchy, and the
instrumentation consisted of a rhythm section; the
drummer played with brushes, and a vibraphone per-
formed the melody. This instrumentation provided a
lively, mellow sound. If the drummer used sticks and a
saxophone played the melody, the entire character of
the composition would have been different.
The first approach was to divide the commercial into
sections. The film consisted of an introduction, which
suggested writing a musical introduction; the heart of
the commercial, which suggested a melody; a middle
section, which suggested a bridge; and an ending,
which implied a musical ending. Dividing the music
into this compositional form kept the essence of the
demo (the predominant theme was a repeated pattern)
but eliminated the boredom of only one repeated pas-
sage.
Many commercials are analogous to compositional
styles that include an introduction, a middle section,
and an ending. This helps composers create a cohesive
piece of music.