Composing

Last week, I got a request from a filmmaker to participate in this year's 168 competition (https://168film.com).  I had scored 16 films before for this festival since 2013 and was familiar with what was required so I agreed.  The filmmaking period started last Fri morning and will end tomorrow (Fri) morning.  The script was ready over the weekend and the final scene was shot on Tue.  Over the weekend I suggested a 58 second end title theme I had written for a film in 2025 that was never used.  I created an audio only version/mockup.  He listened and agreed it would work.  Got that out of the way...

Next up were the final two scenes. The last scene (scene 12) was shot and available - scene 11 was shot but not yet available.  I once again on Mon suggested music from the final two scenes I had written for a film in 2025 that was never used.  I explained if the beginning did not fit for the end of scene 11, we could chop off the beginning and start at scene 12 which I believe it worked for.  He watched my video/audio mockup and appeared to be OK.

Then on Mon night and early Tue I scored scene 9 which was an approx 1m15s conversation between two women about an accident.  I decided to score that scene with a middle of the road slightly emotional piece since it was slightly unhappy.  I have encountered scenes like this countless times and when I score them my objective is to back the conversation and just keep the music moving.  Keep in mind for other than the opening scene I received absolutely no guidance or temp tracks.   Here is the text guidance I received for scene 9:

"I would say that scene 9 needs something that's your usual score.  It would bring out some emotion"

Without further communication (he was still shooting), I asked and we agreed I would start writing a background cue of music supposedly a small jazz combo playing at a gallery party (scene 7) which I was scoring Tue afternoon.

He was on a shoot most of Tues and so he didn't see my mockup of scene 9 (video with score/cue).

Then Tuesday evening I received this text (would have been more professional imho if he had called me):

"I appreciate all you have put into this, but I don't like anything you have done so far. It all feels like stock music that doesn't fit our piece. Again, thank you. You're relieved of your duties".

I texted "Can we talk tonight".  Read but never responded.

We all have incidents where our scores are not released in the films they were written for. There could be many reasons for this.  I have had 35 released scores and perhaps about 10 more that never released for various reasons. For example, my last unreleased 168 score in 2023 was due to the film getting unlocked changed and some shuffling late Thu night. As both the producer and director had day jobs there was no time Fri morning before the deadline to adjust the score.

So getting let go from a crew as composer is part of the business and in my experience it occurs for me in about 20% of my gigs.  I was 'disappointed' but fully understand this is a business and crew (and actors) are regularly hired and let go or otherwise not used.  That is not my major reason for posting this.  It was that last text that got me thinking - 'stock music'

So yesterday/Wed I had these thoughts:

1.  Can he find another composer who can score the whole film in 2 days? maybe, or will he need to acquire pre-written  cues which was presumably the reason he let me go.

2.  Are all pre-written cues "stock music"

3. Is "stock music" a genre type or does it have any unique characteristics?  As far as I know (and I checked this out in wikipedia}, stock music is also known as production music

4. He presumably listened to some of my previous work including cues for 11, 12 and the end titles. That should have given him an idea of what 9 would sound like before it was even written.

So here is the music I created / proposed for the film. The organization is scene 9, 11, 12, and end titles:

https://soundcloud.com/joelirwin/Faith

I rescored this emotional Spider‑Man scene to explore how music can shape what we feel. I wanted to dive into the sadness of the moment and see how a different musical approach could amplify its emotional weight. A small experiment in storytelling through sound.

Every now & then, I'll post a challenge for finding creative ways of breaking free of what has been convention in movie and TV music for the past couple of decades--heavily influenced by that scourge of scoring, the temp track. This time, the exercise for any interested is to write a fugue.

Although I have few compositions to my name, one of them is a 2-minute fugue that I wrote fresh out of college: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-9B4jiADp8 (I hope someday a group of humans perform the piece. It requires two guitars, bass guitar and a drum kit, which I didn't get around to incorporating into this score.) It follows the standard fugue structure of exposition, development and recapitulation that is in common with classical sonata form. There is a melody, a counter melody and a tertiary theme in this three-part piece.

The fugue has been an underutilized device in movie and TV scores, but it's a great way of accompanying a scene that builds to a huge climax. The most famous fugue that comes to my mind in movies is from "West Side Story" with the dance interlude in the song, "Cool": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wugWGhItaQA (It also features the most famous tone-row, making it a mixture of Bach, jazz and Schoenberg.)

If you've already written a fugue, by all means, post it. I'd love to hear it. To anyone else who has never written a fugue, it's a great exercise in developming musical lines and taking them places, like a hero on a journey.

Hi Composing Lounge Fam!

I came across a video breakdown this week that I've been thinking about all weekend, and I couldn't wait to share it here.

The video dives into the Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back and breaks down the compositional choices John Williams made that turn it into one of the most iconic villain themes in film history. And what I love is that the breakdown goes beyond "it sounds evil," it dives into the actual craft: the unusual 5/4 time signature that creates a subtle sense of imbalance, the way the melody outlines a Neapolitan chord that already signals something wrong to the listener's ear, the choice to move the melody in unusual directions that resist resolution, and the way Williams builds harmonic tension by layering pedal notes and voice leading that feel inevitable and menacing without ever tipping into the obvious.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKiIS8gZ6qI

What genuinely excites me about this kind of analysis is that it shows how much intentional craft goes into what audiences experience as pure emotional atmosphere. Members of the audience don't consciously register the 5/4 meter or the Neapolitan harmony, but they feel the destabilization instantly. That's the magic of great villain themes: they use rigorous musical technique to bypass our conscious brain and hit the primal fear response directly.

Which got me thinking about how many other legendary villain themes have done exactly that. And I'd love to hear from all of you:

- What's your favorite villain theme in film or TV, and what is it about the composition that makes it work so well for you?

- Is it a specific harmonic choice, an unusual meter, a certain instrument or texture, a leitmotif that develops as the character does, or something else entirely?

- Are there any villain themes you think are genuinely underrated or that don't get enough recognition for their craft?

- And for our composers here: what have you learned from studying villain themes that has influenced how YOU approach writing music for antagonists or morally complex characters?

Drop your favorite themes in the comments below (with a YouTube or Spotify link if you can!) so we can all listen along together. I'd genuinely love to build a shared playlist from this conversation, and I know so many of you have favorites I haven't discovered yet.

Béla Bartók (1881 - 1945) was one of the early 20th Century composers who broke free of the harmonic conventions of the late Romantic era of music, turning to what he heard from country folk he encountered during his travels. Bartók was among the emigre composers to the U.S. who was influential in the sound of film and TV scores, despite not having worked in that realm--a shame.

Here's a 1958 recording of his "Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta" performed by the Chicago Symphony, and conducted by Bartók's personal friend, Fritz Reiner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHTy71gyrTc (Cinematic fun fact: Stanley Kubrick made use of the 3rd movement in his movie, "The Shining.")

Bonus tracks: Concerto for Orchestra - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clzcGIdMaN0 (I got to play in the bass section on this piece with the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra in the 1980s.)

Dance Suite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5qPi44h-8k

Final thought: Bartók is the composer I wish the producers of "The Witcher" had referenced for their series, instead of the indistinct sound I heard in the episodes I watched. The mediocre soundtrack was one of the elements that killed my interest in following that series.

I write from emotion. That’s where my inspiration comes from. Which made me wonder: can we authentically compose an emotion we’ve never experienced? Or is imagination enough?

Do you think you’ve ever written something you couldn’t have written until you’d lived through something first?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chEXvjm4Wx0

Hello all, I just wanted to drop an example of my composition into this forum. I chiefly write cinematic music with electronic sounds fused with bass/guitar and virtual instruments at times. Looking to hopefully network and find opportunities to compose. I've written for a number of stock libraries but I'd really like to work directly with film.

https://on.soundcloud.com/SzRAN4fb767wnoT9kY

Made in 2000, "Boiler Room," starring Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel and Ben Affleck, had a soundtrack that immediately caught my attention, from the opening sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5uDiHDPibs

Composed by The Angel (a.k.a. Angel C) it features a catchy beat with a looping bassline that climbs chromatically, while the chords and melodic lines are atonal, setting the stage for the slickly dressed but chaotic, amoral environment in which the protagonist is thrust.

“Something to Talk About” — Piano Melody Explanation

This piece was composed while looking through Pinterest photos for inspiration.

The song is about two people going for a drive in England, sharing a deep conversation together.

Countryside of England, Autumn

(0:10 – 0:16)

Peter asks Jane, “Do you want to go for a drive?”

(0:16 – 0:21)

Jane replies, “Okay, shall we bring some snacks?”

(0:21 – 0:23)

Peter says, “Sure.”

(0:23 – 0:30)

Peter starts the car, and they set off.

(0:30 – 0:45)

As they drive, Peter says, “Look at that view — it’s just as beautiful as you.”

(0:45 – 0:55)

The melody represents the sound of raindrops.

(0:55 – 1:25)

The emotion gradually rises as they open up to each other.

(1:25 – 1:42)

Peter finally lets his sorrow pour out.

(1:33)

The melody represents him struggling to speak through tears.

(1:42 –)

The music lingers, reflecting the scenery that quietly remains.

So everyday I set a timer for 1 hour and create whatever I'm feeling in that hour and I've decided to start sharing these sketches.

This moody little cue from mv sketchbook is currentlv untitled What would vou name it?

And what scene do you see playing out in your head while listening?

I'Il admit was kind of in a dark place when I wrote this cue, but as long as I can harvest those emotions I don't mind the dark everv once in awhile. I imagine like an interesting opening credit scene or maybe a villain was just revealed and now we're watching someone deal with the consequences of learnina this news. The kind of scene where a single conversation could change everything. ldk

I'm curious to know what you hear?

Arnold Cifax Jr.

Film Score Composer arnoldcifaxjr.com

Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963) has been a favorite composer of mine since high school. His harmonic language is expansive, modern with ancient references. (In addition to composing bangers, Hindemith also spearheaded a revival of ancient music. "Period" ensembles owe much to him.)

Like many other European artists, Hindemith fled to the U.S. in the late 1930s. It's a shame he didn't work in Hollywood, because he was good at writing quickly and practically, and his harmonic vocabulary lends itself well to epic cinema. He did visit L.A. with his wife, when he was looking for a place to settle down. This included a tour of the Disney lot. Since his visit coincided with the production of "Fantasia" he got to visit the studio where Leopold Stokowski was conducting "The Rite of Spring." Hindemith was so turned off by the butchering of Stravinsky's score that he ruled out working in movies & TV. Instead, he settled on the East Coast and landed a teaching job at Yale.

Still, there are scores of his written in the 1930s and early '40s that are cinematic in sound, leaving me to wonder what could've been, if he'd not been so put off by what he heard during the production of "Fantasia." Here are three of my favorites:

"Mathis der Maler" Symphony (1934): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szLSnRb5wp8

Symphonic Dances (1937): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWjcdQXmho8

Symphony in E-flat (1940): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U3-Csa6nJU