I’ve been thinking a lot about how a well-crafted musical theme can stay with an audience long after the credits roll. It’s not just about creating something catchy, it’s about writing something emotionally honest that reflects the soul of the story or character.
Think about how Hans Zimmer shaped the sound of Interstellar with that haunting, church-organ-driven theme, Or how Ludwig Göransson crafted something deeply personal and cultural for Black Panther. The theme becomes more than music, it becomes story.
For the composers here, what’s your process for building a theme?
Do you start with character, setting, or emotion?
Do you sketch ideas at the piano, or experiment with instrumentation right away?
And for filmmakers, what’s a theme from a film or show that has stayed with you long after you’ve seen it?
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The Jurassic Park theme and other music from the movie stayed with me, Ashley Renee Smith, and I saw the movie when I was a kid. I can recognize the theme and the other music right away.
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I love all the music in Jurassic Park! I was a kid when I saw the movie, too, and I remember recording the entire soundtrack on tape just to enjoy some parts later.
That film features what, for me, are some of the most wonderful musical compositions in the history of cinema, and the proof is that even today, more than 30 years later, it continues to move and remains a benchmark in film music.
Regarding your question, Ashley, I've always had an almost spontaneous way of composing. I see a scene and the melody comes to mind almost immediately. And I'm deeply grateful that technology allows us to capture those ideas easily and quickly.
Then comes the process of shaping the draft and turning it into a composition ready to sync, but generally in my case, that addresses more technical than creative issues. The creation, the idea, the melody, comes to me like someone who opens a window and says, "Oh! What a beautiful sunny day!":)
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When I'm developing a theme I often start backwards. In other words what emotion do I want the listener to feel by the end? Do I want them anxious, curious, satisfied, nostalgic, or ready to transition into the next emotion or scene.
But generally when I am crafting a song theme I am starting with a personal emotional experience paired with a location in space and time. These are my anchors. Maybe it's simply a word undefined and I will use craft to draw it out.
Sometimes my theme is to take the expectation of the listener and try to subvert their expectations. Not in a mean way, but a playful way.
But generally each song I create is concurrently a movie, trailer, or music video in my head and I draw from this visual landscape to find the right words, music and pauses.
When I am creating for a client I try to draw out visually what they imagine before I commit to lyrics or any soundscapes. If the client is struggling I will ask them to close their eyes and think about the memories and senses that come to mind. If I get a client who wants something that just checks the boxes I will use this as my rails but try to push a bit against this to at least give some depth and flair but still be respectful to the customer wishes.
A lot of the clients gave me a list of 3 or 4 songs, scenes, or ideas and want me to pull the vibes and synthesize them into something polished. This is fun and challenging to capture the spirit and themes without interpolation or getting too close to other artwork.
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Not a composer but I am certainly one that believes that the soundtrack or score can be the unnamed star of a feature. Even when you don't remember the dialogue or all the actors or directors, you remember the score. An Officer and a Gentleman, Back to the Future, The Color Purple, Purple Rain, The Last Dragon, Star Wars, etc... The scores for these films have the power to put the viewer right back where they were when they first saw it, no matter how many decades have passed.
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The importance of sound is really made evident when you watch or make a recut movie trailer. A fun one is Mary Poppins recut trailer as a horror movie or The Shining as a romantic comedy or Thorin Oakenshield vs. Azog the Defiler set to Marvin Gaye.
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When working on shorts (I scored 35 of them), its hard and 'touchy' to get a theme scored even if the filmmaker buys in and as you can see from my other recent post - filmmakers don't always recognize the connection between thematic work and the places they are used in the film. In addition, end titles are much shorter than features sometimes as short as 45 seconds (which also means that end title music is often started in the final scene). To complicate things - many composers use melodic phrases/sections sparsely and defer mostly (imho) to the use of chordal sequences with most unrecognizable melody. So for that class of composers, the small number of melodic sections (especially if they repeat) become themes associated with characters, selected scenes, or the whole film. I am in a group of composers where a majority of my cues could be considered melodic and so it is possible to designate one or more as themes but that is quite subjective.
Nonetheless, my scores have melodies that 'stick in your head'. So much so, that they sometimes live on as separate songs or standalone music tracks. I was recently reminded by the lyrics to one of my older songs "Ballerina Beautiful" ( https://soundcloud.com/joelirwin/ballerina-beautiful ) about a dancing ballerina music box which played "Lara's Theme and Ode To Joy". The former came from Dr. Zhivago and the later came from Beethoven's 9th symphony.
So a few years ago, I scored an animated short, "Love Like A Hero" (one of my 5 nominations, https://youtu.be/z3wHDyn2aFE ) with music that was broken into three sections. The third one was so "hummable" that I created a separate demo track and now there are lyrics and it is waiting for demo singers - envisioned as a male-female duet. https://soundcloud.com/joelirwin/pooh
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Just listened. The flute and clarinet are so playful with eachother. Great vibes.
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Yes, Maurice Vaughan- same! That Jurassic Park theme is pure magic. It’s one of those scores that instantly transports you back, no matter how much time has passed. The sense of wonder, awe, and just a touch of danger are all right there in the music.
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Walder Martinez, thank you for sharing your composing process. That spontaneous spark you describe is so inspiring. I love the way you liken it to opening a window and being struck by something beautiful. It’s such a reminder that creativity often lives right at the edge of awareness, just waiting for us to tune in. And yes, the gift of modern tools to catch those fleeting ideas before they slip away is truly something to be grateful for.
Your process sounds like a wonderful blend of instinct and craft. I’m so glad you shared it!
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Zachary Pilz, this is such a beautifully articulated breakdown of your process. Thank you for sharing it. I love that you start with emotional intent and work backwards from there. It makes so much sense, especially when crafting something meant to stay with the listener beyond the moment.
The way you ground your themes in both personal emotion and a specific location in time and space really stood out to me. It adds such depth and specificity, which I imagine is why your work carries that visual cinematic quality, like each song is its own scene unfolding.
And your client approach is so thoughtful. Helping them access the sensory core of what they’re imagining is such a smart and empathetic move. There’s such care in your craft, both creatively and professionally.
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Renae Richardson, I couldn’t agree more, the score is often the unnamed star of the story. It’s that invisible thread that weaves emotion into every frame, and like you said, long after the dialogue fades, the music stays with us. It’s such a powerful reminder that storytelling isn’t just what we see or say, it’s also what we feel, and music plays a huge role in that emotional imprint. Beautifully said!
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Joel Irwin, thank you so much for sharing this. It’s such an insightful look into the complexities of scoring short films. You’re absolutely right, it can be tricky to build and place a strong thematic identity when time is tight and end titles are brief, especially if the filmmaker isn’t fully attuned to how musical themes can support and elevate story moments.
I really admire your dedication to melodic writing, especially in a space where so much composition leans toward ambient or chord-driven atmospheres. There’s something so special about a melody that lingers, and the fact that your themes often evolve into standalone songs speaks volumes about the emotional resonance you’re creating.