Composing

Discuss, share content, offer tips and advice on hardware, software, style, strategies, process, work-flow and the business of scoring a film, video or theater production

Liked by Maurice Vaughan and 2 others

Geoff Hall
How Hans Zimmer and Radiohead transformed “Bloom” for Blue Planet II

I came across this video in my YouTube feed and was enthralled by the musical techniques it explores. It’s a conversation between Hans Zimmer, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood about their collaboration for BBC’s The Blue Planet series.

They explore ‘the tidal orchestra’ and ‘aleatoric’ compositions and...

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Maurice Vaughan

The "Bloom" remix sounds incredible, Geoff Hall! Thanks for sharing the video. I thought about 2WEI feat. Edda Hayes - "Survivor" as I watched the video. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0iC10hKsi20...

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Wyman Brent
Walking Tall

Walking Tall — A Song From My Heart

I just finished writing a song that has completely moved me, and I wanted to share a little about it with this community. It’s called “Walking Tall.”

This song isn’t just music to me. It’s a piece of my heart, my life, and my values. It came through me fully form...

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Walking Tall, by Brentango
Walking Tall, by Brentango
Walking Tall by Brentango, released 09 December 2025 Time for the fires to be a blazing Cause we are tired of playing Tired of bending our knees Tired of begging please Those above thinking they can k…
Wyman Brent
How I Create Music Across So Many Genres

I’ve written more than 500 songs in just about every musical style imaginable—jazz, soul, 8-bit chiptune, jug band, doo-wop, hard rock, maqam, country, psychedelic pop, children’s songs, and a lot more. People often ask me how I move so easily from one genre to another.

The honest answer is that it f...

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Libby Wright

I love moving around in generes - it keeps my ideas fresh!

Haley Mary

Hi Wyman. I'm a poet and songwriter and I love to blend genres together. I've been a fan of Spanish music for several decades and love writing lyrics in Spanish. I also love writing in Russian, Ukrain...

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Wyman Brent

Libby Wright, I totally agree with you.

Wyman Brent

Maurice Vaughan, you are so right.

Wyman Brent

Haley Mary, hi from here to there. Very impressive with your writing. I can only write in English. However, I have translated some of my songs into various languages and then recorded them using A.I....

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Kat Spencer
What’s your creative goal between now and January 1st?

The year always seems to speed up once November hits, and I’m curious how everyone here handles that final creative push.

Are you wrapping up any tracks, organizing sessions, experimenting with new ideas, or simply giving yourself space to recharge before 2026?

What’s the one creative goal you want to hit before we turn the calendar?

Kat Spencer

Ville Hilden What is your musical about?

Ville Hilden

Kat Spencer: Oh, the one I´m concentrating now is set in Cuba just before and after the revolution - basically a love story, since that´s what life is all about!

Maurice Vaughan

Thanks, Kat Spencer. I'm rooting for you to finish the Beautiful Addiction video! I'm looking forward to seeing it! Hope it gets a lot of views!

Libby Wright

My goal is to clear my plate of lots of "tasks" so that my brain is free to be creative again :)

Haley Mary

I hope to write some new lyrics and some more stand up comedy material.

Libby Wright
Has Anyone Composed For Vertical Shorts?

I've ignored vertical shorts for a while now... thought they had the staying power of myspace or vines or eight track tapes... now I'm reconsidering my position. Enlighten me: why are they here to stay or just a fad? What is the "norm" for composing in this format? Ready Set GO!

PS Stage32 has a clas...

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Kerry Kennard
Summer competition - from Sonokinitics

There was a composer competition from Sonokinitics and heard about it from Michael Whittaker's ScoreCraft Academy. I used one of their Music Libraries, - bought one of them called IBRIDO. I thought the sounds matched for this type of scene.

It's the weird sound in the middle, as well as near the end...

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Maurice Vaughan

Excellent job on the score, Kerry Kennard! I really like it! "It's the weird sound in the middle, as well as near the end." That's my favorite sound in the score.

Kerry Kennard

Thanks Maurice Vaughan !! appreciate it. It's the IBRIDO from Sonokinitics.

They have a big library of different kind of sounds !! - for different type of genres to write in.

Here's their main page:

ht...

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Maurice Vaughan

You're welcome, Kerry Kennard. Thanks for the link!

Mark Gosney

Nice job Kerry Kennard sounds great. I do like those sounds!!

Navid Lancaster
Musescore Studio collaborates with CANTAI

The latest update to Musescore Studio can now be integrated with Cantai so you can hear the voices to the lyrics of your SATB compositions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ4YqmHM3BE

Navid Lancaster
Free Plugins!!

Free plugins to mix our compositions from Plugin Alliance

https://www.plugin-alliance.com/pages/free-plugins

Free Plugins
Free Plugins
A suite of 20 free plugins and tools, including the standalone bx_mastering studio
Kat Spencer
Music That Finds Its Moment (Even Years Later)

I’ve been noticing something interesting — some pieces I wrote ages ago are suddenly getting more attention. It’s a good reminder that music sometimes finds its moment on its own timeline.

Has any of your older work started resurfacing or connecting with people again?

Meriem Bouziani

Yes, two old sci-fi stories — The Cosmic Blood Connection (age 14) and The Eclipsians (age 18) — have come back now at age 29 with new depth, more details, and far richer layers.

I can say the logic of both worlds has completely flipped upside down.

Ashley Renee Smith
The Music of Hamnet: Max Richter on Folklore, Emotion, and Elizabethan Soundscapes

Hey, Composers!

If you’re interested in how film scores evolve from early sketches into full narrative architecture, this is a gorgeous deep dive. Composer Max Richter joins Jon Burlingame to unpack his haunting, emotionally saturated score for Hamnet, Chloé Zhao’s new film.

Watch the conversation her...

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Maurice Vaughan

Thanks for sharing the video, Ashley Renee Smith. I didn't know composers made sketches for music. That's interesting, and it makes sense since a composer can look at the sketches and visualize where...

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Leonardo Ramirez 2

I think that he unfairly may get compared to John Williams who has running woodwinds and counter melodies running all through his pieces Amanda Toney. Hans Zimmer is very simplistic but that doesn't m...

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Hannah Woolmer

Alessandro Sicardi I would credit him with more than that. In the 80s he was all about electronic music but since working with top scorers on the Lion he has really mastered orchestration. Violin-cent...

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Alessandro Sicardi

Hannah Woolmer it’s totally normal in Hollywood having orchestrators working after composers, so I honestly wouldn’t bet he orchestrated something… And if so, it’s anyway all so pop and without moveme...

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Hannah Woolmer

Alessandro Sicardi Well he claims he does, so I guess it's your word against his

Alessandro Sicardi

Hannah Woolmer as they're not very sophisticated, no wonder if he does them :)

Cyril Pineau
Berlin International Film Scoring Competition - halfway point

Okay, I've reached the halfway point (6 hours of work per minute of scoring, I'm not exactly efficient...) - and here's the result. I welcome any constructive criticism, keeping in mind that:

- This is my very first scoring project

- I have NO formal musical training

- I only work with free tools (...

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Cyril Pineau

Ville Hilden For the DAW: LMMS (I know it sounds noobish, but I love this tool...). I developed a simple little VST plugin to add a video track within the tool. For libraries, mainly "Berlin Free Orch...

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Libby Wright

Amazing work!!!

Kerry Kennard

Like the light sounds at the beginning.

At 2:02 - until the end I think it needs more intensity. Probably more instruments and minor chords - not so much major chords.

c minor, C Eb G or A min - A C E...

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Cyril Pineau

Thanks a lot Kerry Kennard for taking the time to write such detailed feedback, really appreciate it!

Yes, I totally agree about the section around 2:02. I also felt it needed a darker harmonic direct...

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Hannah Woolmer

I loved this Cyril Pineau I think you used alot of ingenuity with your instrument library and there is no way I'd guess this was free libraries

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