Four-Part Stupidity

March 30, 2012

Alain Mayrand

Composition

4 Comments

I read on an online forum that a composition “teacher” (if we can say that about this person…) told a pupil that four-part writing is useless and to forget all about it. It has nothing to do with composition.

All I have to say to this is… what stupidity! Four-part writing is the essence of composition.

Let’s say we use four-part writing exactly as-is, you know – Bach Chorale style. Just like that it is perfect for many, many film moods: inspirational, religioso, grandiose, heroic, epic, fanfares, westerns, battle music and the list goes on.

Four-part writing can instantly become two, three or five-part writing with zero extra effort. You have counter-melodies and accompaniment patterns possible while maintaining control over the total sonority.

You can use four part writing as-is for accompanying a melody (four-parts under a tune) or you can also break up your four-part writing to have arpeggiated patterns, waltz patterns, ostinato patterns and all kinds of accompaniments. All great composers have done exactly that! (I am still in shock that somebody calls themselves a composition teacher and doesn’t know this.)

But four-part writing is much more than that for me. At it’s core it is about the simultaneous control of both the vertical and horizontal planes. I know that this sounds very fancy, but I don’t even want to limit that concept by using the word “harmony”, because this brings to mind traditional chords. In my concert music I like to think in terms of sonority and not traditional harmony. In other words, I’ll use tritones, sevenths and fourths as freely as thirds and sixths, and I control these the same way as you would with that Bach chorale style. Four-part concepts are also an integral part of jazz harmony teachings! The chords are slightly different, concept is the same.

There was other craziness espoused by this “teacher” but I’ll stop there. My point is that four-part writing is important and used all the time by good composers. It’s much, much more than a Bach chorale! It’s not an option if you want to be a good composer.

Can you think of easy to spot examples of four-part writing in films? Here are some to get you started:

“Hymn for the Fallen” by John Williams
“Lando’s Palace” from Empire Strikes Back
“Asteroid Field” from Empire Strikes Back at about 2:19
“All Systems Go” James Horner Apollo 13
“Aases’ Death” by Grieg. (Not film music, but very cinematic.)

Beauty is in the Details

March 16, 2012

Alain Mayrand

Aesthetics, Case Studies, Music and Story, Scene Analysis, Score Works

6 Comments

Being a film composer is not just about the epic film scores. In reality, it’s mostly not. Your craftsmanship at musical story-telling is in large part made up of what you do during those small moments.

So today we’ll take a brief look at how John Williams, known for his epic film scores, handles a small transitional cue.

But before we do, here’s a few questions to ponder.

How short can a cue be? If they are very short, do they create an episodic TV feel? Cues can be very short as long as the editing warrants it, but short cues should not happen too often because they will quickly become apparent to the audience and grow tiresome.

Should there be thematic material? Overall, I would say that the score, just like a good composition, should be consistent in tone and content. Other factors are important to consider.

The Length of the cue: If the cue is too short for thematic content, then don’t put a theme in.
The type of film: A short thematic leitmotif would be appropriate in a fantasty film, but perhaps not in a serious drama.
Where you are in the arc of the story: Once the characters are more fully developed it might be more relevant to put in a melodic association even in a short cue. But then again, perhaps you wish to build a sense of mood and character early on.

Short cues are often transitional, so this means they will occur during important structural cuts, taking us from one scene to another.

Entrance and exits are also important. I remember reading “On the Track” where it stated that cue entries should be invisible, so it’s best to come in with a light crescendo in the strings or something like that. That’s not exactly the quote, I didn’t bother looking it up, but I have personally found that this is not true.

A good entrance will be “invisible” if it’s properly motivated by the story. It’s not a volume issue, it’s a story issue! Well, that’s another post entirely, so I can revisit the subject of cue entrances later.

For now, watch the cue below with everything discussed in mind. Watch it a few times.

Thoughts?

Comforting Skin Scoring Session Video

February 17, 2012

Alain Mayrand

Recording Sessions, scoring sessions

4 Comments

Hello, hope you all had a great Valentine’s Day.

The film I scored a while ago called ‘Comforting Skin” had a run at Slamdance recently and is now heading out to a variety of other festivals, getting some well-deserved attention.

Here is a short video from the scoring sessions for “Comforting Skin”, conducting a chamber ensemble of very talented players.

You can read more about the film on my website where I have a page dedicated to the film.

The score makes use of many contemporary harmonic and orchestration devices. I am thinking that it could be insightful to share some of these in both score and audio form on “Getting the Score”, if that is something you might be interested in. Let me know in the comment box!

Cheers,

Alain

John Williams and Me (on the Maestro’s 80th birthday)

February 8, 2012

Alain Mayrand

Personal Posts

4 Comments

My original Star Wars album from 1977

My first musical love affair was with John Williams’ score for “Star Wars”. I remember clearly lying down in my mother’s living room as young lad of 8 or 9, chin in hands, listening to the entire soundtrack on the vinyl I received as a gift.

I read and re-read the liner notes as I listened to the music, a single page containing descriptions of all the tracks and all the themes. Even though I was quite young, I treated that piece of paper like gold and it is still intact in the original record sleeve from 1977, here in my studio.

I was taking piano lessons at the time and asked to play the music from “Star Wars”. I received a photocopy of the music, which I practiced very hard. I drew my own cover for the sheet music, taking great care with it. It was a x-wing being pursued by a tie-fighter with the Death Star in the background.

I can still sing you every single note of the Star Wars score. And now, many yeas later and with a master’s in composition behind me, I can tell you which parts of Star Wars come directly from the Rite of Spring. And you know what…?

I don’t care.

My love for this music is a link to my childhood, and there’s nothing that can change that. And on top of that, now that I know what happens during the composition of a film score (deadlines and temp scores) I can easily forgive a few minor “hommages”.

After my Star Wars score I received the vinyl for Superman. Same story and now I know every note.

After that it was the vinyl for E.T. Same thing.

I had brief affairs with Vangelis, Danny Elfman and Henry Mancini, but they never lasted. I always came back to John Williams.

To say that John Williams is the reason I love orchestral music so deeply is perhaps not a stretch. Our adult lives are shaped by our childhood experiences, and John Williams’ music was a big part of my childhood. In an era before VCRs, his music was a connection to my favourite films and I listened and listened until the scores became the central element.

Now, as I make my way as a professional film composer, his music is a constant reminder of the level of excellence I aim to achieve in my own career. From the indelible melodic writing to the glowing orchestrations, to the perfect dramatic placement of the music and the pacing of the score, John Williams music remains my biggest source of inspiration.

How Big?

February 3, 2012

Alain Mayrand

Music and Story, Scene Analysis

8 Comments

John Williams can go big, no doubt about it. It’s always his big score moments in correspondingly big scenes that people talk about, but from my vantage point as a film composer, I am just as fascinated by his skill at going big on what may seem like smaller scenes.

From the point of view of craftsmanship, it is those less obvious moments that can be much more educational.

Here’s an example of such a score moment; the funeral scene in Superman, where they bury Clark Kent’s father.

Look at these stills taken from the film; how would you have scored it? (Or go to 34:12 in the film and watch it without music.)

Would you have scored it in a sad tone? Dramatic? Dark? What we see is this:

They are dressed in black
Distraught
Sad
It’s a funeral!

These are the obvious surface elements of this scene, so it seems to make sense to write sad music. I bet many composers would have done just that.

But Donner and Williams were much better storytellers than that. They understood what this scene was…

This is the film’s inciting event. The death of his father is the event that makes Clark Kent become Superman.

What’s an inciting event? It’s that one thing that happens to your hero that makes him or her take action.

Just before he dies from a heart attack at 33:30 in the film, Pa Kent has a talk with Clark, saying “I do know one thing is that you are for a reason [..] .and it’s not for scoring touchdowns.” It is these words which will give Clark Kent’s life purpose, and his father’s death a few seconds later that will make him take action.

So what does the music do? Does it play the sadness? No! Williams knew this was a turning point in the story and he wrote a beautiful theme that is softly heroic, uplifting and grandiose. It soars over the shot of Clark and his mother leaving the cemetery as the camera cranes up over a wide landscape, hinting at the adventure that is about to begin.

This is music for story-telling.

And another thing, this is a Superman film. It’s bigger than life. Williams knew this and the music is crucial in giving the film the right tone and scope.

So the points to remember are these:

Always consider the story
The overall tone of the film?
Where you are in the structure of the story
What is the subtext? What can the music add to the scene that you can’t already see?

Now go watch that scene!

Thank you

February 3, 2012

Alain Mayrand

Uncategorized

A Little Poll

January 10, 2012

Alain Mayrand

Uncategorized

9 Comments

This year I plan on writing a lot more for Getting the Score, filling it with a lot more useful information that helps both me and those who read.

Please if you could take the time to let me know what you would like to read about in “Getting The Score” below. Multiple choices are allowed. And don’t forget to sign up to the blog!

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If you have any other ideas on subjects you would like covered in GTS, just write them down in the comment section.

Tips for Getting Into Film Scoring

January 9, 2012

Alain Mayrand

Business

5 Comments

I get asked this more and more often, so I thought I would write a short blog post about this subject.

My career is starting to take off, so I feel that I can actually share my thoughts on this subject with some certainty and hopefully help those who read it.

The information may not be complete yet, but please read and comment, ask questions and I will perhaps flesh this out and create a stand-alone page out of this.

Best of luck to you in this promising new year!

First is the Music

Be a solid composer who knows his craft.

As a film composer you will need to write quickly and with facility. You must be flexible and be able to capture a wide variety of moods on a deadline, which means you must have a big palette of colours at your disposal. How do you get that? Music theory and experience both musically and with writing to picture.

There will be no time to experiment under the gun and you won’t get a second chance.

Be a Dramatist

Writing film music is really about being an actor with notes. So make sure you understand story and character and how music plays a role in all that. (“Getting the Score” often deals with that very subject.)

Be unique

Is is a good business decision to work on having a unique voice in your writing. You must stand out because there is a sea of composers out there. So knowing who you are musically is just as important as being flexible. It’s ideal when you can balance both. Although many have made a living being chameleons, you never notice chameleons, they blend in too well.

Study

So the bottom line is, study, study, study.

Second: Networking

Build quality contacts

Work on projects for new film makers to build your reel, but be a little picky at the same time. You can waste a lot of time saying yes to every project and have them go nowhere, and you right along with them.

Contacts are built by:

Sending a demo – done mostly digitally now: it must impress and stand out since they get a lot everyday. (See above.) It must be custom tailored to their project.
Following up on demos a week after.
Get a face to face meeting if possible.
Keep the relationship going and don’t just say hello when they have a project.

“Big follows small” is a law of marketing which also applies to self-promotion in film. Start with small films, build your resumé, and move up.

Do Good Work & Put it Out There

Being heard is important to build contacts. So put your music out there. Everywhere. The best place is in a film, but Facebook and other social media are also good. Don’t spam.

It’s About the Film

“We judge ourselves by what we believe we can do, others judge us but what we have done.”

I forget where I read this, but it’s the truth. Especially in film. Your credits will be important and filmmakers will hire you based on them.

Composers ride the wave of success and failure of a film, just like any other part of the creative team. So make sure you pick the best projects that are available to you.

If you don’t have any credits, look to the first point.

Third is the Work

Know how to talk to film makers

You must understand everything you can about films: story, editing, directing, acting and especially story structure and screen writing. This is important in order to be a good dramatist (see first point) but also important to have meaningful discussions with the film makers.

Treat every director and his film like if it was Spielberg

Then you will get hired back.

Don’t be a Yes Man

Come prepared to spotting sessions, have opinions and ideas on how to make the score truly an asset for the film. They hire you for your expertise, so be an expert, bring something to the table and they will appreciate that, every time. Just don’t be a jerk.

Be a Good Listener

Yes, that goes right along with the point above. It’s your job to find the right balance between the two.

So there you have it, a short primer on getting started in film music. Like I wrote above, it’s not complete so please take the time to comment, ask questions and I will fill it out further.

Cheers,

Alain