Two Forwards for me

[dabresk]

NEW AGE/ELECTRONICA-influenced ORCHESTRAL FILM MUSIC INSTRUMENTALS (no vocals) a la the "Chariots Of Fire" soundtrack (Vangelis) are sought by the Music Supervisor of a major cable TV sports network. Think uplifting, positive, feel good, inspirational, and victory. Broadcast quality needed [excellent home recordings are OK]. Please submit one to three songs online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS ONLY - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXIAscent to Victory:http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... am=trueand this listing also:The Owner of a new Music Library needs a wide range of DRAMA INSTRUMENTALS (no vocals) for MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/HORROR SCENES for use in film/TV/commercials, etc. This production music veteran signed dozens of TAXI writers to his previous company, and wants to repeat that same type of success with this new venture. He needs tracks with button ending - no fade-outsThe Black Veil:http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... ream=trueI am particularly happy that "The Black Veil" was forwarded, as I have been working my tail off with EWQL since I got it. I have also seen others have success as a result of "upgrading" their sound libraries. ThanksBresky

[lboogie77]

Congrats! I got a forward on the mystery stuff too! 77

[matto]

Great job bresky, particularly on "The Black Veil". It sounds really nice and very convincing.The only thing I'd say is that it's really two pieces in one, the creepy part at the top lasts too long to be an intro, and then it abruptly changes gears into an action sequence.For library music, you'll want to keep the mood and tempo fairly consistent throughout the entire piece, or it will be very hard to place.I would've still forwarded this piece as well, as it shows lots of potential...hopefully this library veteran will recognize that... But in the future you'll increase your chances of success if you keep the mood more consitent throughout.Best of luck...matto

[dabresk]

Thanks Matto, and now that you metion it (about the quick switch in moods), I agree. Now some questions:When you write for something like this, is there a standard length for a "scene" piece ?(mind you, I am still a newb at this)If, then, you are writing for a scen, how the heck can they know where to put it in the movie. I am used to writing pieces after seeing a scene and interpreting it. So my thinking on this was, "someone walking down a long corridor, then surpised by evil-doer and chased". Don't know the scene, so I don't know what to write.Now an unrelated question that, I beleive someone else brought up somewhere in this forum.Say, I write a hip hop or alt rock piece. Some of these songs may not get accepted for a year. But, in a year, that style (not the genre) may be passe or forgotten. You know where I'm coming from?What are average forward-to-return ratios? I tried searching the forums but came up empty handed.I thank you for taking the time to listen and offer you critique, as I value it highly. Your work is great and I adminre your versatility. I come from a classical / jazz background but I have worked in every genre over the years, so working these pieces has become a great passion - and I'm having the time of my life.My forward ratio has been good so far (I believe), and regardless of that, I just keep plugging along and building my library.Thanks again!Bresky

[matto]

Quote:When you write for something like this, is there a standard length for a "scene" piece ? (mind you, I am still a newb at this).A good length is around 2 minutes (between about 1:30 to 2:30). This will take acre of most situations.Quote:If, then, you are writing for a scene, how the heck can they know where to put it in the movie. I am used to writing pieces after seeing a scene and interpreting it. So my thinking on this was, "someone walking down a long corridor, then surpised by evil-doer and chased". Don't know the scene, so I don't know what to write.Okay...well, library music is basically used in one of two ways: 1-as source music in major/indie movies and network tv shows, where the show's composer writes the underscore (source music comes from a source that exists in the scene, such as a radio, car stereo, jukebox etc etc), and 2-as underscore music in shows where there is no composer (usually for budgetary reasons). This includes most news and entertainment magazines, a lot of sports shows, daytime talk shows, some soaps and reality shows.In these cases a music editor puts the underscore together from library music. He selects the cues and edits them to fit the action on screen. In the case of the scene you describe, he would select a creepy piece for the guy walking down the corridor, some kind of sting when he's surprised by the evildoer, then some chase music when he gets chased.The reasons why you don't want to incorporate all these elements into one piece of library music are 1- even if there was a scene exactly as you envisioned it when you wrote the piece, the timing would most certainly be off, as there's no standard length for people-walking-down-the-corridor scenes. 2-There would be many instances where somebody walks down a creepy corridor but then won't get chased...you don't wanna limit your cue to one specific course of events. 3- The music editor has no way of knowing what happens in the piece or when, he will simply audition the first 15-30 seconds of a piece (if that much) and decide if it fits the scene...and assume the mood will stay consistent throughout so he can use as much of the cue as needed to fill the scene. So you want the mood to stay consistent throughout the piece...you'll just have to imagine a 2 minute creepy scene or chase scene...Of course a cue can evolve, build, have different sections, but the all need to project the same mood.Quote:Say, I write a hip hop or alt rock piece. Some of these songs may not get accepted for a year. But, in a year, that style (not the genre) may be passe or forgotten. You know where I'm coming from?Different styles of music have different shelf lives. Styles that are really trend driven (such as urban music) tend to date more quickly, but at the same time they will be more in demand during the period of time that they are really hip. Other,"timeless" music has an extremely long shelf life, but won't be as popular in the short run...so it kind of balances out. Libraries try to anicipate trends to prolong the shelf life of their more trendy selections...and remember, this is background music, so it's not really prominently featured usually and thus lasts a bit longer before it becomes noticeably dated.Quote:What are average forward-to-return ratios? I tried searching the forums but came up empty handed.Are you talking Taxi? It really depends upon the listings and where the bar is set. Clint or Jimi recently posted some info on this but I forgot...that's one statistic that's not really important to me.Quote:I thank you for taking the time to listen and offer you critique, as I value it highly. Your work is great and I adminre your versatility. I come from a classical / jazz background but I have worked in every genre over the years, so working these pieces has become a great passion - and I'm having the time of my life.My forward ratio has been good so far (I believe), and regardless of that, I just keep plugging along and building my library.Thanks for the kind words! Yes...just keep building that catalog. It's good to have a bunch of music ready to go, so once you start signing deals you can ask to submit some of that material and hopefully get a whole bunch of tracks signed at once.Best of luck,matto

[dabresk]

he will simply audition the first 15-30 seconds of a piece (if that much) and decide if it fits the scene...and assume the mood will stay consistent throughout so he can use as much of the cue as needed to fill the scene. That's exactly what I was looking for....thanks Matto!And also......congrats on the Lennon thing (saw that in another forum). Wow, just awesome!Bresky