Advertising for a film more times than not, begins when a film is still in the throws of post production. The original score for the film is rarely completed when the marketing campaign begins so other music is used. It might be score from other films or production libraries like MoonLab Music providing existing cues for the trailers and TV promos. Popular music of songs you might hear on the radio are licensed for use in the pieces. Or music is created by composers like me.

When I get a call for a custom piece of music for a trailer there are several reasons why I get that call to do a particular piece.

One reason might be that an editor used music that would put the production over budget to license. In this case the new music would need to have some similar characteristics to what had been originally used. I then look at the original piece as a “temp track.” Temp tracks are still used quite a bit for feature films during the editing process. Normally temp tracks are not embraced by composers for film because emulating another composer’s work leaves little room for creativity in the new score.

But in this case with a trailer, it has become a problem-solving project for me and I set out to give the client a similar feel and sound quality of the music they currently like but would rather not pay top dollar for.

This is what is commonly known as a “knock-off.” For a composer, it CAN be a deflating process creatively if you are a purest and are only motivated to make an original footprint on everything one works on.

I look at it as a challenge because to do this well is an art in and of itself. You can’t really see it as creating a knock-off but instead what I like to call a “feel-alike.” And that is exactly what you might imagine. A piece of music that makes you feel similar emotions while staying compositionally away from the original piece. Using the former piece of music as inspiration rather than a model keeps the approach fresh and creates something original. Emulation is good. Copying is bad for a lot of reasons.

Another reason for custom work on trailers is when the client can’t find any piece of music that does exactly what they need it to do in order to reach the desired emotional and practical result. For example the client might like the pace and feel of some music but it isn’t bringing in any changes and is not dynamic enough for the editor to cut to. Creating a new piece of music that brings in the emotion of the original and also adds what the original piece didn’t have is the goal. Dynamic breaks or hits. “Stop downs” where the music drops out and crashes back in or possibly a nice build to include a dramatic climax might be the solution for making the new music more useful for driving an exciting trailer for the theaters.

Finally, the dream request for a composer is when a producer or editor asks you to score the trailer from scratch. In these cases, there is a continual interaction between all parties. The client, the editor, the producer and the composer, all working to create a look and feel to a trailer that is in the spirit of the film itself but is a production wholly unto itself designed for one thing. Enticing people to come see the film.

The key to being a desired commodity for custom work in film trailers is this. High quality at a speedy pace. Most of the time your work is back to back with film score from other films played by live orchestras. Or your work must flow smoothly into a pop track that had a music budget in the tens of thousands of dollars for recording that song. Whether you hire musicians or do everything in your private studio, the quality has to be that good. Much of my custom work is delivered in hours and by the end of a day it isn’t uncommon for me to have completed three or four revisions.

It’s not for everyone but the rewards creatively and financially are (most of the time) worth the effort.

Marc Jackson

www.marc-jackson.com

music@marc-jackson.com

AIM: moonlabm