CherishAllLife
New member
Greetings all~
I felt compelled to post this, as I have been seeing a lot of this articles being posted here regarding this.
To be clear, I do not personally have anything against stock/library/royalty free music. It serves the exact purpose it needs to, especially with time sensitive projects.
That being said, I am a composer. I have experienced perhaps thousands of film scores ranging from every genre to every medium (tv/film/media/etc).
My question is; Are filmmakers fearful of employing the use of specifically tailored music? There seems to be a lot of filmmakers who are trying to fit stock music into their projects. Remaining as objective as possible, I would suggest spending MUCH MORE TIME finding music that fits aesthetically, and synchronously.
There are tons of composers who write decent music and can provide a tailored score (which is undoubtedly a much better decision long term) for the project. Music is the exact other side of the film coin, and sometimes even more important because it is non-diegetic, appealing to the subconscious efforts of the viewer. Stock music fails at almost every turn because it was not written with your project in mind.
Another indication/ thing I am worried about, is that this music is free. Free music is usually like free candy at a clinic....do you really think it's going to be good? Composers take pride in a good cue, and although they cannot command John Williams salary, they can at least be happy about returning to another production/ providing a future score thus continuing the film making chain.
Bottom line: If you believe your project possess's a great story, solid acting, exciting editing, good special effects, and a balance of all the required elements that make a good film; why in the hell would you TRY and sync music that has zero connection to your project? Stock music stands out like a horribly sore thumb and really cheapens a project.
However, filmmakers are free to use whatever music they see fit, and I believe that above all. Take my word for it, having had some experience with this. If you value your project, it needs tailored music. Besides, competitions, festivals, and bigger productions all use composers. It's the next step level up in film making. I hope this hasn't pissed anyone off!
Use good music, and your project will flourish.
I felt compelled to post this, as I have been seeing a lot of this articles being posted here regarding this.
To be clear, I do not personally have anything against stock/library/royalty free music. It serves the exact purpose it needs to, especially with time sensitive projects.
That being said, I am a composer. I have experienced perhaps thousands of film scores ranging from every genre to every medium (tv/film/media/etc).
My question is; Are filmmakers fearful of employing the use of specifically tailored music? There seems to be a lot of filmmakers who are trying to fit stock music into their projects. Remaining as objective as possible, I would suggest spending MUCH MORE TIME finding music that fits aesthetically, and synchronously.
There are tons of composers who write decent music and can provide a tailored score (which is undoubtedly a much better decision long term) for the project. Music is the exact other side of the film coin, and sometimes even more important because it is non-diegetic, appealing to the subconscious efforts of the viewer. Stock music fails at almost every turn because it was not written with your project in mind.
Another indication/ thing I am worried about, is that this music is free. Free music is usually like free candy at a clinic....do you really think it's going to be good? Composers take pride in a good cue, and although they cannot command John Williams salary, they can at least be happy about returning to another production/ providing a future score thus continuing the film making chain.
Bottom line: If you believe your project possess's a great story, solid acting, exciting editing, good special effects, and a balance of all the required elements that make a good film; why in the hell would you TRY and sync music that has zero connection to your project? Stock music stands out like a horribly sore thumb and really cheapens a project.
However, filmmakers are free to use whatever music they see fit, and I believe that above all. Take my word for it, having had some experience with this. If you value your project, it needs tailored music. Besides, competitions, festivals, and bigger productions all use composers. It's the next step level up in film making. I hope this hasn't pissed anyone off!
Use good music, and your project will flourish.
