# Spotting Session

Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/spotting-session
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Nick Harty, Storiara

> A spotting session is a meeting after picture lock where the director watches the film with the composer or the supervising sound editor and decides, scene by scene, where music cues begin and end and what sound work each scene needs. The result is a set of timecoded spotting notes that the music and sound teams work from.

## Two kinds of spotting

Most films hold separate sessions. Music spotting sits the [composer](https://storiara.com/roles/composer) and music editor with the director to decide where score goes, where licensed songs go, and where silence works better than either. Sound spotting sits the supervising sound editor with the director to go reel by reel through dialogue problems, [ADR](https://storiara.com/glossary/adr) needs, [Foley](https://storiara.com/glossary/foley) coverage, and big effects moments.

Both run the same way. The film plays, someone stops it whenever a decision comes up, and the music editor or sound supervisor writes it down against timecode. A feature can take a full day per session, longer if the director wants to argue each cue.

## What spotting notes look like

A music spotting sheet for reel 3 of a feature:

| Cue | Start | End | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3M1 | 01:02:14:08 | 01:03:40:00 | 1:25 | Starts as Maya leaves the diner. Low strings, no melody yet. Out hard on door slam |
| 3M2 | 01:05:02:12 | 01:05:40:20 | 0:38 | Source. Radio in Joe's truck, period country song, licensed |
| 3M3 | 01:08:30:00 | 01:11:12:04 | 2:42 | Garage scene. Build under dialogue, peak when keys drop, tail over cut to morning |

Cue numbers follow the reel and order (3M1 is reel 3, music cue 1). Source cues, which characters hear inside the scene, are marked apart from score because they are licensed and cleared differently.

## Common mistakes

Spotting with a temp score in place is standard, but a director who has lived with temp music for months can end up asking the composer to copy it. Talk about what the temp does emotionally rather than asking for the same sound, because a close imitation of a licensed track can create a legal problem.

The other mistake is spotting an unlocked cut. If the editor trims six seconds from the garage scene after spotting, cue 3M3 no longer lands on the key drop. Productions under time pressure spot reels as each one locks, and the post supervisor tracks which reels are locked and which cues have been written against which version.

## How it connects to budgets and delivery

Spotting notes turn into the cue count that drives the music budget and the song licensing list, which is why a producer usually attends the music session (see [VFX and music budgeting](https://storiara.com/blog/vfx-and-music-budgeting-high-impact-line-items)). The sound spotting notes become the ADR cue list and the Foley plan. Both feed the music cue sheet and [M&E tracks](https://storiara.com/glossary/m-and-e-tracks) in the [deliverables](https://storiara.com/glossary/deliverables), and both depend on a real [picture lock](https://storiara.com/glossary/picture-lock).

## Frequently asked questions

### Who attends a spotting session?

For music, the director, composer, music editor, and often the editor and a producer. For sound, the director, supervising sound editor, and sometimes the dialogue editor and re-recording mixer.

### When does spotting happen?

After picture lock, or at least after the reels are close to locked. Spotting before lock is possible, but every cut change afterward shifts timecodes and can break cue lengths.

### What are spotting notes?

The written record of the session. Each note gives a cue number, start and end timecode, and a description of what the music or sound should do, so the composer and editors don't have to rely on memory.