Before the score: temp music and early themes
By the time a composer is hired, the editor has usually cut the film with temp music pulled from other soundtracks. That temp track shapes what the director expects, sometimes more than anyone admits. A composer's first conversations with the director are often about what the temp is doing in a scene (the pulse, the instrument color, where it enters) so the score can do the same job without sounding like the temp.
Some composers start earlier. A song a character sings on camera or a band playing in a bar has to exist before the shoot so it can be played back on set, covered by music playback. Those pieces go on the breakdown as music elements long before post.
Spotting the film
The spotting session is where the director, composer, editor, and often the music editor watch the cut and decide exactly where score starts and stops. Each cue gets a number, usually by reel and cue order: 1M1 is the first music cue in reel 1, 3M4 is the fourth in reel 3. The music editor writes up spotting notes with start and end timecodes.
A few lines from a spotting list might look like this:
| Cue | Scene | In | Out | Length | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M1 | Sc. 1 main titles | 01:00:12:04 | 01:02:05:16 | 1:53 | Establish the town, low strings |
| 2M3 | Sc. 24 | 02:14:30:00 | 02:15:48:12 | 1:18 | Tension under the phone call, out on the door slam |
| 4M2 | Sc. 71 | 04:03:10:08 | 04:07:02:00 | 3:52 | Chase, big |
If the score runs 48 minutes over 30 cues and the composer has 8 weeks to write, that's 6 minutes of finished music a week. Busy cues like the chase in 4M2 take more time than a 40-second transition, so composers plan their weeks cue by cue.
Writing and approvals
Composers write to picture in a digital audio workstation, producing mockups with sample libraries that sound close to the final recording. The director reviews mockups, gives notes, and approves cues. If the cut changes after a cue is approved, the composer has to conform the music to the new timing, which is one reason post supervisors fight to hold picture lock.
A realistic mid-schedule day:
- 9:00a: Notes from director on 2M3 and 2M4 (2M3 enters too early)
- 10:00a to 1:00p: Revise 2M3, start 5M1
- 2:00p: Music editor sends a change list: reel 5 lost 12 seconds in Scene 80
- 3:00p to 7:00p: Conform 5M1 sketch to new timing, send mockups for review
Recording and orchestration
When cues are approved, the orchestrator expands the composer's sketches into parts for the players, copyists prepare the sheet music, and musicians record the score. The AFM wage scales published by the AMPTP list rates for recording musicians, orchestrators, and copyists on productions covered by those agreements. On a small indie, the "orchestra" may be the composer, a cellist, and a guitar player in a home studio.
The recorded score is mixed and delivered as stems (for example strings, brass, percussion, synths), so the re-recording mixer can balance music against dialogue and effects in the final mix. Stems also matter for the M&E tracks international distributors expect.
The deal and the budget
Composer deals come in two broad shapes. In a package deal, the composer receives one amount that covers their fee and all score production costs. A $60,000 package for an indie feature, for example, might break down to $18,000 for players and studio time, $6,000 for orchestration and copying, $5,000 for the score mix, and $31,000 left for the composer. In a fee-plus-costs deal, the composer is paid to write and production separately pays recording costs, which gives production more control and more exposure.
Either way, the composer's agreement also covers credit, ownership of the score, and performance royalties, which is why accurate cue information matters. Music cue sheets list each cue with its timing and use and go out with deliverables.
Who the composer works with
The director and producers, the editor and music editor, the music supervisor for licensed songs, the orchestrator and recording engineer, and the re-recording mixer at the final mix. The post-production supervisor holds the schedule and budget.
How composers get the job
There's no roster. Composers build credits on shorts, student films, documentaries, and games, often while assisting an established composer, and get hired by directors who liked their earlier work.
Where the paperwork starts
Spotting notes, cue lists, change lists, the composer agreement, recording session reports, and cue sheets. Storiara's Music & Effects module logs music the script calls for (a song on a car radio, a band in a bar) during pre-production and prints the list, which gives the composer and music supervisor early warning about on-camera music that has to exist before the shoot.