Film scoring/Foreground background

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Soft musical sounds

 * In this lesson, you learn that some musical instruments will produce a different sound when played softly.


 * Listen to this!
 * As an example, listen to [[Media:Zon Piano Velocitys.ogg| Loud and soft - an OGG file]] from Tiago Louis Zontag in Brazil. He has a Digital Piano Yamaha.  First he plays the note loud (high velocity) and then he pays the note softly.  (He normalized both notes so they have the same volume.)


 * Notice how the soft sound is different from the full velocity sound. This difference is very important when you try to make soft music.  Just turning down the volume on the audio file is not  the same.


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{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:0em 0em 1em 0em; width:100%" What will happen to your music?
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A sad but true story - "The sound mixer guy"

 * At the end of the movie making process, there is a sadistic guy who is called the Sound Mixer guy.


 * He is your enemy! Beware!


 * Sound mixing
 * When the movie is edited and your film score is finished, the sound mixer guy goes into a movie theater and listens to the motion picture and mixes the 100 tracks of audio down to just 5 tracks or less.


 * As he mixes the audio, he also adjusts the volume of your music tracks.


 * The director and the producer are also in the room. But it is the sound mixer guy who is in charge.


 * "Turn that volume down"
 * When the director of the motion picture says, "Let's listen to the words of the actors here", a red flag goes off in the mind of the sound mixer guy. He instantly grabs the dials and he turns the volume of your beautiful music down drastically (while he wears an evil grin of pleasure.)


 * Similarly, when the director says, "Gee, I really like that sound effect", the sound mixer guy eagerly graps the volume dial for your music and turns it way down low.


 * All your beautiful music is just a few dull clinks in the background. No one will ever hear your wonderful music because the sound mixer guy turned down the volume.


 * The solution:
 * Don't give him that opportunity. Start with very delicate music so no one will say, "turn that volume down!!!"




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Music behind the dialog
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Background music

 * Background music is music which plays quietly in the background while dialog or other sounds play much louder in the foreground.

Requirements for background music

 * Background music must be all of these:


 * 1. Low volume.
 * The music must be very soft before you give it to the sound mixer guy.


 * Don't do this by turning the volume down just before you export your music, but rather by DESIGNING your music to be played very softly. Do this by using a very low velocity when you score for the background.


 * 2. Use nothing that goes boom
 * No snare drums, high hat, or anything which can interfere with listening to the dialog. If it goes bang, bump. pluck, or thump, don't use it when people are talking.  That includes Pizzicato violins, too.


 * 3. Different pitch
 * The musical instruments must not be the same frequency as the actor's dialog.


 * 4. Panned left and right
 * The dialog always comes from the center speaker. (For stereo, the dialog comes equally from both speakers.  A long time ago, this was not true.  But because of television, the audience prefers that the dialog comes from the middle of the screen.)


 * Therefore, you must pan your musical instruments of background music to either the left or right so the music will not step on the dialog.


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The music between the dialog
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Foreground music

 * Go for it!
 * Foreground music can be anything you want. (There is an exception.  See below about "too many notes".)


 * As long as there is absolutely no dialog, your music can be as loud as you want.

Think about this!

 * Editing for conversations
 * You can only place foreground music between the sentences of the dialog. But during a conversation, the actors talk continuously.  That leaves no room for you to place music between the sentences.


 * Therefore, if you want to add more music, the scene requires special editing to create more room for your music. In this lesson, you will see an excellent example of this.


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{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:0em 0em 1em 0em; width:100%" New instructions as of March 7, 2008
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1a. Record two notes - Real instruments

 * Option 1 -- Live musical instruments
 * Record a loud note -- If you have a real musical instrument which can be played softly such as a violin or flute, record one note very loud.


 * Record a soft note -- Next, record the same note but you play the note very softly.


 * Amplify the soft note -- Finally, make the soft note as loud as the loud note so the two sounds are easy to compare.

1b. Record two notes - Computer instruments

 * Option 2 -- Software Instruments
 * Record a loud note -- If you have a software musical instrument which can be played softly such as a violin or flute, record one note very loud. Some software instruments (such as in Jam Pack:Symphony Orchestra) have different sounds for soft notes and loud notes. Try recording one note (like a Guitar) at full velocity (127).


 * Record a soft note -- Next, record the same note but you play the note very softly.


 * Amplify the soft note -- Finally, make the soft note as loud as the loud note so the two sounds are easy to compare.

2. Then compare

 * Compare high velocity/low volume with low velocity


 * Compare the two notes. When played at the same volume, you should hear a difference.


 * Which do you prefer?

3. Send me the files

 * Once you are finished, send me the files. @undefined to send me a message that you are done.  My email address is r_elliott at innercite.com.


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{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:0em 0em 1em 0em; width:100%"{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:0em 0em 1em 0em; width:100%" Try to stay in control
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Music, Dialog, Sound Effects

 * There are three kinds of sounds in a motion picture;

1- Dialog, 2- Sound Effects (including ambiance, Foley and actual sound effects) 3- Music.


 * In a typical motion picture or television drama, you will always have sound effects or dialog when your music is playing (except for opening credit, montages, and closing credits. Then you can go wild.)


 * Therefore, most of the time, you must learn to create BACKGROUND music, not foreground music.

Don't believe the film's producer

 * Bad advise from the producer
 * The producer of the movie will tell you to create your music at full volume. The producer will assure you that "the sound mixer guy will make minor adjustments to the sound level."  He will tell you, "You don't have to worry about this."


 * Stand your ground
 * The most important element in a motion picture is your music. Yet, it will be the most abused.


 * Producers, directors, and film editors know nothing about music. If there is a way for them to mess it up, they will.  Don't assume that a producer or a director knows what is best for your music.


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{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:0em 0em 1em 0em; width:100%" Velocity is the key
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How to make background music

 * In the future, software instruments will get better and better. Eventually, each velocity will have its own sound.


 * Today, with better virtual software instruments, lower velocity can have a very different sound. This sound is much more expressive and organic than simply turning down the volume.


 * Always get in the habit of using lower velocity rather than lower volume.


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{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="margin:0em 0em 1em 0em; width:100%" To an exercises in film scoring using real scenes
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The next page

 * Now it is time to watch a truely great movie -- George Lucas In Love.


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