# Composing for Trailer Music



## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

Hey guys I know a lot of you are trailer music composers and I primarily do/have done features and shorts.

I'm being asked to write music for a trailer and am wondering for those who do both what sort of things are different philosophically from writing for a feature that I should consider when writing for a trailer.

Main points I know would be energy, and more attention to cut points, but that's a superficial take away. Thoughts?


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## Dean (Nov 15, 2015)

Thoughts?...for starters you could put more effort into your question especially if you want any pro trailer composers to spend time answering you in any detail on such a broad question. D


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## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

Dean said:


> Thoughts?...for starters you could put more effort into your question especially if you want any pro trailer composers to spend time answering you in any detail on such a broad question. D


I don't have a specific question, it's a broad question to which I'm looking for a broad answer.

If I could refine... how do you approach writing for trailer music as oppose to writing for features?

Or is this just one of those questions like... "how do you write music?"... perhaps so, I guess I am just wanting to encourage a _discussion_ as it relates to feature composers writing for trailers and what differences in approach they discovered along the way.


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## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

Dean said:


> Thoughts?...for starters you could put more effort into your question especially if you want any pro trailer composers to spend time answering you in any detail on such a broad question. D


BTW I love your track you did for America Sniper, really great track.


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## Dean (Nov 15, 2015)

Did you even type in the word 'Trailer' in search window? Geez!  http://vi-control.net/community/thr...the-difference-tips-advice-insight-etc.46982/


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## Dean (Nov 15, 2015)

ryanstrong said:


> BTW I love your track you did for America Sniper, really great track.


Its not fair being nice when Im trying to be a smart ass!  But thanks! D


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## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

Dean said:


> Did you even type in the word 'Trailer' in search window? Geez!  http://vi-control.net/community/thr...the-difference-tips-advice-insight-etc.46982/


Nah I didn't search... thanks will read.


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## rJames (Nov 15, 2015)

Like ; what kind of movie? Who is the target audience (they'll do different trailers for different audiences)?
Usually the agency or studio will give some direction...
Is it thriller or comedy or...? Warm and fuzzy or lonely and angsty.?
Get with the editor if you can. Or trailer producer...
Watch a few trailers that are in a similar space to get format ideas.
General idea is; introduce the characters and set up "normalcy." Act 2 identifies the plot and raises tension. Act 3 raises tension to fever pitch and leaves you wanting more.
It's the same for a comedy, horror, thriller or epic ...only totally different!


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## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

Dean said:


> Its not fair being nice when Im trying to be a smart ass!  But thanks! D


You were? Ha. I guess I just see/read the good side of people and so I read your post as if you were just helping to steer me in a better direction rather then be a smarty


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## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

rJames said:


> Like ; what kind of movie? Who is the target audience (they'll do different trailers for different audiences)?
> Usually the agency or studio will give some direction...
> Is it thriller or comedy or...? Warm and fuzzy or lonely and angsty.?
> Get with the editor if you can. Or trailer producer...
> ...


Well again I guess I wasn't trying to get specific because I was moreover looking for a broad response but this...



> General idea is; introduce the characters and set up "normalcy." Act 2 identifies the plot and raises tension. Act 3 raises tension to fever pitch and leaves you wanting more.



...is more along the lines of what I was looking for. I like the idea of the music leaving you wanting more... didn't think about that.

_Like ; what kind of movie?_
Drama - "Can love be bought." Money. Secrets. Travel. Love. etc.

_Who is the target audience (they'll do different trailers for different audiences)?_
Single trailer for now targeting a general audience - 18-45 if I had to guess. This isn't a kids movie.

_Usually the agency or studio will give some direction..._
It's a SAG independent feature
_
Get with the editor if you can. Or trailer producer._
Just in touch with the director who is the editor. Trailer Park produced the trailer.

_Watch a few trailers that are in a similar space to get format ideas._
Been watching/listening to a lot of Dean's work! Very helpful.


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## rJames (Nov 15, 2015)

The trailer is done (trailer park "produced," past tense... The trailer.) 
But they don't have music or fx yet??
I'm missing something. Didn't know any trailer was done before music and fx.


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## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

rJames said:


> The trailer is done (trailer park "produced," past tense... The trailer.)
> But they don't have music or fx yet??
> I'm missing something. Didn't know any trailer was done before music and fx.


The trailer is not done "done"... forgive my brevity... when I say done by that I mean... it's-edited-with-fx-and-dialog-voiceover-and-now-just-needs-music.

Sorry I guess I assumed that if I posted and said "hey I'm writing music to a trailer" you would assume that when I say the trailer is done I mean everything but the music. Annnnnnyyyywayyy...


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## RiffWraith (Nov 15, 2015)

ryanstrong said:


> how do you approach writing for trailer music as oppose to writing for features?



As for composition, trailer music is like anything else - the music is there to serve the images on the screen. If you approach it from THAT angle, you will be ok.

Some of what follows applies more towards the BIG EPIC ORCHESTRAL TRAILER CUE; don't take what follows as a strategy that will work for everything.

Think about being rhythmic, and having a melody that soars above the rhythm, without clashing with it. Try to stay away from too much counterpoint. Horns at ff and fff tend to work well for a melody. Trumpets work really well here too - but try and stay away from having them be their own entity; instead, have them support the horns. The melody should not be too complex.

As for the arrangement, trailer music tends to be bigger, more powerful, more bombastic, and more... well... "epic" than traditional film score music. This is achieved through proper arrangement, and proper mixing technique. Not one nor the other by themselves.

Trailer music usually has more in the way of percussion, which tends to take up a HUGE amount of real estate. This is where proper use of compression can come in handy. Furthermore, trailer cues nowadays tend to have sound fx that accentuate certain elements, and can even be rhythmic in nature. Don't be afraid to use some high percussive elements and some metals. You may want to stay away from a continual bombardment of those two things, but don't be afraid to use them to accent downbeats, and other "events". Think "layers". Most trailer cues have layers and layers of shit; you can't really hear a lot of this, but take some of it away, and there is now something missing. Stick to 4/4, unless otherwise directed. Stick to one key, and one time sig, unless otherwise directed. You can change either/or - perhaps both - if the trailer moves from one "area" to another. Then the music can follow along, and a time sig change and/or key change can be effective. But while the trailer is sticking to the part of the story it is trying to tell, stick to the key, and time sig you are in. Venturing away from where you are when the trailer's visuals do not, can be distracting.

Use reverb properly; don't just slap on reverb b/c you think it belongs. When you have a lot of elements, and these elements all - or mostly - have verb, you can wind up with a lot of mush, and your mix can easily lose clarity. Don't be afraid to cut some freqs (esp. lows) from the reverb channel(s). Try and stay away from filters unless one's use is really warranted. Stick to EQs, and don't be afraid to use a fair amount of EQ. Sure, you want each element to sound good on it's own, but the more important aspect is the bigger picture. So, if you have an element here and an element there that needs EQ, do it. And if that element now doesn't sound as good as it did before, so what? It's how the cue sounds as a whole that really matters.

Good luck.


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## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

RiffWraith said:


> As for composition, trailer music is like anything else - the music is there to serve the images on the screen. If you approach it from THAT angle, you will be ok.
> 
> Some of what follows applies more towards the BIG EPIC ORCHESTRAL TRAILER CUE; don't take what follows as a strategy that will work for everything.
> 
> ...


Great advice! Thank you so much, will take all pts to consideration.

I definitely hear a back bone of percussion in a lot of trailer cues as opposed to scores, so this is an area where I need some more discipline. But I think if I can just be thoughtful about it all will be good!


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## rJames (Nov 15, 2015)

ryanstrong said:


> The trailer is not done "done"... forgive my brevity... when I say done by that I mean... it's-edited-with-fx-and-dialog-voiceover-and-now-just-needs-music.
> 
> Sorry I guess I assumed that if I posted and said "hey I'm writing music to a trailer" you would assume that when I say the trailer is done I mean everything but the music. Annnnnnyyyywayyy...


Yeah, I know what you mean.
But, as far as I know, 99.999% of trailers are edited to the music. So, saying that the edit is done... and yet the music isn't, is what I'm reacting to.
You didn't think that I assumed you were in a time warp where the trailer was "done," and yet you hadn't figured out what you had already written in the future. Cause that's not what I thought.



> As for the arrangement, trailer music tends to be bigger, more powerful, more bombastic, and more... well... "epic" than traditional film score music. This is achieved through proper arrangement, and proper mixing technique. Not one nor the other by themselves.


Except when it is minimal, atmospheric, almost not there, soft quiet, stark, ticking...

I'm making fun but there are so many ways that trailer music is used. Riff's description is one direction. Not necessarily for a


> Drama - "Can love be bought." Money. Secrets. Travel. Love. etc.


 But who knows.

I think I agree with Riff but I think of it as surreal. Bigger than life. Over-the-top. But, again, that can be minimal... but just put in the right place. 

Honestly, find a few in the drama genre and listen and steal an idea. (make it your own)


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## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

rJames said:


> Yeah, I know what you mean.
> But, as far as I know, 99.999% of trailers are edited to the music. So, saying that the edit is done... and yet the music isn't, is what I'm reacting to.



It was edited to temp music. So... it _has _music just not the music that is going to be used. So... not sure if that qualifies for being in the .001%?



rJames said:


> Honestly, find a few in the drama genre and listen and steal an idea. (make it your own)



Heh, yeah a good starting place.


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## rJames (Nov 15, 2015)

A-ha! 
No, that puts it squarely in the 99.999%.
Follow the temp music closely. They know what they're doing at Trailer Park. That's all. Don't think about it.
The editor has laid it out for you; I want it to be soft here, rhythmic here, loud here, tension here, thumping here... suspended here...
Seriously. Your boss is just trying to save $30K. Just remake the temp.


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## ryanstrong (Nov 15, 2015)

rJames said:


> A-ha!
> No, that puts it squarely in the 99.999%.
> Follow the temp music closely. They know what they're doing at Trailer Park. That's all. Don't think about it.
> The editor has laid it out for you; I want it to be soft here, rhythmic here, loud here, tension here, thumping here... suspended here...
> Seriously. Your boss is just trying to save $30K. Just remake the temp.


Trying to save money? Who would have thought! But seriously $30k? How much do they usually charge for trailer music license there?


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## Daniel James (Nov 16, 2015)

du du du dud, dudu dudu dudududud ............. BAAM Du du dudd Du dudud udud dudud dudu DUuuu DUUuu DUUUuu DUUUUU ............ BRAAAAAAAAM DUD DUDUADUADU BRAAAAAAAAAAM DUUDUDU DUDU DABDBADBABDABDABDAB.........du du du duu du uuuu uu u u u u


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## ryanstrong (Nov 16, 2015)

Daniel James said:


> du du du dud, dudu dudu dudududud ............. BAAM Du du dudd Du dudud udud dudud dudu DUuuu DUUuu DUUUuu DUUUUU ............ BRAAAAAAAAM DUD DUDUADUADU BRAAAAAAAAAAM DUUDUDU DUDU DABDBADBABDABDABDAB.........du du du duu du uuuu uu u u u u


Exactllly.....! haahaha. Gotta get my braaam on... my 12-horn patch is a bit dusty.


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## mwarsell (Nov 16, 2015)

Mine starts with BRAAAAAM BRAAAAAM BRAAAAM BRAAAAM BRRAM! then comes the du du du dudu du du du dudu. So it's not all the same.


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## jtnyc (Nov 16, 2015)

Daniel James said:


> du du du dud, dudu dudu dudududud ............. BAAM Du du dudd Du dudud udud dudud dudu DUuuu DUUuu DUUUuu DUUUUU ............ BRAAAAAAAAM DUD DUDUADUADU BRAAAAAAAAAAM DUUDUDU DUDU DABDBADBABDABDABDAB.........du du du duu du uuuu uu u u u u




Haaaaaaa!!! Best answer by far! Still laughing...


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## ryanstrong (Nov 16, 2015)

jtnyc said:


> Haaaaaaa!!! Best answer by far! Still laughing...


There's a formula for everything!


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## Jaap (Nov 17, 2015)

mwarsell said:


> Mine starts with BRAAAAAM BRAAAAAM BRAAAAM BRAAAAM BRRAM! then comes the du du du dudu du du du dudu. So it's not all the same.



We all have our different styles 

Mine is (and posted this before in the topic Dean linked to on page 1) more the whoohoo style:

wwww - hhhhoo(whoohoo?) - WHOOHOOO!!!! - (whoohoo is coming to your cinema soon)


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## AfterInfinity (Nov 20, 2015)

Daniel James said:


> du du du dud, dudu dudu dudududud ............. BAAM Du du dudd Du dudud udud dudud dudu DUuuu DUUuu DUUUuu DUUUUU ............ BRAAAAAAAAM DUD DUDUADUADU BRAAAAAAAAAAM DUUDUDU DUDU DABDBADBABDABDABDAB.........du du du duu du uuuu uu u u u u


^ Project Bravo in text form


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## ryanstrong (Nov 20, 2015)

AfterInfinity said:


> ^ Project Bravo in text form


It's the source code.


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