A creative collaboration

The creation of your film is a collaborative work in which I, as a composer, would like to play a passionate part. After an initial brief consultation with you, I will have a personal meeting to explain the background to your project (spotting session). What kind of music might be suitable, which instruments create the right mood and are possibly in the right geographical or historical context? We will discuss these questions together, whereby I will take your wishes on board and gladly contribute my ideas for further coordination. My focus will already be on the emotions, the development of the motif and the musical possibilities for the film music composition.

I tend to reject pure stylistic copies (soundalikes) of other film scores. Every film deserves its own musical staging. It is quite possible that parallels to other film scores will emerge after an appropriate creative process, but this is never the aim of my work. That’s why I want to approach the creative process openly and without restrictions.

For me, open and honest communication is the basis of a creative collaboration.

Creation of film music (scoring)

I see music as an expression of development, character and emotions. My theoretical knowledge makes my work easier in some places – and yet I can’t force the creative process with theory. That’s why I need time – which unfortunately is often lacking in film projects. That’s why it’s important to me to be involved in the creative process as early as possible. This also eliminates the need to use temp tracks, which in many cases unintentionally influence the artistic freedom of filming and editing.

Motif development

Motif development is an exciting process and, for me, is at the very beginning of my work. Do I orientate myself on people or places? Am I describing a landscape or a feeling? This process is so varied that you can quickly stray from the director’s and producer’s ideas. That’s why I already take the path of close coordination here – perhaps somewhat unconventionally. If I invest the right amount of time in this phase of the project, I don’t have to spend it on time-consuming corrections later on.

Composition and orchestration

When composing the film music, I use the motifs and use them in the form of themes to match the scenes – in the style and with the instruments as agreed in the preliminary discussions. The subsequent orchestration sets the individual instruments and their voices in a melodious relationship, whereby the use of ethnic instruments and synthesisers in particular offers exciting opportunities for development. If the film music is to be played by an orchestra in the next step, it makes sense to involve an orchestrator. All instruments that are not represented in the classical orchestra are later recorded using the overdub method.

Project management

The work process involved in creating a film score shows parallels to the decision-making and implementation of a corporate project. As a career changer in this field, I bring exactly this way of working with me. It is not intuition alone that decides which style of music should be used for a scene or a film. Many aspects can be determined in advance on the basis of specific questions – without having to follow the path of trial and error. There will still be trials and errors, but these should be kept to a minimum.