Film Scoring — An Exploration Of A Composing Process Which Is Unique & Different

The process of adding music to film is an art form in itself that’s exciting, challenging, and an intricate & intimate process which…

The process of adding music to film is an art form in itself that’s exciting, challenging, and an intricate & intimate process which brings a film to life.

Film scoring is an area of music that is the marriage & congregation of cinematography, screenplay, acting and music. A film can’t be complete without the score, which is its heartbeat. It’s an enticing area of music production and one that allows creativity to be explored by creating music that fits a images and scenes perfectly.

But what if you have thousands or more composers, going in the same direction and creating scores that blur into similar compositions?

The composition market is flooded with cliché scores, and stuff that can’t be differentiated or segregated as standing out in the vast ocean of scores by composers.

Sure, it fits the scene, to a certain extent, but where is the innovation, the uniqueness, and the personal imprint of the composer onto the footage?

When I first began composing for film a year or so ago, I had an inherent feeling of doing things differently.

I wanted to bring a film to life in my own way and on my own terms. Of course directors want a certain kind of sound, but they don’t speak music, they have a very rough idea about it, so their requirements (although they must be satisfied) makes every film’s score these days blurring into similar sounds.

My process is one that’s very different. I go in the opposite direction to what’s expected and what the usual conventions are.

My choice of instruments and how I approach scenes are entirely unique and different. I like to experiment with the technology available and mix classical, and orchestral elements with new-age electronic, software driven & differentiable sounds.

Although the piano is at the heart of it, because you’re essentially using it for all your sounds, I like to push technology and the software available to do things that stand apart.

Some Examples Of My Work & Process

As an example of what I’m talking about, here is some of my work.

Spitfire Bridgerton Scoring Competition

For this score, I went with some different & unusual elements and choices of instruments and sounds.

I started off with a piano theme and then some brass and strings as the title is displayed. I then went with some big percussive hits as the lady walks through the castle along with some ethereal vocals & strings. Then as the groom enters the picture I went with some Indian folk women singing a wedding song in Rajastani, which was rather experimental & a different approach.

I then went back to the piano theme with some cellos and brass as the bride gets dressed and ready. As the horses and carriages came on screen I went with a slow guitar riff and then to end I went in an uncanny direction with some electronic elements complimented by some cellos.

Berlin International Film Scoring Competition

This was one of my earlier scores when I was just starting out and finding my feet as a composer.

For this score I opened the scene with some atmospheric pads and a light piano motif exemplifying space, which I always tend to do. As the footage moves forward I used a lot of FX, brass and strings, in a different order. When the pod is at the mountain I went with sort of a Lord Of The Rings vibe, with some darker brass. I then went with a crescendo which was sort of expected but I ended it with some darker minor chords imposing the question, “What’s next?”

This was one of my earlier works, so it wasn’t as unique as others, but it’s a score I like very much.

Spitfire Haunted House Competition

For this score I went in a completely electronic direction with zero orchestral elements, the latter of which I usually use considerably in my scores.

The visuals are very reminiscent of Radiohead’s OK Computer, sort of I guess, and I got to flex my electronic scoring capabilities on this score, which was a welcome change. The visuals were really cool and depicted varied shots of traveling through a city by night. It reminded be a bit of a lot of drives through Mumbai at night.

There’s heavy electronic fx and gritty basslines driving in an out of the score. I used my go-to drum machine Battery 4 using a preexisting kit for both sets of beats as opposed to loading my own one-shots which I usually do for my electronica music I produce as an artist.

There are also some interesting synths that kick in in the middle as well, along with a few evolving atmospheric pads. I didn’t go too dark on this one and mixed it up a bit with slightly lighter synths. I tried to bring in sounds that exemplified computer noises & a sort of digital-ish sound which I thought would fit well with the footage, especially given the smiley at the end.

The Lost Piano Score

For this score, I had to flex my piano playing muscles and come up with interesting and emotional, and compelling piano motifs to complement the footage.

I used violins, a bit of cellos and orchestral brass, and other orchestral elements in certain instances but as was necessary considering the film was called “The Lost Piano” and its shots, I had to make sure the footage revolved primarily around the piano.

There were also light ambient pads which were mainly orchestral-centric and evolving.

Tellurian Trailer

For this score I went quite string heavy in my approach, so the bulk of the score is predominantly strings. But I also managed to put in some ethereal atmospheric pads & light sub basses as opposed to synth basslines. There’s a lot of FX and bit of brass in there as well, just a bit.

There’s also slight sequences where I used Spitfire’s Albion in bits and pieces, but yea the bulk of it is strings especially the ones that kick in the middle to portray some urgency. I also added some drums towards the end, just to add a bit of a finale and I ended it with a riser and some more analog darkish atmospheric pads.

This was a trailer, so it’s very trailer made (pun intended).

Metapop Galaxy Scoring Competition

For this score I went with some ambient pads and strings to begin and set the ethereal mood and vibe.

I then composed a tiny motif on the piano using my favourite piano Kontakt library and felt that instead of, well you know, pushing drums and heavier sounds for the parts where he’s going through space at high speed, I thought I’d change that up completely and only play the piano to sort of slow down those parts and make them more emotional, intimate & heartfelt as if it’s the astronaut’s last swan song before he dies in a crash.

It came off pretty smooth and I liked the final product, some ambient pads linger as the light source comes on to the screen, but in essence this was only 44 seconds of footage so the piano motif I wrote is the whole body of this score.

An Interview & Showcase Of My Process

In my composer showcase & interview with the composing platform ‘Compozly’ I discussed and dissected my process in a conversation with them.

What are your tactics for dissecting music? How do you continually educating yourself to get to the next step?

I guess it’s like always a continuous process of learning. I haven’t worked on a proper film yet and I haven’t got my first gig. So the process is basically just trying to Improve my own ability as much as I can.

I like to go in like the opposite direction to what’s happening. For example, if it’s a scene of a car speeding, then I’ll write few driving string melodies and add piano motives in the background — which feels like it’s slowing down time.

If it’s a heroic scene where everyone is expecting a crescendo, then I’d rather go with some simple brass hits that are slightly dark. I’m just trying to do things differently and although I haven’t worked with directors yet, I’m looking forward to having those conversations with them & figuring those things out. For example, ‘Here’s my idea for this scene, would this work? What if we take this approach instead?’

It’s always been for me to stand out and do things differently. There’s a poem by Robert Frost that I like a lot where he says, “I took the road less traveled and that made all the difference.” So when it comes to imparting my own individuality onto the score, I like to do things really differently.

You can check out the entire interview & conversation and podcast here

Film Composer Showcase: Gaurav Krishnan - Compozly
Actually, it happened just about a year ago, but I would say my earliest memory of music was probably hearing Jim…compozly.com

Closing Thoughts

Although I’ve just started out as a composer and it’s been only a year composing to footage, and I’m just starting to use different sounds, I have a firm grasp of creating music to film, and I believe in myself, my process and my ideologies.

I do things differently and I’m looking to be an innovator in the space. Although all my scores don’t have that much uniqueness at the moment, I’m looking for a director willing to entrust me with a score. I’m just finding my style and my niche, so getting a gig for an overseas film is something I’d absolutely love.

If you’re a filmmaker, or a producer who’s looking for a score that that’s going to make your film come to life and one that has substance & a unique and innovative approach that sounds vastly different from all the composers out there, you can hire me by contacting me by email on: gauravk113@gmail.com

I haven’t scored a full length feature film yet, but I can guarantee you something that’s going to be everlasting and that stands apart.

So what are you going to do? The same thing everybody is doing or something different?