When these three are working well for the composer and producer, the process can seem effortless and wonderful. When they are not working well (or working at all), the process is laborious at best...a nightmare at worst. Music tends to be a bit of a sticky, sensitive area with many producers and directors, often because it is so subjective and one of the areas that many producers and directors seem to be least educated about. Despite this, music has such a powerful influence on their final product.

Furthermore, scoring is often left to be done near the very end of production. So here's our producer giving his/her finely crafted, acted, shot, lit and edited masterpiece or "baby" to a guy who's going to dramatically alter and affect it emotionally. The producer feels he has no power or say in what's about to happen. It's a wonder any producer ever gives his film away to be scored or – for that matter – any film composer ever gets any work. This is also part of the reason why producers and directors often stay with the same composer once they've developed a good working relationship.

But there are ways to ensure good communication, organization and relationship, and ultimately have a moving and powerful underscore that seamlessly becomes part of the cinematic story, without emotional trauma for the composer or the producer/director. When I'm first contacted about scoring a film, I immediately want to know, first and foremost, about the story. As most of you know, story is king. Everything else (including the score) serves the king. I want a verbal description. Most producers are more than happy to tell you about their story, in their own words. In fact, most of the time, they're downright passionate. If they aren't, then little red flags go off in my head. Next, I want a written screenplay, treatment, or scribbled notes on a napkin.

By the way, I've been brought in to score projects from the end of final cut, all the way back to pre-production, concept and even during screenplay development. How early should a composer be brought in to a project? My personal preference is after the screenplay has been finalized, during pre-production, before principal cinematography has started. This way, I'm able to be an integral part of the story telling process.

As I start to absorb and internalize the story, I'll often start writing general cues and motifs that represent the story. This not only helps me develop my musical ideas, it gives me something to start bouncing back and forth with the producer and creates temp cues to be used in rough cut. It's during this phase that the foundations for good communication are built.

COMMUNICATION

A word about communication. In my opinion, it is not the job of the producer to specifically tell me what I'm supposed to do, musically speaking. If they chose to do so, that's great. But it is MY job to listen to his emotion, passion and non-musical descriptions of scenes and cues, and interpret what I need to do musically to serve both the story and producer.

I do this by knowing as much about the filmmaking craft, as well as my own craft, as I can. Then I use examples to determine what the client "really" means when they say, "I like this cue, but make it more 'emotional' or 'bigger' or 'softer.'"

In a recent project, I was faced with the challenge of getting the right "feel" for a particular cue and subsequently setting the tone for the entire project. The client liked the cue I had created for a rough cut scene, but felt it wasn't "ethereal" or "magical" enough. After several re-writes, and still no success with the client, I proceeded to assemble and edit about 6 feature film cues (from other films), to picture what was in the ballpark of the genre of the scene in question.

I then had the client watch the scene 6 times, with the 6 different scores behind the scene, and fill out a survey about what they liked and didn't like about each cue behind the same scene. Then I went to work. Even though they didn't use a single musical term, I was able to piece together what they were truly looking for in a cue for this scene.

This may seem like an awful lot of trouble for one scene/cue, but it was a large project worth keeping. I was pretty sure I could nail it, and this scene and cue exemplified the entire project. In the end, the client's response to my latest rewrite was, "Oh my gosh, you nailed it! It was like you were reading our minds!" Which, in fact, I was.

CASTING

When we think of the word "casting," we tend to think of carefully finding, auditioning and choosing the right actor to portray the look, sound and emotion of our fictional or non-fictional characters. But it is equally important to properly cast the right composer.

A good composer should be able to embrace and combine all sorts of different styles of music, but every composer is different. Even among well experienced professional composers, styles can vary dramatically.

It's not just about getting a "good" composer; it's also about getting the "right" composer for a particular project. When I'm being considered for a project, I always ask myself, "Is this a story I can personally relate to and be passionate about?" and "Do I hear the music in my head that would help tell this story?"

Then I usually offer to score a short scene for the client. Depending on what stage the production is in, I might be scoring to picture, script or treatment. If the client loves the cue, then we continue discussion leading up to actually scoring the film. If the client doesn’t love the cue, I may do a revision (if I'm a little off). Then again, I may not be the "right" choice to complement the producer's vision for their story. Music is so subjective and has such power over the emotions that it is really important for the composer/director relationship to be a good fit.

WORKING RELATIONSHIP

Finally, once hired, both the composer and client need to be mindful and sensitive to the following:

• Realistic production deadlines
• Session logistics
• Interaction with audio post (music and sound design should complement not compete with each other)
• Scheduling concerning everything from orchestra/session players to final mix-dub stage dates
• Final music delivery formats and platforms

It is the job of both composer and client to be "in sync" with each other. When I am hired to score a project, one of the first things scheduled is a "spotting session." That's where the client(s) and I sit down together and watch a time coded "burn in" video file of the film, scene by scene, and discuss their ideas and my thoughts for the project, musically speaking.

This is a standard part of the process, yet I am constantly surprised how many young, fresh out of film school directors have never gone through (or even heard of) this process.

Next, we discuss session dates, delivery dates, formats and – of course – final mix. As a composer, if you can be present at the final mix, do so. You may be the only person in the room representing the music side of the mix. Some directors are leery about allowing the composer in the room during the mixing stage because they feel that the composer may constantly want louder music in the mix.

But this is where having a more holistic approach to music scoring really helps. If you see your score as part of the story telling process, and not just a platform to promote your music, then you as the composer will have a completely different attitude about this final process.

After hearing all the elements brought together and realizing that something was unnecessary or distracting, I have surprised at least one director by occasionally suggesting that he lower or even remove a cue. This may sound strange, but – as a composer – I am most pleased with my work when people are emotionally moved and entertained by the entire performance. I would rather they enjoy the full, final project, rather than remember all the great music in a film. I would much rather hear, "What a great movie!" than "I loved the music, but what was the movie about?"

As a Christian, I see the gift God has given me as an opportunity to serve others, in helping them tell the stories He has given them. To paraphrase Eric Liddell, "When I compose, I sense God's pleasure."

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