I remember someone saying they hate it when someone asks for them to make music and describe it as ''FF7-like''. Not only is it vague, but insults a musician by asking them to copy someone elses (Nobo-whasisname). How do you prefer to recieve a description for a request? I''m just wondering the do''s and don''ts here, so I avoid offending (strong word, but you know what I mean ) musicians when asking.

You cannot describe music without referring to something else.
Hardly.

Probably the best way to do it would be to try and describe it, with adjectives, to the best of your ability, then present the name of a piece you know matches closely to what you are trying to achieve.
For instance, a company asked me to make something "Ethnic." With a little back and forth, we settled on trying to approach the feel of a song from Dance Dance Revolution that was based in Indian raga scales, and with something approaching traditional indian instrumentation. Of course, my own style prevailed over everything in the piece we listened to, but it presented a target to shoot for. The next step was to put together a short demo of what was in my head, to make sure we were on the same page. No problems.

This is nothing new, George Lucas, when creating the original Star Wars, had assembles several pieces of classical music that closely approximated the feel he wanted for his characters, and John Williams took it from there.

I am not a musician, and I have ZERO experience in music, but I would simply ask them to give me music to a certain tempo, and whether you want it be classical, jazz, etc. Give them a graphics demo, and tell them to make music that will go along with the scene, and what will be happening in a scene (if the player is going to be attacked, maybe some dark music, that gets faster and faster, similar to how Jaws did theirs, not the same beats, but similar in how it got faster and faster until the shark attacked), or if it''s a wide open field that you''ve just completed a level, have it nice and slow, calming/soothing, etc. Tetris also uses a similar approach.. faster boards have faster tempo music, this helps to put the players mind in the mood that you have to move quickly. The correct, or incorrect, music can make, or break, a game. I would just use descriptions of emotions and tempo speeds to descripe the music I am looking for, that won''t offend anybody, and leaves them open to make their own music, isntead of "copying" someone elses.

"I remember someone saying they hate it when someone asks for them to make music and describe it as ''FF7-like''. Not only is it vague, but insults a musician by asking them to copy someone elses (Nobo-whasisname)."

I know exactly what you mean, but that''s the only way they can communicate what they want when they''re musically inept.

"How do you prefer to recieve a description for a request? I''m just wondering the do''s and don''ts here, so I avoid offending (strong word, but you know what I mean) musicians when asking."

I prefer to be left alone to score something. The programmer/director/lead can offer a few ideas, but they can''t really tell you what you don''t already know (assuming they''ve already sent you the near-complete project). If I myself can''t figure out what the guy is doing, then I might ask for help. It may even take a few tries to get it right.

I feel this gets the best results, but you know these people... they have their own musical taste. Sometimes I''m just surprised they even want an original score.

After watching the extras about the scoring sessions on the Lord of the Rings and Signs DVDs, it''s interesting to see how much tension there is between the composer and director. I usually sense that the director doesn''t like having to hand over his work to this "second-director" at all. They just don’t realize how much the score can enhance their film until the composer actually makes them some good music to go with it. That’s when the director admits to being musically inept.

quote: After watching the extras about the scoring sessions on the Lord of the Rings and Signs DVDs, it''s interesting to see how much tension there is between the composer and director. I usually sense that the director doesn''t like having to hand over his work to this "second-director" at all. They just don’t realize how much the score can enhance their film until the composer actually makes them some good music to go with it. That’s when the director admits to being musically inept.

The problem is, after so much work and effort (Like an individual composer), if the director dislikes this work, that''s been created by the composers initiative, he''ll feel terrible by saying he doesn''t ike it! It''s his job to get the film to be as he envisions it.

quote: After watching the extras about the scoring sessions on the Lord of the Rings and Signs DVDs, it''s interesting to see how much tension there is between the composer and director. I usually sense that the director doesn''t like having to hand over his work to this "second-director" at all. They just don’t realise how much the score can enhance their film until the composer actually makes them some good music to go with it. That’s when the director admits to being musically inept.

I didn''t interpret it that way at all. I perceived that Peter Jackson new exactly how much the score would influence the film, which is why Howard Shore had a couple of years to work on the score for tFotR as opposed to the usual five or six weeks...

quote: The problem is, after so much work and effort (Like an individual composer), if the director dislikes this work, that''s been created by the composers initiative, he''ll feel terrible by saying he doesn''t ike it! It''s his job to get the film to be as he envisions it.

That’s not how it works. In Hollywood, composers are as dispensable as script writers. For example, Alex North didn''t know his score for 2001 wasn''t going to be used until he saw the film at the premiere. That''s why you see the same names scoring all the "big" films...

I''m a right little smart-ass **** tonight, aren''t I?!!

“I didn''t interpret it that way at all. I perceived that Peter Jackson new exactly how much the score would influence the film, which is why Howard Shore had a couple of years to work on the score for tFotR as opposed to the usual five or six weeks...”

Hmm, I don’t think it was that long. I can’t remember exactly how long it took him to compose Fellowship, but he did mention spending four months researching the books, Wagner, etc. Anyway, Shore does this on his own accord without any influence from Peter Jackson (he researches for every movie). If PJ is in the room telling him how to conduct, it’s just for show. In my opinion, the film itself should tell the composer to what degree the score should influence it. For something like Lord of the Rings, the director shouldn’t have to sit you down and say, “Give me opera here! Not jazz! This is Lotr we’re talking about, man!”

“That’s not how it works. In Hollywood, composers are as dispensable as script writers. For example, Alex North didn''t know his score for 2001 wasn''t going to be used until he saw the film at the premiere. That''s why you see the same names scoring all the "big" films...”

First, composers may be dispensable, but good ones aren’t. Rarely does the replacement composer bring in a better score than the one that was rejected, especially if that replacement happens to be some 80s European rock group (damn you, Ridley Scott!) If you want your movie to have a really good score, you get yourself an extremely good composer (because even the best have their bad days). In the end, many directors are amazed by how well the score did for their film, which explains the very minute rejection rate. Spielberg was so overwhelmed by William’s score for ET that he reshot a whole sequence to fit to the music. But even Howard Shore can sometimes be rejected due to the director’s bad taste in music (Ransom). Ennio Morricone too (A Midsummer Nights Dream).

Second, Alex North’s score was disposed of because Kubrick considered himself a “music enthusiast” sort of like the programmers who want FF7 music in their games. He fell in love with the temp tracks. That meant the music Alex North’s score was up against works from Strauss and Mendelssohn.

Third, I don’t understand what you mean by all the same names scoring the big films. It is because composers are dispensable? Actually, you’ll find that its the big-time directors attach themselves to composers quite often. Just name a “big film” director and you may find the same composer by his side on many occasions.

quote: I don’t understand what you mean by all the same names scoring the big films.

I can see why what I said doesn''t make any sense at all!! What I meant was if a composer''s score is crap, the director/studio has absolutely no guilt complex about finding someone else to do it (its a business not happy families). The reason why you see the same names is precisely because their scores are (considered to be) good.

It is a common myth that the music used in 2001 were temp tracks. In reality, their meaning is deeply encoded into the film:

Also Sprach Zarathustra, Richard Strauss. It''s title is the same as a book by Nietzsche, which contains the line "What is ape to man? A laughing-stock, a thing of shame. What is man to Superman? A laughing-stock a thing of shame." This is the key to understanding this film.

Kubrick had to let North do a score because of studio pressure. I''m sure he had absolutely no intention of using it. After all, the man was a total bastard