THE BASICS

Music for a somber or reflective video will have a moderate to slow tempo, sparse notes, be in a minor key, contain periods of silence, descending passages, and perhaps will modulate to the next lowest key on the circle of fifths: MIRACLE MARINE.

Music for an upbeat video will have moderate to fast tempo, lots of notes, be in a major key, feature ascending passages, and perhaps will modulate to the next highest key on the circle of fifths: DOG SHOW.

Music for an offbeat or quirky video will be weird-cool. No rules! See KALISH and Errol Morris' CRASH TEST DUMMY.

Try to imagine ERROL MORRIS' OSCAR SHORT without music!

ANOTHER DIMENSION

It’s always fun to shift gears and take people to another emotional dimension.

Suddenly the happy video turns reflective, the beat slows, the instruments change and the music shifts to the relative minor key. In other words, sometimes a single video will mix moods and require two pieces of music, like FIXING MR. FIX-IT, which goes from somber to upeat. This WRESTLING VIDEO goes from upbeat, to reflective, then back to upbeat. Whenever there’s a new dimension to your story, the music should reflect that.

See this FLORAL GALLERY as an example of how you can the change mood without changing the subject matter.

There are some projects that need music all the way through, like this look at LEBRON, but I think music works best when it fades in and out or totally stops for a couple beats then returns. Often we don't want “a song” in a video, just musical sounds and passages to set the tone: RIVER IN WINTER.

You certainly don't want the music and the images to fight for viewer attention independently of one another. They must work together so well that, ironically, the viewer hardly notices the music — but take it away and the presentation suffers. If you ever get the chance to see a movie scene with and without its score, you'll know what I mean.

SETTING THE TONE

Nothing sets tone better or faster than music.

Let’s say you’re interviewing someone who was horribly injured FIXING MR. FIX-IT or who has lost a loved one, THE MOTHERS' WAR. They start to tell their story, and the viewer gets some details, picks up on the emotional cues, and in 15 or 20 seconds they start to empathize.

Now, just imagine that even before your subject says one word, a couple of minor chords are heard or some somber notes. In two seconds you’ve set the emotional tone. The viewer is instantly on the right track. Talk about immediate, Dale often sets the tone during the branding sequence: LETTERS TO OBAMA. Dale is a the master of using a chord and a couple notes to put viewers on the exact right emotional wavelength, even as it changes during the course of a presentation: ONPA SHOW 2008.

Without music, viewers are not sure how they’re supposed to feel about the topic until they absorb enough information to understand. Music is immediate. That's especially important when your video lasts only two or three minutes! Some Errol Morris samples below don't last that long!

And please notice how the CRASH TEST DUMMY music tells you in the first second that you're watching something that's funny, quirky, weird and creative. You just know right from the start: That's how music gets people on track in a flash!

MEETING IN THE MIDDLE

The way we work at The Plain Dealer (a lot of the time) is that I sit home and make music, while the photo staff is out shooting. So almost nothing I do will match perfectly; I am working in the dark, guessing and hoping that something will fit, so don’t hesitate to ask for modifications. Changes are almost always necessary.

Also, my music program, LOGIC STUDIO, imports and plays clips, so you can give me a copy of your video, and I can try scoring it. This doesn't mean I would take over the project. My version would come back for your OK. As videographer/producer you always have the final call.

Finally, talk to Dale about how he uses music. He has tons of great insights and suggestions.

So, those are some basic guidelines. Of course, sometimes it's fun to break ALL THE RULES.

MORE ERROL MORRIS SHORTS

STAY CURIOUS. LIGHT. PHOTOBOOTH. PARENTHOOD.
BAM BAM. JUNKYARD. BERNARD.

©jonfobes 2009