Film and television may be visual media, but they are highly enhanced and dependent on music.
imagine Star Wars There is no iconic score. Or how different types of music (or no music at all) affected iconic scenes Lord of the Rings. Imagine those iconic scenes free There is no soundtrack. music really make These scenes are iconic.
But how do screenwriters influence the combination of visuals and music in the scripts they write? How do they use music in the screenwriting process?
Here, we address these issues by offering three ways you should and should no Use music in your writing.
3 Ways You Shouldn’t Use Music in Your Screenplay
let us start with what no Do it.
1. Don’t use songs as material
This is copyright infringement – plain and simple. Often the rights to a song must be purchased before it can be adapted into a film.
This involves obtaining copyright or licensing depending on how the song is to be used, and usually consists of two main components:
- Creative rights (publication rights): These cover the basic makeup of a song (lyrics and music). Whoever holds the publishing rights, whether it’s the songwriter or the music publisher, must allow the song to be adapted into a film. This is crucial if the song forms the basis of the film’s narrative or is referenced in an important way.
- Master recording rights: If a filmmaker wishes to use the original recording of a song (the exact version made by the artist), they need to obtain the mastering rights from the entity that owns the actual recording (usually the record label).
If it is a movie based on a song (Alice’s Restaurant, purple rainor billie joe carol), the filmmaker must negotiate with the songwriter and/or his distributor to obtain the rights to adapt the song’s narrative into a feature-length film.
In some cases, especially older songs, the music may have entered the public domain (after a certain number of years), meaning no one has exclusive rights to the song, so the filmmakers don’t need to purchase the rights to adapt it.
However, most 20th century popular songs are still protected by copyright.
This may sound silly (“Who would do that?”) but trust me, I’ve seen it all in my time as a studio script reader and screenwriting mentor.
Read more: Screenwriting Notes on Intellectual Property
“Daisy Jones and the Six” (2023)
2. Try not to reference specific music and songs in your scripts
You may know the lyrics, songs, singers, and bands mentioned in the script, but script readers (professional script readers, development executives, producers, assistants, interns, managers, agents, and even talent like actors and directors ) may not be familiar with them.
If I were to write a scene description:
Kurt walked into his apartment with sad and defeated eyes. He opened up his tape collection and put in Pearl Jam’s single “Jeremy” But instead of playing a classic hit, he played the B-side of the tape and collapsed on the couch.
I probably know what’s going on because I’m a huge Pearl Jam fan. You probably know that too. We all probably know that amazing song “Yellow Ledbetter”” It was never officially released on the album, but debuted as the B-side to the single “Jeremy”.
But what if readers don’t know?
You have now alienated them from the scene. They can’t hear the music because they don’t know the references. And, no, they won’t take the time to Google what the hell you’re talking about.
While there’s no official rule that says you can’t reference iconic music in your script, you always want to avoid readers not understanding your reference.
You’ll notice that most successful scripts that include musical knowledge are written by authors (directors who also write the script), and authors have more freedom than screenwriters because they both write and direct the film.
3. You may not be able to obtain the copyright to the song
This is reality. You might have a vision of writing an amazing script that uses iconic music—or just specific music from certain artists—as a vehicle to tell the story, but all you’re really doing is writing yourself into a hole .
Just say you Do Get the script into the hands of studio executives. Most studios have or are signed with a specific music label/library. They may not be able to copyright the songs you quote or use in your narrative.
Sadly, as screenwriters, it’s not our job to decide what music to use in a screenplay adaptation.
“Pulp Fiction” (1994)
3 Ways to Use Music in Screenwriting
Don’t worry. Just because you can’t decide which music to use in the final screenplay adaptation doesn’t mean you can’t embrace music in your screenwriting process.
Music is a very effective way to get you into the right frame of mind and state to write a scene. You can do this in three ways.
1. Find your temp score before you start writing
Before I start writing any script I sign on for, I find temp tracks.
the term temporary track Taken from the post-production process of filmmaking, editors and music supervisors assign temporary scores to films late in the editing process, when the filmmakers are preparing to show early cuts of the film to the powers that be or even test audiences.
The music is from stock tracks that the studio has or that they are allowed to use (at least in most cases).
You can do the same thing during your writing process and find music that you can attach to the visualization of each scene. The temp tracks you listen to while writing your script can help you enhance your visualizations to convey your ideas into the words you write in your scene descriptions.
2. Try using film scores to create tone and atmosphere in your writing
A movie soundtrack is the theme music that accompanies a movie’s visual effects. The soundtrack uses no spoken or sung lyrics – it’s all instrumental (with some exceptions, of course).
When you’re looking for temp tracks for your writing process, try your best to find atmospheric music rather than using super iconic tracks like John Williams’ compositions.
Iconic themes such as Star Wars…
Superman…
There’s even an Indiana Jones theme song Lost Ark Guide…
…. Relying too much on iconic visuals fails to create a more original tone and atmosphere for your story and characters.
Instead, opt for a more atmospheric movie soundtrack.
You can even choose a specific soundtrack track for a specific scene you’re writing. I do this a lot in my homework.
3. Listen to specific music to connect with your character, place, and era
While you shouldn’t always put specific songs in your script (see above), you can use songs to shed light on a character’s thoughts, the geography of the setting, and the era of the story.
If you were writing a World War II story about a group of American soldiers training, you might listen to something like this:
If you’re writing about characters from the 1970s, you can listen to a playlist covering the biggest hits of the era:
This is for your use only. However, listening to music can be a valuable tool for creating movies in your mind. Each scene needs to be imagined in your mind (and ears) first. When you do this, you can more easily communicate your vision and cinematic intent to script readers.
Read more: 5 trademarks of Quentin Tarantino movies
Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.
As a production writer, he participated in numerous studio meetings with companies such as Sony, DreamWorks, Universal Pictures, Disney, Warner Bros., and numerous production and management companies. He previously signed a development deal with Lionsgate and has taken on various writing assignments, including producing the miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Hayley Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric Larsa and Bruce Bucklina star in the thriller Hunter’s Creed, as well as many Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @ken电影 and Instagram @KenMovies76.
