Imagine Jaws without its iconic theme – suddenly it’s much less terrifying. Or the MCU’s superheroes saving the universe unaccompanied by a soundtrack – would the action seem nearly as epic? Music has a very special place in storytelling and suggesting emotion for a viewer. It can create that edge-of-your-seat tension; a certain song can bring in a rush of romance, or make you feel suddenly sad. There are classical orchestral pieces that have been used in so many different ways that you feel an instant connection to them – and you’ll bring that connection to the scene that’s using it now. In short: music is an emotional language.
Contents
- Music makes the movies
- Hook your audience – fast – the art of the trailer
- Music to drive action and emotion
- What is sync?
- Why do I need a music licence?
- Music to make standout content
Music Makes the Movies
Think of some iconic films and their soundtracks: Star Wars, Psycho, Tim Burton’s movies. Movies, trailers and their soundtracks have always gone together – right from the Silent Movie days, when there’d be a piano player at the front of the cinema to accompany the action and ramp up the emotion. Music acts as a subtle guide for the audience in how to feel, whether the stars on screen are battling in a galaxy far, far away, or one of the characters has a broken heart, just at the point they thought they had everything they ever longed for.
Hook Your Audience - Fast
Trailer tracks in particular, whether for TV or film, have to build an atmosphere – and anticipation – fast. They need to fit the genre, from action to horror, suspense to romance or excitement to intrigue.
For a trailer, you’ll need to apply a structure, via the music, to enable you to tell the story quickly alongside the visuals. If you take a look at the best trailers, the music will feature:
Intro//Build-up//Climax I//Climax II//Outro
This music might be just one track, which moves through these gradual peaks, or it could be two or more tracks, ebbing and flowing to initiate the moods and high points.
As of 2023, the teaser trailer for Spider-Man: No Way Home from 2021 was the most-watched movie trailer within 24 hours of release.
The trailer builds from a very low-key, quiet start to some huge slams to establish tension and excitement, and then brings in part of the iconic Spiderman theme right at the end to seal the deal.
Marvel Studios are experts in cutting together smaller, more emotional moments and the big, action-filled sequences with the music to match in their trailers – Avengers: Endgame became one of the most anticipated movies of all time and its trailer notched up over 157 million views, using hybrid orchestral music for the soundtrack:
The trailer for Jordan Peele’s horror smash, Us, takes a different route, using a heavily re-worked version of a track that appears in the film, Luniz’s ‘I Got 5 On It’. Slowed down, stripped back, full of echo and with the cello ramped up, the track that the family are happily singing along to in the opening scene becomes sinister and ramps up the tension, alongside the rapid editing and increasing threat.
For both film and TV trailers, you need to match the music to your audience, as well as the content – as with this Netflix trailer for Heartstopper 2, which uses upbeat pop to connect to its fanbase:
With the rise in teaser trailers, followed some weeks or months later by the longer, ‘official’ trailer, entertainment brands need to source more music in order to keep things fresh. Check out our handpicked trailer playlists to generate anticipation and elevate your content to ‘must-see’ status.
Music to Drive Action and Emotion
Music can affect everything from how you perceive a character (love interest, villain… or maybe both?), to a situation – upbeat or sinister, edge-of-your-seat thrilling or out-of-this-world, funny or frightening?
Watch this witty explainer for some great illustrations on how changing up the music can alter how you feel about characters and scenes:
Major big-screen brands like Pixar, Marvel, Mission: Impossible and James Bond have a recognizable sound when it comes to their music – and they use it expertly.
It’s worth studying these big budget brands to see how they choose and use their music so effectively to promote their content, and to tap into both their audiences’ emotions, and their recall for the previous films and TV series to produce that ‘must watch/must have’ feeling for the new product.
While not everyone can get Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman or John Williams on board to write a unique, orchestral soundtrack for them, we have the next best thing. Lorne Balfe, a composer who’s worked alongside Zimmer and created soundtracks for the Mission: Impossible films, has curated a collection to bring you the real sound of Hollywood. The tracks span everything from psychological thrillers to otherworldly adventures, together with the kind of epic themes that give blockbusters their big screen presence.
What Is Sync?
So, now you know why you need music for your TV or movie projects, let’s look at how to get it. If you don’t have the budget to commission a composer, you’ll want to search out some sync tracks. ‘Sync’ is shorthand for a music licence that’s granted to synchronise (‘sync’) music with some kind of content. That could be anything from films to TV shows, ads to video games, YouTube content to podcasts or radio dramas and movie trailers.
Why Do I Need a Music Licence?
The rights to a piece of music are usually owned by a record label and/or the composer or songwriter. If you don’t have a licence to use the music, then you can be fined, or your content can be taken down on platforms such as YouTube because of copyright infringement.
When you purchase a music licence, the contract will look at how the track’s being used, how much of the track you’re using, and whether it’s used as background music, or as a title track during the credits, etc. Licensing big names or tracks can be very expensive, so if you’re working to a limited budget, you can turn to dedicated music libraries.
Companies such as Audio Network, which own the rights to their music, take the stress out of licensing. You know that whatever track you choose from the catalogue, it’s fully licensed, and you won’t have to worry about take-downs or fines.
Instead of having to negotiate with labels or artists, it’s ‘one click’ licensing, which makes the whole process very straightforward – no matter what content you’re creating. Audio Network have hundreds of thousands of tracks to choose from. Our hand-picked playlists make finding music to license quick and easy, whether it’s for TV programmes, advertising, digital entertainment or branded content. Plus, we have collections, from orchestral to hip hop, and regular new releases of high quality, original music in any genre, to suit every mood.
Music to Make Standout Content
Now you’ve seen how much impact music can bring to your TV or film content, from emotion to reinforcing brand awareness, be inspired by the best orchestral movie soundtracks, how drama and music take each other to new heights, from Titanic to Parasite, together with deep dives on hit TV soundtracks such as Wednesday and Sex Education.
Need Music for Your Project?
At Audio Network we create original music, of the highest quality, for broadcasters, brands, creators, agencies and music fans everywhere. Through clear and simple licensing, we can offer you a huge variety of the best quality music across every conceivable mood and genre. Find out how we can connect you with the perfect collaborator today by clicking the button below!
