I wish I had gone to music school. Finding the right music for your production is, for me, one of the most difficult parts of the filmmaking process.
When you get the right track it just...clicks. The mood and feel of the footage captured become even more prominent and the spoken word content becomes more powerful and poignant for the viewer. It also helps with the flow of an edit - for me, a good edit should be a steady uphill stroll, it takes time and effort, but every cut and every decision is a step in the right direction.
For some edits, however, you find yourself reaching dead end after dead end, impassable cliff face followed by untraversable marshland. I find when this is the case, the wrong music track is usually at the heart of all your problems. If you get the wrong track, it can detract hugely from the feel you're trying to create and the messages you're trying to convey.
I find it's usually a good idea to have a track in mind before you start filming, I've even had a track playing in the background of a scene so that everyone knows the feel we're going for. Anything you can do to help blend the audio and the visual will save you time and a headache later down the line.
A music track should reflect your brand, the tone of your film, and drive your story forward. When you tick all three boxes you’re on to a winner, until then, keep searching through your music library and testing out those tracks.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash