Research Proposal: Submission/Next Steps

Today I submitted my research proposal, containing an introduction to my project, the aims and objectives previously discussed in this blog, the literature review also previously discussed in this blog and the selected methodologies I will use to achieve the aims and objectives of the project. Now that this is over I can start to think about the practical side of my project. I plan on exploring some production techniques identified in the literature review, more specifically the use of "temp tracks" and "mock-ups"

Research Proposal: Literature Review

Part of the approaching research proposal hand in requires us to carry out a literature review; the purpose of a literature review is to identify existing literature relevant to the projects aim. This involves identifying suitable information and discussing the various agreeing/contradicting view points surrounding it.

If the literature review is carried out properly it can be used again in the final dissertation, however it is important to consider that there is a chance that the aim of my project may change slightly and it is likely that as research progress's I will uncover more relevant and/or suitable literature. 

For the past two weeks I have been gathering information from various sources related to my project; I chose to gather this information in the format of responses to key questions surrounding my projects aim. These questions then became headings for each section in the literature review. I have copied and pasted the literature review I intend to submit with my final research proposal below:

Literature Review

Introduction

There are numerous sources that discuss the creation process of musical score for film; this literature review intends to explore the most common themes and questions presented: How can modern technology assist the creation of film score and what technologies are available? How can a composer communicate ideas and remain in control of the project whilst working with other musicians? How can emotional peaks be identified? And how do composers work to time checks? These themes are reported in several contexts however this paper will explore them in relation to the creation of a practical framework for the production of film scores, for music and sound practitioners inexperienced in composing and producing music for film. 

How can modern technology assist the creation of film score?

When considering the creation of film score from the viewpoint of music and sound practitioners inexperienced in composition and production of music the available technology must be investigated.

According to Marc Schonbrun (2004) due to gradually decreasing equipment cost and technological developments, relevant to home studio music production, the past few years have seen a significant increase of people opting to record at home rather than in a professional music studio. Schonbrun goes on to claim that the development in computer technology made it more freezable to run audio production software and that home studio recording software is popular due to the fact it is easy to use and relatively inexpensive. Gouzouasis (2005) states that music technologies are pushing the traditional boundaries of what constitutes audio composition and are challenging the notions of the abilities and skills need to learn to compose music. This idea that modern software is an easier and more cost effective method of producing music is highly backed in the following statement regarding home production software, GarageBand (Apple Computers 2013) 

“The new GarageBand is a whole music creation studio inside your Mac — complete with keyboard, synths, orchestral and percussion instruments, presets for guitar and voice, an entirely redesigned sound library and virtual session drummers. A beautiful and intuitive interface makes it easy to learn, play, record and create greatsounding songs. And you can share your hits worldwide with just a few clicks. It’s never been easier to make music like a pro. Even if you’ve never played a note. “  

Rona (2006) agrees with these theories to an extent claiming that orchestration samples can be effective in relaying ideas to directors however samples cannot truly express all that can be created using a real orchestra and that simulating an orchestra is hard to do well and easy to do poorly. 

These viewpoints focusing on the development of modern technology highlight that there is a strong belief that modern technology can effectively assist the creation of music from an inexperienced point of view; yet working with musicians is recommended to create a more realistic score, it seems important to consider Rona’s (2006) viewpoint whilst trying to narrow the gap between professional and home recording projects.

How can an inexperienced composer communicate ideas and remain in control of the project whilst working with other musicians? 

In order for an inexperienced music and sound practitioner to remain in control of the film score creation process they must find a way to successfully communicate their ideas to recording engineers and musicians and also remain in control of the musical performance.  Davis (2000) discusses the creation of “Temp Tracks”, this is the process –conducted by the films music editor - of selecting pieces of already existing music and applying them to an otherwise empty film in order to give test audiences and studio executives an idea of what the film will feel like. Ronald H.Sadoff  (2006) also recognizes the music editor’s creation of a temp track as part of the film score creation process stating that producers consider temp tracks essential. The creation of a temp track appears to be a good way for inexperienced practitioners to communicate their creative ideas however Sobel, Ron, and Dick Weismann (2008) claim that a musical supervisor must have a wide knowledge of music and a passion for musical research. This is backed by the Berklee College of music (2013) who heavily emphasize that a music editor must possess a great musical sensitivity and an awareness of how music can make or break a dramatic scene. Richard Davis (2000) also discusses “Mock-ups”. The term “Mock- Ups” relates to the process of creating early versions of film cues and score through use of MIDI. “This is a rough version of the cue recorded with synthesizers and samplers to produce the sounds that eventually will be a real orchestra” Davis (2000), as discussed previously by Rona (2006) orchestration samples are effective to an extent but cannot highlight the capabilities of an orchestra. Furthermore Rona (2006) considers the next stage of production - taking mock ups to an orchestra - discussing the film composer’s role and their need to control an orchestra; Rona states that for some, conducting is a life-long study, and is an art form in itself requiring knowledge, musicality and practice. It appears an inexperienced practitioner can control the scores direction to an extent using methods such as temp tracks and mock ups, yet a system of working with musicians needs to be established in order to control the transmission from Midi orchestrated projects to real orchestra performances. 

How can emotional peaks be identified?

“What you’re trying to do is capture the spirit of a picture. And that means sometimes you go contrary to what’s on the screen, and sometimes you go with what’s on the screen. It’s a matter of instinct; if your instincts are good it’s going to work for you. – David Raskin Davis (2000)

Davis (2000), Neumeyer and Buhler (2001) discusses the term “Spotting”, saying that in the early stages of composition a composer receives what is know as a locked version of the film to examine, after this a composer is asked to attend a spotting meeting in which the producer, director and composer discuss how music should be used in the film. Davis goes on to explain what elements are discussed, for example where the music will begin and end for each cue, what the music will sound like and what role it will play in relation to the drama.  Similarly in an interview with Adam Smalley, Rona (2006) examines what takes place in a spotting session. Smalley supports Davis’s claim stating that the director, composer and music editor sit down with a cut of the film and decide where the emotional moments are additionally Smalley goes on to say that once he begins composing he will use a set of spotting notes in order to recall any specific emotions the director conveyed, additionally Karlin and wright (2004) state that spotting can be a time consuming process if the temp track does not provide the director with strong preconceptions. Spotting meetings appear to be an extremely effective method of identifying emotional peaks, however the literature examined states that it is the job of the music editor to attend these meetings, as previously discussed a music editor must have sufficient skill and musical knowledge; if the user has no way of identifying emotions the compositional ideas will come mainly from directors and producers causing the user to loose control of the project. 

How do composers work to time checks?

In order for a composer to create music of correct length they must work using some kind of system. Spotting notes appear to be the first stage of this system Davis (2000) states that using the more general spotting notes a music editor creates what are known as timing notes, which are detailed descriptions of each scene with corresponding timings. From these timing notes a music editor creates a master cue sheet. A master cue sheet contains detailed timings down to a hundredth second, which allows music to be synced accurately. Yet when discussing the various roles of a music editor (the creation of cue sheets included) Adam Smalley (Rona, 2006) says that in lower budgeted films the need for a music editor is less, usually (lower budgeted films) are broken down into spotting, composing and dubbing. Davis (2000) discusses dubbing as a major technological advance that allows the director or to control where music and sound effects will be placed.  Karlin and wright (2004) also talk about the dubbing process, highlighting that composers are rarely involved in this part of production; they state that it is unusual for composers to have any final say in where score is placed.  It appears there are relatively mixed view points when it come to the placement of score in film; initially it seemed the music editors and composers selected where audio was placed but further research contradicted this by stating that composers are rarely involved in the dubbing process. 

Conclusion

Research conducted highlights there is a large body of relevant literature related to the creation of a practical framework for the production of film scores, for music and sound practitioners inexperienced in composing and producing music for film. Yet there are several large gaps, the literature discusses the numerous steps taken in order to create film score yet these are mainly discussed in a professional manner, there does not appear to be a lot of formal literature relevant to inexperienced practitioners.