What is music actually for?

Music can make something feel exciting. It can make something feel sad. It can make a joke land, a chase feel faster, or a monster seem considerably more alarming than it really is.

But beyond all that, what is music actually for?

One of the biggest misconceptions about composing for film, television and games is that the job is simply to write a great piece of music. It isn’t. The job is to understand the project.

A composer isn’t a recording artist or a concert composer. We work inside somebody else’s creative world. The music may bring its own personality and perspective, but ultimately it needs to feel as though it belongs there. It has to support what the director, producer or developer is trying to achieve.

Over the years I’ve come to think of music working on three different levels.

The first is the obvious one. The character is sad, so the music is sad. The hero wins the battle, so the music becomes triumphant. Something explodes and the orchestra becomes very excited indeed.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this. In animation, particularly, a lot of the score is often doing exactly that. You’re helping tell the story in a direct and immediate way.

The second level is more interesting.

Music can reveal something about a character, a place or a situation that isn’t immediately obvious. It can suggest what’s happening beneath the surface. It can reinforce an atmosphere or a feeling that the audience may not consciously notice, but will certainly feel.

“At it’s best, a score isn’t there simply to accompany a film or a game. It’s there to help tell the story.”

Some of my favourite scores work in this space. They’re not drawing attention to themselves. They’re quietly shaping the emotional world of the project.

Then there’s the deepest level.

This is where the music connects with what the production is really about.

Not the plot.

Not the action.

The idea underneath it all.

What is the story actually trying to say? What is the audience supposed to leave with?

When music operates at this level it becomes part of the foundation of the project rather than simply a reaction to what’s happening on screen.

Not every score needs all three layers. Some projects are almost entirely about energy and entertainment. Others are built around psychology, atmosphere or ideas.

The trick is understanding what the project needs.

That’s why I spend as much time thinking about directors, stories and audiences as I do about harmony, orchestration and technology. The music only really works when it understands the world it’s being written for.

At its best, a score isn’t there simply to accompany a film or a game.

It’s there to help tell the story.

And when that happens, there’s nothing more satisfying.