From Silence to Score: The Joys of Film Composition

I love scoring films. Music has a major impact on how we interpret and feel movies, and creating music that elicits those responses is very rewarding. Like all art, though, film scoring has its unique challenges and requires a strong amount of problem solving. It’s my goal with this post to give insight into how I typically approach the scoring process and the problems I face.

My primary source of inspiration comes from film scores. I’ve compiled a 31-hour playlist of film and television music that I use as inspiration, so there’s definitely too many to name here. However, my biggest inspirations are probably Nicholas Britell, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hans Zimmer, and Max Richter. I watch and listen to film scores to learn how they’re used and constructed, but all genres of music are sources of inspiration for many different reasons, too. There’s many things to learn from all kinds of music, including music I don’t particularly enjoy, that I can bring into my own compositions.

Photo by Caleb Grogan © 2025

When I first approach scoring, I watch the film in its entirety one time before writing anything. I try to take in the film as an audience member but I also take into account where silence is useful. When I watch the film a second time I’ll begin accompanying the score with some improvisational piano. At this point I start looking for beats to hit and certain sounds that might work. I’ll try things with different melodies, harmonies, octaves, articulations, etc. My goal here is to see what might fit. Sometimes the piano won’t be useful and I’ll instead start improvising with a different instrument. The third time I watch the film I’ll begin composing and fleshing out ideas.

As far as instrumentation is concerned, discussions with the director and inspirational pieces can help me get a sense of what might work. I try not to pay too much attention to what’s conventional, but I’m also intent on achieving what the director wants and what the story needs. I won’t lock myself into a certain instrumentation until later on in the writing process to keep all possible avenues of writing open initially.

There are many challenges that I face throughout the scoring process, too, though it changes with each film. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right sound and I’ll write something and delete it the next day. That process can repeat for a while. Finding good melodies, motifs, and/or atmosphere can be tricky. The key for me is to not get attached to what I write and to take breaks as I go. Eventually I find what works.

Ultimately, I think film composing is different to being a “normal” composer. My job is to adhere to what the story needs and what directors and producers want. Meeting with the director face-to-face is very helpful for me to learn what their vision is. More often than not the filmmaker won’t know how to describe the music they want, so it’s also my job to act as a musical interpreter and adviser. Directors and producers do have the final say, but good constructive feedback and trust usually leads to a good score.

Alec Cassidy