Category: SONGS FOR FILM & TV

Many of today’s hottest TV series, films, and commercials feature songs by unknown artists and songwriters. Learn how to write and pitch to this fast-growing market.

Writing Songs for Film & TV

Movie Slate

Thousands of songs are used in TV shows, films, and commercials each year. For every song that’s placed, many are auditioned—often hundreds—but only one is chosen. And you want that song to be yours.

The song that will get the job is the one that enhances the emotion and memorability of the scene for the viewers. Is a character discovering real love for the first time? The song needs to evoke that feeling of innocence, yearning, and wonder for the audience. Is the film set in a small town in the 1950s? The song needs to make us feel that we’ve traveled back to another time and place.  And the right song can bring the whole thing to life!

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How Is a Lyric Like a Movie Script?

Desmond Child, producer and hit songwriter

Desmond Child, hit songwriter and music producer, put it this way: “The lyric is the script, and you can’t shoot a movie without a script. The score is actually the last part that comes into a movie, in the same way that the music on a record should help bring out the meaning of the lyrics.”

I love Desmond Child’s comparison of a lyric to a movie script. While music truly does have the power to move us emotionally, it’s the lyric that draws us into the song, paints a picture in the mind, makes us identify with the singer or with the people in a situation.

Not the same old story

Like a good movie script, a song has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And a lyric, like a movie script, tells more than just the facts of a story—I met you on Monday, we fell in love on Tuesday; broke up on Wednesday, etc. This doesn’t really work well for today’s listeners – and it’s not enough for movie-goers either.

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Using Loops or Beats in Your Music Tracks

Q & A

I got this question from a very good songwriter in one of my songwriting courses. He was wondering about using loops or beats that are longer than one or two bars. These might consist of an acoustic rhythm guitar playing a 4-bar chord progression or a keyboard, or even a whole band that can be looped to form a song section.

You’ll find these kinds of loops in “construction kits” from Big Fish Audio or websites like Splice. They can be a great way to launch yourself into a song or even a new genre.

My student was asking if it’s okay to pitch song demos using these loops. Will there be a problem with music publishers and Film & TV music libraries? Is it legal? Will he need to tell them what he’s doing?  I’m not a lawyer and I can’t give legal advice (disclaimer, disclaimer) but I do have some thoughts for you if you’re doing this or considering it.

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Universal Lyrics for Film & TV

Songs are used in movies, television series, and commercials to enhance the emotion and memorability of the onscreen action. Instrumental underscore has long been a staple of film and TV, adding drama and emotion to a scene. But when lyrics are added—when a song is used instead of an instrumental—there are extra benefits and a few potential problems.

For example, lyrics that are too specific or feature their own story lines can conflict with the script.  If a song lyric includes a place name, like”I Love Paris,” the viewer could become confused if the scene takes place in New York.

Film and TV music supervisors look for songs with “universal lyrics,” lyrics that won’t conflict with a scene but will enhance the mood or energy.  If you’re planning to pitch your songs to this market, you’ll have a better chance of success if you keep this in mind.

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Raw Sound for a Slick TV Commercial

Here’s a luxury perfume commercial (Dior) that features a Rock song with a raw Indie vibe. The song is “Heavy Cross” by  three-piece Rock band Gossip.

No big synthesizer string pads here, no horns, no orchestra banging in and out. This song for a TV commercial is just raw, good-ol’ Rock energy. Electric guitars create big dynamic contrast between sections and drive the beat. The drums back up the guitar in a tight arrangement that adds plenty of punch. That’s all!

Watch the commercial on YouTube.

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