This week I have been working on a few bits of score for an upcoming feature film. It is a Swedish/Russian co-production and has been filmed in both countries.

There is a lot to know about composing for film. Some things that come to mind are; mixing levels with calibrated monitoring, frequency response of the playback systems (which will vary from laptop speakers to full range cinema systems) and the general direction that film music demands, serving the film and helping to drive the plot forward.

Mastering, and slamming levels for impressive playback is a total no-no in this scenario, and technicians at broadcasting stations are known to frown when presented with pre-slammed recordings, which sit really poorly with dialogue and background serving as natural reference points. Film is really one of the last  outposts of somewhat natural dynamics, though of course there is a lot of enhanced detail and moment to moment fades going on, to make for an exciting experience.

Just thinking out loud, now back to work.