How Animators Work with Composers

Original music composition helps to lift our students' films to a professional level, as our students learn to collaborate with composers and sound designers to push the level of quality of our film projects.

An original score also helps to avoid problems with copyright music, which can be a barrier to entry in film festival competitions.

So, how do our students work with composers to get the best possible results? 

Start with a Temp Track

You don't want to go to a composer until your picture is "locked" (more on this below), so the trick is start by cutting some music that you like into your animatic.  The director and editor work together to find music that serves the picture, and matches the emotional arc of the story.  

Don't Worry About Copyright

Don't worry about Copyright

At this stage, you are not worried about copyright, you are just using music that works in the context of the film.  You can show this version to your composer, but don't get them to start doing any actual work until your picture is "locked" - which is to say - finished. 

Lock Picture

Once you are finished with the film, and all the animation and rendering is done, you are now "picture locked", meaning that no further changes to the edit will be made. Each shot must stay the same length, the running time must be fixed - no further changes. Now you can give this version of the film to your composer to score the final edit - he or she is now ready to work. 

Why Do Composers Need Picture Lock?
Syncing the music with the picture is one of the biggest challenges that film composers face, and the final short will only work if the music and the visuals are perfectly co-ordinated.  

If you change the edit after the composer has finished their work, then you will make it look as if the composer has not properly analysed the visuals and hasn't scored it well.  Some composers will even ask their music to be removed from the film if it no longer matches the picture.

Film-Making Resources at Animation Apprentice
For more information on the making of animated films, read the blog posts below:

Development & Pre-Production

• How to Make an Animated Film
• Key Creative Roles on an animated film - Who Does What?
• Why Animators Need to Storyboard
• Why Animators Have too Many Cuts
• Audio first, then Animation
• How to Direct Voice Actors

Production

• Why Animators Need to Check Their Hookups
• Why Animators Should test Their Rigs in Close-Up
• Why Animators Should Avoid a Flat Horizon
• Camera always Follows, Never Leads
• Avoid jump cuts
• The 180 degree Rule - Don't "Cross The Line"
• Avoiding "Motion Sickness Camera"
• Don't "Break the 4th Wall"
• Understanding the "Magic Circle" - And How to Stay Inside It
• Why Animation Editors Need "Handles"

Post-Production

• Free music from Moby Gratis
• Why Animators Need Sound Design
• How to use Audio files in Maya
• How to Get Screen Credits Right

To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.