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Music & Scripts

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Colmforest

I'm a bit of a music fan, and have found that listening to certain types of song help inspire me to write a scene in a certain way. However, is it my place as a screen writer to make suggestions about what songs should be used for certain descriptive settings or montages?

I refer specifically to the inspiration surrounding a scene in a screenplay I've written that has a lazy wake-up scene at the start, which I always imagined to be played to a certain song by Led Zepplin. Needless to say it would be unlikely I'd ever get to use that song per-say, but it would be more the style of song rather than the song itself. The song would play much in the same way that "I've got you babe" would play as the wake-up alarm in Groundhog Day.

I feel the song (or one similar) would set the tone for the scene - but is it my place to make that suggestion?

Ta!

CC
 
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You found that listening to certain types of songs help inspire
you to write a scene. Does reading the title of that song help
inspire you? Because that's all that's happeing to the reader;
they are reading the title of a song. A song they may not even
know.

Here's what you do: when you are sitting in the room with the
producer and director (hey it COULD happen) during a production
meeting you can suggest the song you like for a scene. And you
can hope that four or five months later when the producer and
director are sitting with the music supervisor and editor they
remember what the writer said in that meeting.
 
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Even though my question was slightly rhetorical I'm
interested to know your answer.

As a bit of a music fan, do you get the same feeling
reading the title of a song as you do listening to the
song? What if you don't know the song?
 
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Interesting first question. Perhaps their is a subtlety or irony to it that I am missing - if so, I can only bow down as a N00b and accept that I have been outwitted by the seasoned veterns of this forum!

In the meantime, I'll have to give you the polite answer to the literal interpretation of what you are asking:

"I am more inspired by the song itself, not the four-worded title."


As for your second question:

"I don't know."

Perhaps it was the somewhat flipant crafting of my question that was my downfall, but I suppose I was looking for some sort of guidance with regards how I would go about suggesting a potential song that would help set the tone for a scene. However, being a novice, I wasn't even sure it was my place to do so as a mere words-on-a-page merchant. I suppose the inspiration behind my construction of the events in my head was somewhat guided by the song that I had in my head at the time, and so thought it may work for others.

Your advice was helpful, and I have made the adjustment in my script as a result. Thanks!
 
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I’m sorry, Colmforest. I didn’t mean to give you the impression I
was trying to outwit you. I’m a curious guy and very interested
in what my fellow writers are doing and how they write. The
motivation of writers is something I’m interested in.

I apologize.
 
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Colmforest said:
Perhaps it was the somewhat flipant crafting of my question that was my downfall, but I suppose I was looking for some sort of guidance with regards how I would go about suggesting a potential song that would help set the tone for a scene. However, being a novice, I wasn't even sure it was my place to do so as a mere words-on-a-page merchant. I suppose the inspiration behind my construction of the events in my head was somewhat guided by the song that I had in my head at the time, and so thought it may work for others.
Click to expand...

i type music a few different ways. im yet to make a film but im intending to and i write the queues more for myself than anything.

i use the jukebox a couple times and have characters react. one scene a character plays the guitar and sings a song to his buddies. another is a montage scene, someone hits the jukebox and the guys kind of jam to the song and then i go into this format:

Movie Montage
1) Blah blah blah
2) bluuuuuuh

and in the montage (im aware its very probable that this song wont be used as its very high profile, but one of the possibilities im considering is making an independent soundtrack to go along, so i can tailor whatever song is made for the scene to fit its needs) there is an explosion, queued where a pause in the song hits, and then the action starts as the music kicks back in.

so i even noted that point in the script as well.

for one music scene i just typed the lyrics out as the characters quietly listened to the song before they react.

im not sure if this was helpful, im kinda stoned, but i write with the mind that im going to be directing the movie myself, so im writing in the way that helps me visualize best. but the marketability of my script is not a major concern to me(at least in the idealistic present), so maybe dont listen to me.

back to my rant. sometimes i get a great idea for a song to be playing when somethings going on, so i play the song and just try to let the scene unwind. i think it works pretty well, and the scenes arent really reliant on the particular song.

the end.
 
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directorik said:
I’m sorry, Colmforest. I didn’t mean to give you the impression I
was trying to outwit you. I’m a curious guy and very interested
in what my fellow writers are doing and how they write. The
motivation of writers is something I’m interested in.

I apologize.
Click to expand...


No apology necessary my friend, a simple misunderstanding is all!


@ Draft

Your technique is quite useful for when a song has a direct consequence to the scene for sure, but I suppose mine was definetely more based on the mood and tone of the scene rather than the importance of the song itself.


To elaborate further, I figured that the montage of a depressed young man waking up and going to a dead-end job would be nicely captured by the tone of this particular song. Of course, the music alone would not be enough to represent this, and so his languid actions and wake-up routine would supplement the song, but I suppsoe as a man who is inspired heavily by music, I felt it would be worthwhile to mention.

Of course, Rik raises the valid point that my suggestion amounts to little more than words on a page, and the liklihood is that the reader is not going to recognise the song, thus making the suggestion near pointless!
 
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It's not pointless; you're fully engaged in the process of discovery. Discovery of who your characters are. All paths to the discovery of your characters are valid. Keep in mind, though, that if your script will wholly rely on an outside element (song, prop, location) for us to know who your character is you probably don't know him well enough yet. Writing is hard; writing screenplays is extremely hard. The important thing is to keep driving forward. And I encourage you to write and to have your written scripts made into films. I've found that making my movies has drastically improved my writing...sometimes I don't know what works and what doesn't until I see it. Excelsior!
 
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Music rarely has an influence on my storytelling anyway. In fact when I look at one of my scripts I often don't imagine a soundtrack. And if there is music (like "JOHN turns on the radio") usually I don't bother picking a song simply for copyright reasons and the fact that the royalties for the Led Zeppelin song I had in mind for that scene would probably be about half as much as the whole budget (I'm thinking from my micro budget perspective).

So instead what I'll do is specify the type of music playing from the copyrighted "Whole Lotta Love" to simply "HARD ROCK SONG" or "CLASSIC ROCK SONG" and figure it out when it comes to that time in post.

The only script I've read that had a band name or song written in the screenplay was the script for "Deep Rising", and that was on a bigger budget than I can muster up and they can pay the royalties for using those songs in it.
 
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Aye, the more I flesh it out, the more I realise that to actually pick a song is ambitious at best, dillusional and amateurish at worst. Led Zepplin are apparently notoriously picky with who they let use their stuff too, so to choose them is another battle altogether.

Generic muzak, once again I turn to you for entertainment, much like I do whilst I wait to get my teeth scraped at the dentist.
 
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theres a million classic rock songs with different rhythms and tones, so saying classic rock song playing doesnt really do much for me. but like i said, im an idealistic 'amateur' and at this point i value my own creativity more than i value professional norms and whatnot.
 
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If I had to use popular music in my film, I would rather find a similar sounding local/unsigned band or hope/pray my film gets picked up by a distributor and let it slip to them what song you want playing in "scene x".
 
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I don't even know where I'd be as a writer if I didn't have music to inspire me. The best personal example I can recall is getting an entire screenplay out of the Bob Dylan song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest." What's interesting to me about that is how I'm not even sure the script in any direct way references the song. It just gave me my own personal imagery to kick around in my head, and a script eventually rose from that. There might be some similarities beneath the surface, but it definitely wasn't a matter of sitting down and writing a direct film version of that song.

A lot of my writing is influenced by music (and films, books, etc), not just the screenwriting. My fiction and poetry both very often draw from music.

I don't think there's anything wrong with a dream playlist for your film. I just don't think it would be a good idea to live and die by that playlist.

Still, don't think it won't ever happen. It's certainly in the realm of possibility.
 
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My first movie, called Detonation Point, centered on the search for a magical mixtape that could make your car travel back in time to your youth. When I sent the final script to the actors and DP, I also enclosed a mix CD of songs that may have been on the tape in the script, to sort of set the tone I wanted the film to take. We were all new, so every bit of inspiration helped.
 
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barnaclelapse said:
I don't even know where I'd be as a writer if I didn't have music to inspire me. The best personal example I can recall is getting an entire screenplay out of the Bob Dylan song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest." What's interesting to me about that is how I'm not even sure the script in any direct way references the song. It just gave me my own personal imagery to kick around in my head, and a script eventually rose from that. There might be some similarities beneath the surface, but it definitely wasn't a matter of sitting down and writing a direct film version of that song.

A lot of my writing is influenced by music (and films, books, etc), not just the screenwriting. My fiction and poetry both very often draw from music.

I don't think there's anything wrong with a dream playlist for your film. I just don't think it would be a good idea to live and die by that playlist.

Still, don't think it won't ever happen. It's certainly in the realm of possibility.
Click to expand...

Nice. Frankie Lee is a good damn song. Weird and vague. Good song to write a screenplay from.
 
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We have several different ideas going on here. All very
interesting. Just to be clear:

My advice is ONLY for a writer hoping to put their script out in
the market place - agents. producers, prodCo’s. It has nothing to
do with the music that inspires a writer to write, a
writer/director making their own movies or how music shapes the
final product.

And PleaseDraftfMe helps make my point with his last post. You
know and like “Frankie Lee”. Now imagine you are a reader and the
writer mentions a song you don’t like. You aren’t going to read
the title and think, “Nice.”, you are going to think, “I hate
that song”. Now you are wondering if the writer has any taste at
all.

What if the writer includes a song you’ve never heard of? That
doesn’t help you visualize a scene because you don’t even know
the song. You need to be cautious regarding this subject.

My only point is the script should be the story and not include
suggestions to the editor (perhaps two years down the process) on
what music you have in mind. I mean, in the two years (or more)
from the time you write until the movie is in post production you
may discover a song that is MUCH better.

As always, if you (the writer) feel you cannot tell your STORY
without the music suggestions in your script, then you must
include them. I’m just saying do it knowing what the accepted
standard is in a spec script.
 
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And I would agree with that. I was just saying that there's nothing wrong with having a dream list and thinking about that dream list when and if the time comes. I probably should have been more clear though on agreeing that it generally shouldn't be anywhere near your script as a general rule (and it wasn't with the personal example I cited).
 
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