This integrated music and technology chapter, the first in a two-chapter study of media scoring, begins by introducing production workflows related to using locked picture in the DAW. Related topics include video synchronization basics, importing/exporting video files into the digital audio workstation, and industry-standard visual cues used for synchronization such as punches and streamers. The chapter then proceeds to illustrate common methods for scoring hit points in multimedia productions; to this end, sequencing in non-standard meters is discussed, as well as realizing meter and tempo changes in the DAW. The chapter concludes with a survey of short-form pieces that are commonly used in advertisements, including sonic brands and jingles.
Figures
17.1 SMPTE timecode within a Pro Tools session17.2 Locked markers in Logic Pro17.3 Create Marker Set from Scene Cuts function in Logic Pro17.4 Using changing meter to force a marker to a downbeat in Cubase
17.5 Using a tempo change to force a marker to a downbeat in Cubase
Flashcards
Click on the word to get the definition
FPS
short for Frames Per Second, a frame rate that indicates the number of still images that are presented within the space of a second in a video.
interlaced
a term that refers to frames within a video that are divided into odd and even partitions of alternating, horizontal segments and are played back-to-back at a rate that is so fast that the mind perceives the alternating images to be joined into a singular whole.
NTSC
short for the National Television Standards Committee, which was established in the United States to standardize frame rates in television broadcasts and ensure that broadcasts did not suffer from interference.
SMPTE timecode
a standard timecode used in audio and video production that was developed by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers in the 1960s to allow producers, editors, and engineers to reference extremely specific timepoints within a project.
drop frame
one type of SMPTE timecode that involves the periodic skipping of timecode seconds in order to address the disparity between the timecode (which runs at 30 FPS) and NTSC video (which runs at 29.97 FPS).
progressive-scan
a standard format for film, which involves non-interlaced still images that are typically presented at a rate of 24 frames per second or higher.
marker
an indicator that is added to a DAW session in order to visually emphasize an important timepoint.
spotting notes
spreadsheets or other documents that are used in commercial scoring scenarios in order to provide specific start and stop times for individual cues, along with the precise length and brief description of each scene.
spotting session
a collective viewing of a video project by the director, composer, and potentially other individuals involved in the production with the purpose of generating spotting notes for the composer to use while scoring the project.
hit point
a marked location of visual and/or musical emphasis within a production.
changing meter
a type of meter whose cardinality (number of beats) and/or beat division type (simple or compound) is not consistent.
asymmetrical meter
a meter whose beats are of different lengths.
riser
a synthesized sound or composed instrumental passage that builds tension leading up to a hit point.
stinger
in music for media, a sudden burst of musical emphasis that is designed to surprise the audience.
button
a concluding musical gesture used to wrap up a scene or mark a logo at the end of a commercial.
bed
a consistent-sounding instrumental background accompaniment for dialogue and/or sound effects that does not draw attention to itself.
sonic brand
an audible counterpart to a visual branding, which helps a company conjoin a memorable soundbite with a product or service.
jingle
a short, catchy song that functions as an expanded version of a sonic brand in tying a memorable piece of music with a product or service.
earworm
a colloquialism used in music for media that describes an extraordinarily memorable segment of music.
