On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring, Second Edition (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This is a detailed, comprehensive textbook directed at composers and meant to be used in conjunction with videocassettes or films, VCRs with audio-dub capabilities, soundtrack albums, other books, periodicals and trade publications, and advice from experts, 77 of whom are quoted. A "click book" of over 200 pages, used to precisely calculate musical tempos in conjunction with film cues, is included. Highly technical exercises appear with blank staffs for notation, turning part of the book into a workbook. The psychological aspects of film music work are not neglected, however; chapters on creativity and on the interdependence of many people involved in making a film score give good advice. The practical aspects of getting a job in this sector of the music business are also covered. A specialized title for libraries serving composers and film makers.
- Bonnie Jo Dopp, District of Columbia P.L.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

A stupendous book that doesnt scant in offering details about the complex world of the music composition for movies ... It is obligatory reading for the composer that wants to enter the wonderful world of filmscoring. – Audiomidilab, Community of Music Technology

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2 edition (January 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415941369
• ISBN-13: 978-0415941365
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #186,491 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The basic contemporary film-scoring text., December 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring (Hardcover)

An excellent book, and the principal how-to text in the field of film scoring. It's used as the text in university-level film-scoring classes, and it's on the desk of many practicing feature-film composers. Karlin and Wright teach their subject by means of interviews and case studies, and also discuss the terms and technologies that relate to the gear being used today. Content-wise, Karlin and Wright don't hold back, presenting a whopping 886 pages of information. Ron Simpson, Brigham Young University Author of MASTERING THE MUSIC BUSINESS

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest and Most Complete Book I Ever Seen. Don't care about its price, August 7, 2008

By	P. Bajetta "petebp" (Italy) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the greatest book I ever seen. It' a complete guide for film and tv scorig. It analyses every aspects and tasks of the film music production for a composer. From the spotting to the business... It explains very clearly the concepts, also with a lot of quotations from today's most famous film composers, editors, executives, producers, directors... (more than 100 professionals have contributed with quotations to this 'bible'). There are many many printed score examples. It is very up to date, with modern films examples, and there's also a chapter concerning digital music composition. I've copied the whole contents pages, so you can see this book professionality.

Just don't care about the price, it's really a great investment. I was in doubt to buy it for the price, but when I've opened it I've realized that my money was spent in a great way.

CONTENTS
of On the Track by Fred Karlin and Rayburn Wright

Foreword by John Williams
Preface to the First Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
Acknowledgments for the First Edition
Acknowledgments for the Second Edition
Introduction
How iv Use This Book

I PRELIMINARIES

1 The Filmmaking Team
Meeting the Filmmakers. The Director. Communicating with the Director. Support and Guidance. Two-Way Dialogue between Director and Composer. The Producer. The Producer's Power. Communicating with the Producer. The Film Editor. The Music Editor. Music Executives and Supervisors.

2 The Script, Meetings, and Screenings
The Script. The First Meeting before Screening the Film. The First Screening. First Cut, Fine Cut, and Assembly. The First Discussion after Screening the Film. Composing before the Film Is Finished.

3 Role Models and Temp Tracks
Specific Film Scores or Cues as Role Models. Specific Film-Scoring Styles Used as Role Models. Specific Classical Pieces or Styles Used as Role Models. The Composer's Use of Role Models. Evoking a Role Model Inadvertently. Role Models and Plagiarism. Temp Tracks. Music Editors and Temp Traclcs--How It's Done. Why Filmmakers Use Temp Tracks. How Composers Work with Temp Tracks.

4 Spotting the Film
Talking It Over. Making Decisions. When To Use Music. Starting a Cue. Ending a Cue. Short Cues, Transitions, and Long Cues. The Importance of the Acting. The Director Communicates. Spotting Notes and Timing Notes. Changes in the Spotting after Scoring. Score Lengths.

5 Budgets and Schedules
Cost Factors. Figuring Costs. Working with a Smali Budget. Scoring Union or Nonunion. The Assumption Agreement. Working with the Contractor. Composing Fees. Budget Estimates. Time to Compose. Copying Time.

II CONCEPTUALIZING

6 Developing the Concept
Characterization. The Central Character. The Singie Dramatic Theme. Two Dramatic Themes. Ethnic/Geographic Considerations. Musical Styles. Combining Two or More Stylistic Elements. The Process of Elimination. Scores for Study.

7 Demonstrating the Score: Mockups and Electronics
Electronic Mockups. Mockups for Communication. Changes.

III TIMINGS
8 Timings and Clicks I
Free Timing. Using Clicks and Clock. Metronome Equivalents. When Timings Don't Sync. Requirements on Extremely Accurate Hits. Ritards, Fermatas, Accelerandos.

9 Timings and Clicks II
Music Editors. Cut Back Cues and Split Chases. Tempo and Mood Changes within Cues. Meter Changes within Cues. Timings with a Calculator. Using Videorecorders, Digitized Video and SMPTE Time Code. Drop-Frame or Non-Drop-Frame? Avoiding Confusion in Math Problems. Hardware and Software.

IV COMPOSING
10 Playing the Drama
Audience Expectations. Don't Tip the Story. Tone. Main Titles. Whose Point of View to Play? Playing the Overview. Playing What the Scene is Really About. Getting Inside the Character's Feelings. Playing the Environment or Location. Playing the Situation. How Intensely to Play the Drama less Is More/Understating the Drama. Avoiding Emotion. De-emphasizing a Scene. The Power of Silence. Playing through the Drama. Phrasing the Drama. Hitting the Action. Highlighting. Red Herrings. Scoring the Film Like a Ballet. Underscoring the Dialogue. Scores for Study.
11 Genres and Source Music
Genres. Action. Comedy. Documentaries. Historical and Period. Horror. Source Music. Interweaving Source and Score. Scores for Study.

12 Composing
Creative Considerations: Work Process. Intuition and the Subconscious. Writer's Block. Preparation. Planning the Score. Organizing the Score. Unity and Variety. Research. Tempo or Pulse. Personal Taste and Style. Beginning the Sketch.

13 UsingMelody
Motifs. Multiple Motifs. Unaccompanied Melody. Two-Voice Texture. Giving the Melody Character. Adapting a Theme. Hit Records. Scores for Study.

14 Using Harmony
Harmonic Languages. Harmony Resulting from Linear Writing. Harmonic Pedal Point and Ostinatos. Using Harmony for Characterization. Using Harmony as a Theme. Tension. Scores for Study.

15 Using Rhythm
Tempo and Pulse. Sketching the Rhythms. The Percussion Section and Electronics. The Orchestra as Rhythm. Rhythm as a Thematic Idea. Rhythmic Ostinatos. Uneven and Changing Meters. Polyrhythms. Scores for Study.

16 Using Orchestration
Characterizing the Film's Dramatic Theme. Suggesting Locale with Color. Symphonic Orchestration. Fresh Sounds and Interesting Combinations. Change the Color, Change the Emotion. Orchestral Effects. Smail Budgets. To Orchestrate or Not to Orchestrate? Sketches. MIDI Sketches. Transposed or Concert Pitch-Scores? The Art of Orchestration. The Composer/Orchestrator Relationship. Orchestrating from MIDI Sketches. Using Synths and Orchestra Together. Typical Orchestra Setups. Know the Instruments. Short Cuts. Orchestration Schedules. Changes. Other Practicalities. The Business Aspects of Orchestration. Scores for Study.

17 Technical and Practical Considerations
Technical Considerations. Streamers. Recording. Practical Considerations. Preparing to Record. Save Your Music. Checklists.

V RECORDING
18 Recording: The Scoring Stage
The Scoring Stage. Underscoring, Prerecording, and Set Recording. Scoring Primarily or Completely with Electronics. Prerecording Electronic Tracks. Prerecording Acoustic Tracks and Soloists. Planning. The Mixer. Producing the Music. Conducting. Conducting Aids. Film Sound. Recording Format. Headset Mixes. Rehearsal Protocol. Creative Responses. Working with the Director. Changes on the Scoring Stage. Recording. Working with the Mixer. Playbacks. Overdubbing (Layering or Stacking). Prerecording an On-Screen Performance. Time Pressures on the Stage. Recording Away from Home. Timing Corrections while Recording. Postmixes and Sound Processing. Using Samples in Final Mix. Remixing for a Soundtrack Album.

19 Dubbing: The Final Mix
The Composer on the Dubbing Stage. The Dubbing Stage and the Participants. Preparing the Music for Dubbing. Predubbing. The Music Mixer. Dubbing Stage Sound. First Adjustments during the Mix. Overail Music Levels. Changing/Losing Cues. As the Director Sees It. Dubbing Stage Protocol. Dubbing with Dialogue. Losing a Score. Dubbing Schedules. Previews. Scores for Study. VI ELECTRONIC AND CONTEMPORARY SCORING

20 Using Electronic Music
Electronic Instruments as Acoustic Re-creations. Electronic Instruments for Unique Sounds. Blending Electronic and Acoustic Instruments. Scoring with Electronics. Recording Electronic Music. Scores for Study.

21 Using Contemporary Music
Using Contemporary Rhythm Sections. Contemporary Scores. A Closer Look at Three Contemporary Scores. Scoring with a Solo Artist. Scoring with a Group. Contemporary Source Music. Scores for Study.

22 Scoring for Television
Television Series. Main Titie Themes. Composing. Working with the Producers. Dubbing. Scoring with Orchestra. Scoring Long Form. The Use of Songs. Television!Film Differences.

VII SONGS
23 Musicals and Prerecording
Prerecording (Prescoring). Prerecording Grease and Fame. Postrecording (Postscoring). The Classic Musicals and Beyond.

24 Songs
The Functions of a Song. Content. Songwriting Collaboration. Syncing the Lyric to the Visuals. Rewriting, or Writing Another Song. Demonstrating the Song. The Artist. Hits and Big Business. Footloose: An Origina1 Compilation Song Score. Yentl: An Origina1 Song Score by One Team of Writers.
VIII THE BUSINESS
25 The Business
Getting the Job. Moving from Television to Films. Demos. Being Heard. Agents. Film and Television Deal Points. Commercials. ASCAP and BMI. Music Budgets. Licensing. Soundtrack Albums. Music and Business.

Epilogue. On the Track
The Interviewees and Authors
Appendix A. Study Assignments
Appendix B. Footage/Timing Conversions
Appendix C. Calculator Methodfor Timings
Appendix D. Drop-Frame
Glossary
End Notes
Bibliography
Web Sites
Music Excerpts
Index

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MUST BUY IT :), July 3, 2007

By	Kemna Kemna Mariam "- Guzman Ojero - Composer" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a MUST for everybody who is involved in the film industry (composers, producers, directors, film and music editors, etc...) and wants to know the insides of composing film scores:

It has many examples, references, quotes and the expertise of such a great composer as Karlin is.

Wanna be serious in this business, must get it.

It's worth buying it.