Moby will compose your film for free!

Well, that’s not entirely true, but you can have the next best thing! Moby, being the kind chap that he is, has decided to give away a bunch of his tracks for people to use in their films absolutely free.

The scheme is called ‘Moby Gratis’ and as long as your film is non-commercial and not for profit then you can use any of these tracks in your production. All you have to do is visit the website, register and let them know how you intend to use the music. A day or two later (As long as your project meets the criteria) you’ll  get your permission and can then incorporate the music into your short film or feature.

There are dozens of tracks to choose from and although they might not include his biggest chart toppers there is an excellent selection.

Not only that, but you can put ‘Music by Moby’ in your credits and be safe in the knowledge that it’s all above board! How good is that?! Use the link below to visit the site and see if there’s any tracks you’d like to use in your film…

Moby Gratis

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The importance of music in your film

Just like good quality sound and dialogue, music should play a big part in your production. The addition of music, and the right kind of music, can add a whole different level to your film.

Using certain styles and types of music can accentuate the visual elements of your scene to present a more powerful experience for the viewer. Imagine a romance movie without the rousing and emotional score; an action movie without a pumping, driving beat during the chase scene; they would be very different! Bear in mind though, that an absence of music where one would expect can also be a storytelling tool in the film-makers arsenal by altering and influencing the viewers perceptions and expectations..

Don’t forget your incidental music as well. Incidental music comprises of short musical elements, motifs or sounds that help set the tone of the scene. Imagine a horror film where our hapless victim is creeping around an abandoned house at night… the ominous tone that steadily rises to a blood-chilling crescendo, although somewhat of a cliché, sets the tone of the scene perfectly!

So, you’re all raring to go and you want to add a fantastic score to your film; how do you go about it? Well, you’ve pretty much got three options. You can make it yourself, get somebody else to make it, or buy some stock music.

Each of these options have their own pros and cons.  If you’re a highly talented musician then you’re in luck! Creating your own score will take time though and draw you away from your other film making duties. Using stock music is a good option as there’s some excellent quality out there, but then you have no say over the length of the piece and other technical aspects. This is when good post production sound mixing comes into play! The final option is to get a composer to score your film. In most cases this will be quite expensive, but will obviously depend on the duration of your film and the quality of the composer. Top Hollywood composers can get millions per film, but on the other hand you might get lucky and find a relatively new composer who’ll do it for a couple of hundred quid to get some exposure or a talented friend who’ll do it for a few pints of beer!

What have you done for music in your previous films? Did you hire a composer, use stock audio or do it yourself, and were you happy with the outcome? Let us know!

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