Making Your Scenes Speak From a New Musical Perspective
If you’re a fan of Monty
Python’s Flying Circus you probably know where our title originated. The
Python’s were the epitome of cutting edge British humor during the late 1970’s (and
beyond) with a truly wacky view of life and people. And everything they did
from a production perspective reflected their zaniness. Especially the Eric
Idle songs that are now a huge Broadway hit, Spamalot.
Every new show you produce offers new challenges. With the
competitive nature of reality television today, having some “grab your ears”
music for particular scenes will elevate the quality of your show. So think
like a Python.
If you approach your script like a composer in a spotting
session and think a little outside the box, you might surprise yourself—and
your viewers, with some new ideas!
For example: a scene where the host/main character(s) wear a
funny hat. Do you want the usual silly music? Or something that relates to the
story and the hat? Is the hat a prop like a reptile head or a ball cap with a
beak? Or something like a cheese head? If you drill down beyond “silly hat music” and relate the
music to what the hat is about, your subtext
is heightened.
Start searching the CSS Music database. Come up with three
or four “maybe tracks” for the scene. Once you start locking the music with
picture, one of these should set the right vibe. If you have the luxury of time
(yeah, right!) and you know what’s coming your way, downloading these tracks
ahead of time will give you extra time if the Director thinks you’ve gone
batty. J
Going beyond the obvious can pay off down the road. If your
show exhibits creativity in music underscoring, you will grow your audience.
And as we know, that’s the name of the game!
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