Music
Musical briefing: how to guide an original soundtrack
A practical template for communicating narrative intent, references, versions, and approvals before starting an original soundtrack.
In this article
A music brief is the document that presents a project, the role of its music and the working conditions to the person developing the score. A good brief explains what the work aims to express, which materials already exist and how decisions will be approved. You do not need to write a score or master technical terminology. You need to make the request concrete.
The document can start short and develop through conversation. Unresolved information should appear as questions to address. Saying that the film's length may still change is more useful than presenting a provisional duration as final. A brief's quality lies in being precise about the project's actual state.
Start with the experience the work proposes
Introduce the film, campaign, installation or content in a few sentences. Who are we following in the story? Which transformation matters? Should the audience feel closeness, unease, momentum or a pause? Explain the intention through the scene and the desired response, avoiding a series of adjectives that may contradict one another.
“We want something modern, organic and impactful” leaves room for many interpretations. “The music should begin close to the breathing and gain movement when the character decides to leave” describes a trajectory. The composer remains free to choose the means, but now understands the proposal's direction. To organize that initial conversation, it helps to understand the roles of music in audiovisual work.
Separate what is decided from what may change
Identify the edit version and send a reference file the team can access. If there is timecode on the image, explain how it will be used in comments. Also record whether the voice-over, text and transitions are already approved. An editing change can alter the musical form, and that dependency needs to be clear from the start.
Do not send a loose link simply named “final”. Label the material with the project, version and actual export date. Add who can update the file and how the team will be notified. The aim is to prevent the composer, director and editor from unknowingly working with different cuts.
A completed sample brief
The table below is a teaching example for a fictional film about reopening a small workshop. The durations, situations and deliverables illustrate how to organize the request and do not represent a completed project.
| Field | Sample answer |
|---|---|
| Project and audience | A film about a workshop returning to operation, intended for people in the neighborhood. |
| Intention | Bring the audience closer to hands-on work and the decision to start again. |
| Picture status | A 60-second cut under review; voice-over approved, ending still open. |
| Musical trajectory | A sparse opening; movement builds when the door opens; an ending without grandeur. |
| Annotated reference | The intimate instrumental texture is relevant; the reference melody must not be reproduced. |
| Creative constraints | Avoid sung vocals, a competitive atmosphere and accents on every cut. |
| Intended versions | Main piece and short adaptation, with durations to be confirmed after editing. |
| Approval | The director gathers the team's comments and returns consolidated guidance. |
| Technical delivery | Formats, stems and their relationship with the film's mix will be confirmed with post-production. |
Scroll sideways to see all columns. You can also focus the table and use the arrow keys.
How to choose references that actually help
A reference needs a sentence explaining its role. Identify the passage and the aspect that interests you: intensity, space, performance, texture, contrast or relationship with the image. Also say what you do not want to bring into the project. A reference track then stops sounding like a request to copy it.
Favor a few annotated references over an extensive playlist with no hierarchy. If two choices point in very different directions, explain which represents the beginning and which represents the transformation, or which is only there to discuss timbre. The relationship between music and dramatic structure is part of the field presented by Berklee in Film Scoring 101; the brief needs to express that relationship in language the whole team can understand.
Include versions, deliverables and production conditions
Music for the main film may not fit a shorter cut simply by adding a fade. Record whether there will be shortened pieces, an opening, an ending, a version without the melody or another planned adaptation. Do not treat these versions as automatic: they need to be assessed within the scope and musical structure.
Talk to post-production before fixing specifications. The audio format, sample rate and instrumental groups should serve the actual use. If the editor needs to lower the percussion under speech, that information can guide the musical stems. Avoid requesting the entire production session when the work only needs clearly defined audio groups.
State the available budget or the range open to discussion, the review milestones and the date by which you need the material. These details help assess a feasible approach, including musicians, recording sessions or other contributors. A proposal that depends on collaborators needs to account for their confirmation.
Turn approval into questions you can check
Define who approves the artistic direction and who gathers feedback. Comments from several people may be important, but they need to result in a coherent request. If one person asks for restraint and another asks for growth in the same passage, the team needs to settle the priority before requesting a new version.
At the first presentation, assess the direction: language, relationship with the scene and intensity curve. Refine structure and finish in subsequent stages. Record each comment with its passage, perception and desired effect. “The entry reveals the discovery too early” is actionable; “it isn't working” still calls for investigation.
Checklist before sending the brief
- Are the project and audience introduced?
- Is the musical intention connected to the narrative?
- Are the cut and its version identified?
- Are the references annotated?
- Are open decisions marked?
- Are the versions and deliverables listed for confirmation?
- Is someone responsible for consolidating approval?
The document starts a collaboration
After sending it, allow room for questions. A composer may notice a narrative opportunity the document did not anticipate. Record the agreements that emerge from that conversation and maintain a reference version. A useful brief guides decisions without replacing artistic listening.
Source and further information
Berklee Online: Film Scoring 101, a reference on narrative, collaboration and synchronization. This brief template is an editorial proposal and can be adapted to the project.