I currently use Cubase elements, meaning I can only compose for 8 separate instrument tracks. But I will be upgrading to cubase aritst very soon. For sample libraries, I'm limited to simple orchestral articulations with Cinesymphony lite and some other (awful sounding) samples from the my free X-pand 2 plug-in. I use a very simple laptop (i5- 2.6ghz duel core 8gb ram) and an oxygen-25 key midi keyboard for note input.

@If I Were A Minifig, you are an excellent composer. Fantastic work on the score, as always, and that is a really beautiful version of a White Christmas.

If anybody is interested, I need a composer for my videos. So send me a message if you're interested!:)

http://www.youtube.com/c/DudeBrick

So... Just found this... here's my soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/cooked-cat

I am pretty keen to score too...

SurfSmurf778
Very nice sound design. It was smooth and cool, and made me want to explore the film. Well done.

MarkNelsonMovies
I don't know about your experience in music, but that's a god place to start. If you have a piano at home, or want to get an electric keyboard, you should do that. And then just play around with it.

If, on the other hand, you already have a background in music. I would still recommend getting an electric keyboard. Korg produces some very nice ones (I personally use a Korg Krome). That in combination with a nice microphone, and Audacity, should set you up nicely.

Then just ask around. Keep an eye on the production thread, find a film that looks interesting to you, and send the creator a PM saying you'd like to score their film. Most people are surprisingly receptive to that. Once you build a reputation, people will start coming to you.

Is any of that helpful?

One of the best ways to improve on this skill is to learn by example. Watch as many movies/brickfilms that you can!

Right from the start (especially with brickfilms) you should be able to easily find examples that will inspire you (composing and editing was done similar to your own tastes) and ones that don't. (composing and editing that you personally wouldn't have chosen)

Personally, I think that when it comes to scoring a scene, it all comes down to process of elimination. Think of different ways you could approach the scene musically. Whichever ways don't work throw out. Whatever sticks - take a second look at it. Improve it if possible, and keep thinking of alternative motifs.

Composing for a narrative is just like writing a symphony - there can be many parts, simple or complex, but, what they all have in common is a recurring motif. This "motif" could be for the main character, the main conflict, a certain location... etc.

This is more than I had when I first tried out scoring in 2011. However, I soon learned major and minor scales, and began to study music theory. Now, I can even read sheet music! None of these were required from the beginning, though.

If you're stuck working on a specific scene right now (or in the future) I say, watch it over and over until you have a mood or feeling. As a composer, it's your job to recreate and compliment that mood by scoring to the scene. And, "scoring to the scene" could mean anything from having a full orchestra belt out all at once, to having no music at all!

In the end, music is just another piece to the puzzle. It carries the same weight as the visuals, acting, or any other major element of a film/brickfilm. The worst thing it can do is not fit in. You have to look at a scene like a mixing bowl. Choose just the right ingredients to make the dish the best it can be.

Other than that, there's not really much else that can be said about film scoring. It's very subjective and takes some talent and experience to really bring out satisfying results.

Here's the latest brickfilm I scored, De Mortem It's rather short, and was made for the latest THAC contest. Give it a watch/listen. What do you like about the scoring? What don't you like about the scoring? ... Starting with questions like this can only help get you started, and more familiar, with expressing your thoughts and emotions through melody.

Last edited by Dyland (February 20, 2016 (07:22pm))

To add to If I Were A Minifig's great point...

I usually approach music from a chord-based standpoint as well. And the less notes you can use at once, the better! If you actually take a look at a more complex composition, such as John William's Superman Theme, you'll notice that during the main "march" you have low strings and drums for the main beat, high strings and horns complimenting that, a main horn section, some added percussion and chimes, and even other instruments, all playing different things at the same time. (Often in a call and response sort of way) This is very hard to do - whether your conducting an orchestra of 25+ people, or recording it all yourself multi-track.

You don't want to start out composing like this, because, it's harder to make it sound good, and, thus, isn't as easy to learn and improve from. It would be better to try out composing in a much more minimalist capacity, perfectly exemplified in John William's Krypton Theme, or, a lot of Hans Zimmer's scores of the past decade.

Both of those big-time composers know how to work an orchestra; using the majority of the instruments to produce the main elements of their "story," and having just minimal else add "color" and "flavor" to the rest of the piece - spicing it up only when necessary.

More music from Jampot Studios "The Defenders" coming soon...

I like the dodge one. sounds good.  sorta cheerful.

the soundscape seems pretty neat too.  I dont really know much when it comes to music to be able to offer helpful advice. what software and hardware did you use?
here's my latest one:
https://soundcloud.com/cooked-cat/symphony-in-d-minor