This week’s Creative Commons song picks are all about the soundtrack to pair perfectly with your film.
This Week’s Picks
This week’s mix tape is all about the soundtrack to pair perfectly with your film. There isn’t a day that goes by when I’m not thinking about a short film or a commercial project that I want to make. Most of these end up being passion projects or spec pieces but I still think about them. A lot. And when you finally do get the ability to make your project, you gotta have the right music to go with it. So these are some of my favorite tracks that I think can find a way into a number of films. And maybe one day might find a way into one of yours.
Moment of Magic by Scott Holmes (BB-CY)
I picked this song by Scott Holmes because to me it felt like a song right off a movie soundtrack. It has the great crescendo to a full and powerful climax, making you feel like you are heading out on an adventure and you can’t be stopped. Action or sports-movie, I think this song is a must have. I definitely recommend checking out the rest of the songs on this album as he designed them for commercial use.
So it seems I went on a bit of piano theme because the next three songs are heavily piano-centric. I think that comes from the fact that when I have watched movies, some of the most iconic scenes have come with some of the most simple music. It’s their notes and tone that change everything though. The piano is such a powerful instrument to be able to bring that depth and range of tones that I think most people overestimate a simple piano tune can make a movie. Nowadays you almost need to have bass blasting through the speakers of the film house you’re in for it to be called a “movie”. Wow….that made me seem really old……and stay off my lawn too…….
The 49th Street Galleria by Chris Zabriskie (CC-BY)
While this starts off very slow and dreary, I think it has a great turn near the middle, bringing in some energetic notes before returning to the piano solo. To be honest I liked it because it most of Chris’s library is packed with emotion. This one was a little on the other side. Not every emotional but a nice piano piece that could fit into your film. I would have preferred to cut out the first minute of the song and pick up with a little bit of the solo before the energetic tones. But hey thats why I’m a filmmaker and not a musician!
Words Fall Apart by Josh Woodward (CC-BY)
I think Josh Woodward is a very talented musician. Usually I pick from his folksy music but this time I chose to go with a simple piano piece he had. I think it gives a wonderful melancholy tone that could be used to show your character contemplating something or maybe a life transition occurring for your main. Its simple but has great depth.
Virtutes Instrumenti by Kevin MacLeod (CC-BY)
Out of the five songs, this is by far my most favorite. I just watched the new Macbeth film and while I was blown away by the visuals of that film (seriously amazing cinematography) the music was matched perfectly with every moment of that movie. To be I heard this and I was instantly transported back to the fog filled, gray misted fields of battle. There is some serious dark tones in this piece but I think it could go well into a number of genre films. But the moment its used will not be a happy one for sure……
