On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring

On the Track offers a comprehensive guide to scoring for film and television. Covering all styles and genres, the authors, both noted film composers, cover everything from the nuts-and-bolts of timing, cuing, and recording through balancing the composer's aesthetic vision with the needs of the film itself. Unlike other books that are aimed at the person "dreaming" of a career, this is truly a guide that can be used by everyone from students to technically sophisticated professionals. It contains over 100 interviews with noted composers, illustrating the many technical points made through the text.

This is a detailed, comprehensive textbook directed at composers and meant to be used in conjunction with videocassettes or films, VCRs with audio-dub capabilities, soundtrack albums, other books, periodicals and trade publications, and advice from experts, 77 of whom are quoted. A "click book" of over 200 pages, used to precisely calculate musical tempos in conjunction with film cues, is included. Highly technical exercises appear with blank staffs for notation, turning part of the book into a workbook. The psychological aspects of film music work are not neglected, however; chapters on creativity and on the interdependence of many people involved in making a film score give good advice. The practical aspects of getting a job in this sector of the music business are also covered. A specialized title for libraries serving composers and film makers.
- Bonnie Jo Dopp, District of Columbia P.L.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.