Songwriting for the Screen
From montages to key scenes, main titles to end titles, original songs are written for film and television regularly, both by skilled songwriters and popular artists. The ability to capture the essence of a film (or moment) without telling too much, however, is a delicate art, making writing to picture one of the trickiest tasks for any musician. How do musicians and music supervisors approach this process today, and what do you need to know to create a track that’s just right?
Presenters
Amanda Krieg began her career in the music department at Lionsgate, working on films such as "The Winning Season" and "Warrior," and television projects that included "Blue Mountain State" (Spike), "Running Wilde" (Fox), "Mad Men" (AMC) and several pilots.
After three years with the department, Amanda tackled the unscripted world at Reveille, (now Shine America). In addition to coordinating music on "The Biggest Loser" and "MasterChef," she music supervised two cable television shows: "Commercial Kings" (IFC) and "One Born Every Minute" (Lifetime).
In early 2012, Amanda made the transition back to films at leading music supervision, production and soundtrack company, Format Entertainment, working under Julia Michels. So far she has assisted films including dramedy Hope Springs (Mandate Pictures), irreverent a cappella comedy, Pitch Perfect (Gold Circle Films/Universal) and Parental Guidance (Fox), a family film starring and produced by Billy Crystal.
In addition to her roles at Lionsgate, Reveille and now Format, Amanda has also music supervised the films "Moonshine Inc." and "The Back Up Bride,” and is currently working on two documentaries, “Off The Floor: The Rise of Contemporary Pole Dance,” and “Going Attractions,” about the rise and fall of the American drive-in movie theatre.
She also operates the music blog, Tadpole Audio.
Music Supervisor Chris Mollere’s diverse interest in the world began quite early in life. Growing up in a military family, he traveled extensively while living in Europe and various stateside locations. At an early age he developed a unique appreciation and love for all styles of music. He especially credits his family’s love of music and his father’s extensive record collection as an early influence. His passion and love of music evolved even further as he began attending concerts and playing music himself. Chris attended and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to receiving an excellent education in the areas of psychology, advertising and business, he also participated in countless music events throughout college. This has continued to this very day in his travels to find new artists constantly at festivals and concerts all around the globe. Currently Chris Mollere is a Film and TV Music Supervisor at his company Los Angeles based company, Fusion Music Supervision. Chris has numerous credits as a music supervisor, including the ABC Family Television series’ KYLE XY, GREEK and 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, as well as on the feature films THE BOX, I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL, THE HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY and HELL BABY to name a few. Chris is currently the music supervisor for the CW television series THE VAMPIRE DIAIRES, the ABC Family television Series PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, the feature film BAD WORDS and the feature film ALL IS BY MY SIDE.
Josh Collum is the CEO of Nashville based, production and management company, Sorted Noise. They are a team of creators and storytellers that specialize in bridging the creative gap between brands / music supervisors and artists.
In addition to Sorted Noise, Josh is also a successful artist, particularly in the synch world. His band, Secrets in Stereo, has been licensed in film, TV, and advertising over 150 times.
Amy is an independent songwriter living in Nashville, and has had her songs featured more than 20 television shows (Parenthood, Grey's Anatomy, NY MED Brothers and Sisters, One Tree Hill, Pretty Little Liars) in addition to national TV ads for eHarmony and Wal-Mart. She has released three digital EPs and one nationally distributed full-length solo recorded entitled The Other Side of Love Sessions produced by Thomas Doeve and Nathan Chapman. Along with Gabe Dixon, she is the newest member of the TEN OUT OF TENN tour where she is one of ten featured artists alongside Andrew Belle, Katie Herzig, Matthew Perryman Jones and others. Recently Amy released a single called "Fell Like A Feather" on a collaborative project called Mercyland, spear-headed by Phil Madeira with artists The Civil Wars, Mat Kearney, Emmylou Harris and more.
In 2012 Trent Dabbs and Amy released a self-titled band project called Sugar & The Hi-Lows. Billboard magazine called the project "sweet stuff." USA Today said, "The only thing better than the blues-y, garage-rock guitars is Trent Dabbs and Amy Stroup's vocal chemistry." Marie Claire magazine stated, 'This Nashville duo's sultry garage rock comes in like a lion, thanks to fuzzy guitars and Amy Stroup's salted-caramel voice.' Ringing in their new sound, Sugar & The Hi Lows are bringing back the era of feel good music, the days when one take is enough and an auto-tune was a thing you did to your '55 Chevy. Brought to life by experienced songwriter/performers, Sugar & The Hi Lows is a bit of a nostalgic love offering.
Friday, March 15
