Songwriting is much like script writing in a lot of ways. Movies and TV shows always have a different set of characters, situations, tone and ambiance…but the reason that we watch them are for the developments and changes in characters, and most importantly for the relationships. A lot of the relationships involve chemistry, infatuation, coming together, growing apart, fear of loss, letting go, nostalgia….
Songs are very much the same thing – taking common and universal experiences and emotions, and using a unique and interesting set of characters, scenarios and timbre to express them. Luckily, the Film and TV market desperately needs music and songs to accompany the visual scenarios. At the Taxi Road Rally in November 2010, Robin Frederick, author of ‘Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film and TV’, enumerated some of the common themes for which Music Supervisors are constantly on the prowl:
Themes:
– love relationships (all kinds; romantic relationships and all the stages involved in those; family love; friendship love)
– becoming and individual (coming of age)
– uncertainty
– fear of letting go
– discovery
– conflict (frustration, anger, hurt, rebelliousness, helplessness)
– good times and celebrations (joy, comfort, giving, sharing)
– rebellion
– isolation (nobody knows who I am)
Try using any one of these as a starting point for a song. Use the tools of Sense Writing to spend 10 minutes using one of these themes as your launch pad, and see what images, sounds, smells, tastes and visceral descriptions are conjured.
