How To... Map the Synergy of Editing and Music

One of the only common traits among film editors is that we all have a strong relationship with music. Without knowing about how it works, how it feeds your picture, how it undulates in and around the filmmaking process, and without understanding its grip on the emotional core of any kind of filmmaking, you'll be floundering.

Editors pick music, cut it, mould it and sometimes even help create it from scratch.

There are many ways of approaching music in regards to an edit and they generally fall into the following categories;

1. Music can be the first thought or the driving force of the whole piece.

If it's a music video then you can be heavily tied into it. It's your guide for tone, pace and rhythm and there's really no getting away from it. You may not want to hear anything but the music. No sound effects or dialogue may be required. There is no hard and fast rule though. It's more fun for me when I can take the stems [the individual musical elements of a piece] and bring something slightly different to the track.

2. With a music- or song-driven edit, it's all about the song, especially if it's lip-sync and shot specifically for this.

Again, you follow the plan put down by the song and give it as much backing as possible with a great selection of shots cut at the appropriate rhythm. Sometimes the music provided is over length or you may need to cut a whole variety of lengths.

It's always good to have the stems as this can get you out of trouble, especially when there are lyrics getting in your way. You'll usually need to find smart ways to cut out phrases, especially when constant alternate cuts are made and pack shots get incrementally longer.

3. An edit where you're using a big totemic track.

Sometimes the piece requires a track that's going to be as influential to the piece as the picture. Some sound effects may be needed but are not essential. If there's a big budget you'll find that hundreds of tracks can come flooding in from various sources. It is the editor's job to filter out those that should never be attached to the cut, usually only five per cent get laid up to picture and of those only a portion are presented.

If you've got more free reign as an editor you might be able to choose something that you've been wanting to use for a while. I have an ever-increasing list of fast-, medium- and slow-paced stuff from a whole range of sources stored away for a rainy day. In this case, it's important to start by getting a good assembly together. Find a natural pace for the film.

If you're cutting fast-pace, having selected and laid down the first pass, it's beneficial to throw some tracks on it early. Maybe there's a track that's so good as a guide that it takes over and drives the pace of the film. There can be all sorts of great syncopation points in the music, like a double time hi-hat or a snare that suddenly stops the music. You can use these to tell the picture to do exactly what the music is telling you to do. You'll find that, rightly or wrongly, any Best Editing category winner usually takes advantage of this.

Pick a rocking track with loads of obvious syncopation points. Listen and mark up the whole length accordingly and cherry pick the parts you'll need: Intros, crescendos and middle eights are usually handy to force the track into the shape. Be respectful to the musician though. It's structured for a reason and any discerning critic will be able to hear a forced music edits. Once you've got your track to length, simply adjust your edit to fit and pepper it with some extra-quick fast shots and you've got a potential award winner!

4. Scoring a commercial.

For me, this is the most enjoyable category. When I read a treatment or script and when I am in the selection process if the opportunity arises it's great to get in touch with one of the composers I am lucky to collaborate with. It's good to be aware of exactly what's needed and a ball-park budget but this really gives the editor the most creative freedom.

The most important part is to communicate the brief correctly and precisely, similar to how a director communicates with an actor. If you present the information badly you often only have yourself to blame - such is the great talent pool available to you. Think about what is needed and how the music will change the meaning of the film. If you can get it right, it can result in some great collaborations and the ability to not only help craft the picture but also the sound.

5. Be brave and eliminate music altogether.

As you walk from shop to shop down the high street it's pretty much an onslaught to the ears. Music to help you shop. Occasionally you might find yourself in an oasis of silence; the relief!

It's almost unthinkable for anyone to consider not using music of any kind but I relish the next time I am allowed to just let the picture, dialogue, voice over or basic sfx speak for itself. Maybe it's me getting older but that's my challenge, to see if we can put something together and look at what we've got and say, "let's just leave it nice and quiet shall we, let's see if the picture can do the talking."