song editing, score conforms, cue sheets
exploring different
scoring approaches
visual sync cues
spotting notes, score conforms, extra cues
custom music edits for competition routines
A lot of filmmakers think that a music editor is a luxury they can't afford. In fact, the opposite is true; if your budget is tight, then you can't afford not to have a music editor. Music editing happens in every production, whether there is a music editor on board or not. So if there is no music editor, then the music editing is being done by someone who does not have the appropriate tools or skills. Usually this job falls to the picture editor. A picture editor gets paid more than a music editor, and they do the music editing much more slowly and less effectively, even if they have music editing skills, because picture editing tools are extremely blunt instruments when it comes to editing music.
"Music editing, for both temp and final scores, is a crucial part of the creative process. We couldn't be more thrilled with the work that Emily did on both KILL ME THREE TIMES and A FEW LESS MEN. Her collaboration enabled everyone involved to reach the right result at each stage of the films' evolution."
Larry Malkin
Producer, Kill Me Three Times & A Few Less Men
A music editor can present viable song options fitted to picture much more quickly and cheaply than a picture or sound editor can.
A music editor works closely with directors and editors to create unified temp scores, drawing on a huge library of film scores. A good temp score will save an enormous amount of time (and therefore money) and stress when the composer comes on board.
If a big orchestral score is desired but the budget won't cover enough sessions, a music editor can edit those cues you can afford to fit the remaining scenes.
If brought on board early enough, a music editor can flag potential music issues in the script that could become time consuming and expensive problems if left unresolved until post, especially when it comes to on-screen musical performances. I can also create custom rehearsal materials for actors and dancers, coach actors through ADR singing and French pronunciation, and fix lip sync and dance sync. I conform the score to any picture changes and edit songs to fit scenes. I facilitate communication with the composer. I assist composers by creating demos of their work to picture and programming clicks and streamers for orchestral recording sessions and concerts. I also provide spotting notes and cue sheets, and fill delivery requirements.
A music editor can suggest and demonstrate a variety of scoring approaches, and help the director to solidify their ideas through discussion. Spending some time with a music editor can really help a director to articulate what they want from the music.
"They say dying is easy, comedy is hard. But I would add that scoring for comedy is even harder. Emily is such a brilliant music editor that she was able to breathe life into our temp track and really make the music feel like it was created specifically for our movie. She made the funny bits funnier and the moving bits more moving. She helped unify the movie and provided a wonderful launch pad for our discussions with composer, David Hirschfelder, as we were able to be very specific about what we’d tried and rejected, and the final sound we were hoping for. It was as if Emily had provided a Rosetta Stone so we could all speak the same language, after which David really took flight with the score. Emily is also an extraordinary collaborator, working with the virtuoso talents of David and Andrew Kotatko to help us make the narrative move and the comedy sing. Her music editing is ingenious and creative but she is also hard-working and endlessly patient, ready to listen to dissenting voices and happy to revisit and revisit and revisit moments in the score to get it just right. An outstandingly gifted music editor, Emily was a cornerstone of our editing team. I could not recommend her more highly."
Mark Lamprell
Director, A Few Less Men
"I had an absolute ball working with Emily on Red Dog. Her meticulous work and choices continually delighted and excited me and added such a great dimension to the movie."
Kriv Stenders
Director, Red Dog
Keeping an orchestra in sync with a movie the way the composer intended can be a big challenge for a conductor. I can provide click tracks as well as streamers, punches and bar counters superimposed on the conductor's video feed. These traditional tools work well for cues that have a steady tempo, but that's rarely the case in film. That's why I have invented what I am calling the “scrolling click track”. The click track, displayed as an audio waveform, scrolls across the screen, so you can see the next beat coming, and know exactly where it falls. The video below is one I prepared for Nigel Westlake when he conducted the score to the movie Babe in sync with the picture for a live audience.
Music editors assist composers by creating demos of their work to picture, and programming clicks and streamers for orchestral recording sessions. This can be a satisfyingly collaborative process. A music editor can create new cues out of pre-existing ones when the budget doesn’t stretch to a full score or an extra scene is added after the score was recorded. I can also experiment with applying the themes in the composer’s demos to the other scenes in a film, working with the director, thus smoothing the way forward and saving the composer time and money. I also conform score cues to any picture changes so that they still fit the picture the way the composer intended. Plus spotting notes, cue sheets and deliveries.
So you’ve chosen a piece of music that you want to use for your routine, but it’s the wrong length, or you want to skip or repeat some parts of it. Perhaps you or someone you know has tried to alter it for you, but you ended up with a big clunk in the middle or an awkward cutoff at the end. I can help you create a seamless version of your chosen piece, with a proper beginning and ending, that is exactly the right length. I can also give you alternate edits to rehearse with so you can rehearse sections of your routine without having to go back to the start of the music every time. And I will boost the soft bits so that the whole piece plays at an appropriate level for the venue where you will be performing.
Send me an email to get the ball rolling. I’ll need to know which piece of music you have chosen and how long you need it to be. If you know which parts of the piece of music you want to use (for example, the first verse and chorus but not the second one) let me know. If you have a more general idea (for example, you want to start slow and build to a big finish) that's helpful too. But if you’re not sure, that’s okay, I can create a version for you. I'll deliver your edited song by email as an mp3 unless you request some other format. When you receive it you can tell me if it’s what you had in mind or if it requires further tweaking. I won’t charge you until you are satisfied with the result. Once you are satisfied with the edit you can let me know if you'd like to have it broken down into sections for rehearsal purposes.
I charge $65 per song, including extra rehearsal edits. If you choose to receive your music on CD, I will charge an extra $25 for materials, extra time involved and postage.
I’ve been a music editor for 18 years, with credits on major films such as The Dressmaker, Paper Planes and Mao’s Last Dancer. I work closely with artists, composers, directors, producers and choreographers to create seamless music edits for film, television, CD release, and live events. I hold a bachelor’s degree in opera singing and a master’s degree in recording engineering.