Screenwriting : What Music Inspires You by David Levy

Nine Inch Nails

Mine would change from script to script. Sometimes I listen to just classical so the lyrics don't distract me as a I write but still create a mood.

I prefer no music as the silence builds its own atmosphere, the characters dilemmas pricking through the void, for sounds and smells to reach my mind. However I don't like to work alone, all of the time. I've started to have Judge Judy on in the background, or some other tv programme, but minimal sound so it's a feint background noise. I sometimes like the human company, albeit from a box, and under my control.

Sometimes if I'm in a cabin Scandinavia I like the sounds of the prowling cats, and listen to their interaction with each other as I'm writing. Hissing, spitting and scratching wood is different from the sound they make when wanting food. However I'm not in my cabin all the time. LOL. I must start to listen to music like normal people.

It depends on the mood I'm in. I listen to either classic music, international or classical music at a low volume so that it doesn't distract me.

I always pick a selection of film scores from similar movies to put me in the mood... it kind of becomes the soundtrack for the script in progress.

I imagine what will play under the closing credits and listen to that. Over and over and over again.

@William: I sometimes write to the score from "The Magnificent Seven".

the score from Once Upon a Time in the West

Think I'm gonna give William's approach a try. I usually go with silence, cause I get too distracted by anything with lyrics, but film scores have potential.

You can't beat classical music, in my opinion.

Whatever sounds good.

Classical, Jazz, Bluegrass,or if I am writing an action/adventure Elmer Bernstein or John Williams.

Nine Inch Nails, The Cure, The Smiths, Radiohead, or anything R&B. Nine Inch Nails probably fires me up the most when writing, which makes sense...Trent Reznor is also a film score composer. In addition to music on headphones, I have a movie playing in the background at all times, usually on AMC or TCM.

I listen to all kinds of music when I write. It doesn't seem to make any difference in my writing but it keeps me awake. That is a plus since I normally write between 10:00 PM and @2:00 AM when I am working on a screenplay. In fact those are the only hours I will devote to writing.

Nine Inch Nails, for sure! &, of course, Sam Cooke!

I love to listen Sarah MacLachlan, Sara Barailles (sp?), Chaka Khan, India.Arie, The Eagles, Zac Brown Band and all others in between. Music inspires my writing in so many ways.

I used to listen to classical music; mostly Bach and Mozart, but these days I prefer writing in silence.

I listen to a variety of music. Right now I have on SirusXM a 24/7 Bruce Springsteen channel. I don't get distracted at all. I can focus on what I still need to write. Each day varies. I enjoy having on the Foo Fighters, Led Zepplin, ACDC, Hall & Oates, Stevie Wonder, and even Mozart and some movie scores. Music helps to fuel my soul and creativity.

Pandora's 'Chill Out' Radio channel and when I'm feeling wistful or trying to get back to my younger days, I listen to a band called State Your Cause. They broke up, but I believe are still on Itunes.