Is this weird? I just noticed that listening to Taylor Swift lyrics helps me write romantic scenes. I suppose if I was writing a zombie screenplay it would be weirder... Do you use different music to write different scenes or perhaps entire scripts?
Screenwriting : Does music set the mood? by Simon King
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Yes. Not much to the first of the trilogy, but in the second movie, I write the opening listening to "Mars" by Nick Ingman and Terry Devine-King, the first assault of the first day listening to "In the House - In a Heartbeat" by John Murphy and "The Promontory" from "Last of the Mohicans" for the fall. However, this is for inspiration and timing. I don't say this is the music underlying the scene. For the first script, when Ro'shaan Dante is pushing through the US embassy in Brazil, I'm listening to "Sober" by Tool or "Short Change Hero" by The Heavy or similar music.
Alle, "Listening to Taylor Switch to write romantic scenes is definitely weird!" Hahaha, does Swift have any romantic songs? She seems to write a new breakup song every time she dates a guy.
I wrote a juvenile fiction work listening to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. I discovered that sometimes what feels like inspiration, from the music does not work well on the page. Sometimes it does. Sometimes its a substitution for not musing deeply about the story, in my case.
I don't know Alle, if I cringe too much, I may not want to open it back up for revision. A little cringe ok, but certainly not trembling nausea.
Interesting you know one of my skill aspects is poetry and have written several lyrics. Do I think listening to someone else's lyric's while writing help? I don't know but when I wrote one of my screenplays I was mindful to make up lyrics as though I was watching a movie while writing my screenplay. And I was not on hallucinogens I swear. LOL! But there is something about writing a screenplay envisioning how actors portray it, the musical score and the awesomeness of the overall movie experience you want to convey through your writing. Background music is for me just one of those things happening while I write. With that said background music can perhaps change the tone with which you write. With as many rewrites as I do I doubt if background music really makes a difference. But if it helps your individual mood by all means use it.
I noticed that the music I currently enjoy has many of the same themes that my screenplays have. One of my projects actually has a "theme song" which I find particularly fitting. If you find Taylor Swift for romatic scenes weird, I'd like to know what you make of Phil Collins and romantic scenes ;)
Remember... "When one for closes, another opens" -Alexander Graham Bell. So... every breakup is another romance waiting to happen.
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Taylor Swift would be GREAT music to write a zombie flick to...
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I tend to create a playlist for writing scripts, I find the right music helps a great deal. I'm not familiar with Taylor Swift but if her breakup songs reflect on the good times I can certainly believe they can help write romantic scenes.
Music is definitely one of my many muses. Creates wonderful images from which to draw from.
Music always works for me!
yes, sound works for my writing. Without lyrics, so my head-mages don't get flooded by someone else's story stream.
I go the playlist route. When I start, it's generally short. Music that sets the mood of the beginning. As I continue, I find new songs to add, and arranging them to fit the mood of certain scenes. By the end, I've got a lengthy list!