One of the most valuable experiences for a young composer is hearing music move from the computer and the page into the hands of real musicians. This week, three of my VCU Media Scoring students — Henry Bingman, Deiandre Fernandez, and Isis Romine — had their original compositions rehearsed and recorded by the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra, conducted by Jessica Altarriba. Each student brought a very different musical idea to the orchestra. Their pieces explored imagery ra

When we think about heroic trumpet writing, it is easy to focus on the obvious things: high register, strong dynamics, bright orchestration, and powerful brass chords. But those elements alone do not explain why some trumpet writing feels so alive. A large part of the character comes from the performance inside the phrase. The rhythm, the weight of the attacks, the way repeated notes are shaped, the slight differences between one note and the next, and the sense of movement t

Today was a very special day. Lottie Dottie Chicken – The Movie (Galinha Pintadinha – O Filme) had its premiere in São Paulo, Brazil, and after four months working on the orchestral score, I finally had the opportunity to experience the finished film on the big screen — surrounded by the filmmakers, their families, guests, and a full audience. At the São Paulo premiere of Lottie Dottie Chicken – The Movie. Watch the Official Trailer Take a look at the official trailer for Lot

This week, my Dramatic Scoring class, part of the Media Scoring program in the VCUarts Department of Music, welcomed animation students from the Department of Communication Arts, led by Professor Ying-Fang Shen. The visit was part of an ongoing effort to create more opportunities for collaboration across VCUarts, connecting students from different disciplines through the kind of creative partnerships they will encounter in the professional world. The goal was to connect anima

Starting a new cue is still one of the most difficult parts of film scoring for me. That may sound strange after years of composing and teaching film scoring. I know the techniques. I have workflows and frameworks that help me understand a scene. I have a large orchestral template ready to go. Often, I have a temp track that gives me a good indication of what the director is responding to. All of those things help. But none of them completely removes that uncomfortable moment

In the fall of 2025, my studio was filled with the sounds of orchestral adventures, comic chases, emotional reunions, and, of course, some of the most recognizable melodies in Brazilian children’s entertainment. I was working on the original score for Lottie Dottie Chicken: The Movie, known in Brazil as Galinha Pintadinha: O Filme. The film brings Galinha Pintadinha and her world to the big screen in a full-length animated adventure, expanding a universe that has been part of

How great orchestration turns multiple sections into one expressive sound One of the most common mistakes in orchestration is believing that every instrument needs to be heard clearly. You add horns beneath the strings, but they seem to disappear. You add bassoons to reinforce the low register, but you cannot clearly identify them. You double a melody with another section, then begin increasing the volume because the second layer does not sound obvious enough. This often happ

Every composer knows this moment. You open your DAW. The template loads. The tracks are ready. Strings, brass, piano, synths, percussion, pads, favorite libraries, everything is there. You play a few notes. Maybe you try a soft piano idea. Then you add strings. Then you mute the strings. You try a darker chord. Then a different texture. Maybe the cue needs movement, so you add a pulse. But now it feels too busy. Maybe it should be more emotional. Maybe it should be more restr

If you're a film composer or producer looking for great string sounds, you probably already know the struggle: sample libraries can cost hundreds of dollars, require massive disk space, and sometimes need the full version of Kontakt — not the free Kontakt Player. This guide focuses specifically on libraries that run in the free Kontakt Player, so you don't need to spend $400 on the full Kontakt license just to get started. I've organized them from free to paid, so you can bui

If you’re looking for free sample libraries for cinematic music, you’re in the right place. There are hundreds of free plugins out there, but most of them won’t help you finish a track. They’ll just give you more sounds. This guide is different. Instead of listing everything, I’m focusing on free libraries that composers actually use — including Kontakt instruments, free plugins, and modern scoring tools. And yes, everything here is something you can download and start using

If you’ve ever searched for ways to make your MIDI brass sound more realistic, you’ve probably tried everything: Velocity tweaks. Timing shifts. Layering different articulations. And still… it doesn’t quite feel right. The notes are there. The harmony works. But the impact is missing. The reason is simpler than it seems, and once you understand it, your trumpet writing changes immediately. The Real Role of Trumpet in Film Music Trumpet is not just a “brass layer.” In cinemati

There is a reason the trumpet sits at the center of so many unforgettable film moments. When you hear the opening fanfare of Star Wars, or the heroic calls in Indiana Jones, you are not just hearing a melody. You are hearing impact shaped by performance. This is where many composers misunderstand the role of the trumpet. They try to write lines. John Williams writes moments. If you want to learn how to write cinematic trumpets, you need to think beyond notes and focus on acce

Cinematic trumpet writing is not just about notes — it’s about performance, articulation, and musical intention. The trumpet has long held a distinctive role in cinematic music. It is not just another orchestral color. It is often the voice that defines intention, clarity, and direction in a cue. Whether leading a heroic theme or cutting through dense textures with sharp accents, the trumpet carries a kind of authority that few instruments can match. In action and adventure s

If your strings sound “MIDI”… it’s usually not your harmony. It’s not even your library. It’s how the music is written and programmed. You can have great ideas — and still end up with something that feels flat, mechanical, or fake. The good news? Realistic strings don’t come from one trick. They come from a few very specific decisions. Let’s break them down. 1. Write Idiomatically for Strings (This Changes Everything) One of the biggest mistakes in MIDI writing: stacking chor

The Night Agent has become one of Netflix’s most gripping political thrillers — and honestly, it’s one of my favorite series in recent years. The writing is tight, the pacing never drags — and the music plays a huge role in that impact. Beneath the layers of conspiracy, betrayal, and relentless momentum lies a score that quietly drives the entire experience forward. But what really elevates it is the music. The score by Robert Duncan doesn’t scream for attention. It doesn’t

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence has firmly entered the creative world. And, as with any major innovation, doubts and insecurities quickly followed—especially among people who dream of working in film scoring. The question I hear most often is simple: “Will AI replace composers?” Before someone decides whether it’s worth investing in this career, that shadow always appears. But the truth is that, despite the noise and sensational headlines, AI has not replaced compose

One of the most powerful tools in film scoring is also one of the simplest: the ostinato. If you’ve ever felt your pulse quicken during a suspenseful chase or an emotional montage, chances are an ostinato was working behind the scenes to make it happen. In music, an ostinato is a short, repeated musical phrase—either rhythmic, melodic, or both—that creates drive, momentum, and cohesion. In film music, string ostinatos are especially popular for building tension, energy, or em

Superhero themes are more than just background music — they’re branding. The best ones become musical catchphrases, embedding the character into our memory with just a few notes. Let’s break down two perfect examples: Superman March by John Williams The new Fantastic Four theme by Michael Giacchino Both scores use melody to say the name — but in very different ways. Superman March – John Williams (1978) John Williams’ Superman theme is iconic, grand, and unapologetically he

What makes certain film cues feel instantly cinematic, even before a melody kicks in? Often, it’s the chord progression — the emotional backbone that carries the scene and tells a story without words. If you want to hear how these cinematic chord progressions translate into real scoring, you can try the free edition of Strike Strings, which includes playable string phrases built for cinematic writing. Let’s explore 3 iconic examples that shaped modern scoring, from Inception

When David Fincher’s The Social Network hit theaters in 2010, audiences weren’t just captivated by the story of Facebook’s controversial rise—they were immersed in an atmosphere of emotional ambiguity, icy detachment, and underlying psychological tension. A huge part of that immersive experience came from the film’s score, composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross . Rather than using traditional orchestration, Reznor and Ross sculpted a soundscape that blends electronic pul