Nobody Knows Anything

Welcome to Diane Patterson's eclectic blog about what strikes her fancy

Writing to trailer music

Posted on Written by

Every writer has their own method of writing (outlines, by the seat of their pants, even pants-less) and certain environments they need (complete solitude, busy cafe).

I discovered a while ago I need music when I write. Not just any music, but orchestral music. There must be no singing (or the words must be unintelligible), which makes the background music in most cafes deeply annoying. I started with New agey electronica like Enigma or Andreas Vollenweider, and then moved on to movie scores, which tend to be driving, rhythmic, and stirring. I have written tens of thousands of words to Pirates of the Caribbean. The Killing Fields makes me tear up every time. Mishima. The Mission. Steamboy. And oh my God, Last of the Mohicans — every time I’m listening to Last of the Mohicans and I feel myself getting incredibly emotional and stirred-up by the music, it’s “Massacre/Canoes.” Every. Time.

Then I discovered video game scores. I had no idea that modern video games had such good music: Assassin’s Creed (any of them),Uncharted (any of them), Infamous. Video game scores have a tricky mission in life: they have to be good music that you might hear over and over and over again while you try to solve a certain puzzle, so that you feel energized but won’t want to stab someone the thirty-second time you’ve heard the same clip.

This past November, I made the most stunning discovery of all: trailer music.

I had no idea this category existed.

You know that music in a trailer that immediately grips you and forces you to have an emotional reaction to thirty seconds of a movie you know nothing about? The sound that makes you turn to the person next to you and say, “What is that music?”?

It’s trailer music. It’s a whole genre of short, epic music that evokes a complete reaction. I’ve seen some commenters called it “Epic Score music” or even “Epica” (which is the name of one of the groups who does it). It’s completely involving without having a particular tag to it (which is what drove me nuts about Pirates of the Caribbean after a while — I kept thinking about that movie).

Here are the Epic Score artists I’ve found so far:

If there are others in this vein, please let me know. I love this stuff. Also, any other recommendations for music in this vein (or video game scores, or even movie scores, although those have been hit or miss after a bit). I’m only sorry that I can’t buy 40 albums at once.