From Score to Screen: Composing Music for Film and Video Games
Written by Enrico Fallea
Edited by Sohaib Durrani
Ever had a melody pop into your head and thought, “This would be perfect for a movie”? Or watched a game cutscene and instantly heard the music that should accompany it?
Composing for film and video games isn’t just about inspiration—it’s about process. It’s about taking a simple idea, developing it, orchestrating it, and preparing it for a live recording session or a polished digital mockup.
Today, we’ll walk through a structured workflow: starting with a raw musical idea, arranging in Cubase, and finalizing in Dorico for live musicians. Let’s take your music from score to screen.
Not familiar with Dorico or Sibelius? They’re music notation programs that help turn melodies into readable sheet music for real players. Think of them like Google Docs—but for music.
1. From Idea to Theme: Catching the Spark
Every great film score starts with a simple idea.
Think of Star Wars—John Williams built the entire saga’s identity around the perfect fifth interval in the main theme. Or Hans Zimmer’s Inception, which uses a two-note motif to create tension.
Your theme doesn’t need to be complex—just memorable.
Let’s say you’re scoring a medieval RPG. You might start with a simple pentatonic melody on a harp to set a mystical tone. Or for an action-packed battle scene, a staccato string ostinato in 6/8 (or even better in 7/8) could drive the intensity.
Pro tip: Hum your ideas into a voice recorder or sketch them in Dorico/Sibelius on a single staff. Don’t worry about orchestrating yet—just focus on the raw idea.
2. Notation: Building a Strong Foundation
Once you have a melody, it’s time to notate it properly.
At this stage, it’s just a piano sketch or a lead sheet—something simple enough to work with but structured enough to guide your arrangement.
For example, let’s take a four-bar melody and add:
- Harmonic movement – Try reharmonizing the same melody with different chord progressions. Reharmonizing means giving your melody a fresh vibe by changing the chords underneath it. Like putting the same outfit on but with completely different shoes—and suddenly it feels new.
- Countermelody – A soaring violin line above the main theme.
- Rhythmic variation – Change note values to add momentum.
Example: Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings theme transforms the same heroic melody across different harmonies and orchestrations to shift between triumph and nostalgia.
Once you have your melody structured, it’s time to move to Cubase to expand it.
3. Arranging in you DAW: Bringing Your Music to Life
Now we orchestrate and produce a digital mockup.
Step 1: Import Your MIDI from Dorico/Sibelius into Cubase/Logic/etc
This brings your sketch into a sequencer, where you can assign virtual instruments and start shaping the sound.
Choosing the Right Instrumentation
Think of how John Powell uses percussion-heavy orchestrations in How to Train Your Dragon for energy, or how Ramin Djawadi builds tension with low strings and brass swells in Game of Thrones.
Some essential orchestration tips:
🔹 Use layering – Combine different timbres (e.g., horns + low strings for a warm heroic sound).
🔹 Automate dynamics – Use MIDI expression to add crescendos, swells, and human feel.
🔹 Articulations matter – Legato, staccato, and tremolo make all the difference in realism.
Example: In The Dark Knight, the “Joker motif” is just a single note (D) on electric cello, played with extreme bow pressure. The notation is minimal, but the performance technique makes it iconic.
At this stage, you’re painting with sound—think about how your textures evolve over time.
4. MIDI to Score: Preparing for Live Musicians
A MIDI mockup sounds great, but if you’re working with live musicians, you need clear, readable sheet music.
Export your MIDI from Cubase back into Dorico. Here’s what you need to clean up:
- Fix quantization errors – MIDI input isn’t always perfect.
- Add articulation markings – Musicians need clear phrasing, dynamics, and bowings.
- Optimize for playability – A brass section can’t sustain high notes forever, and string players can’t hold chords if not in a section, and so on.
Example: John Williams pushing the string players to their limit from minute 1 of his “Hedwig’s Theme” from the Harry Potter soundtrack.
Pro tip: If possible, test your score with musicians before recording—what looks playable on a screen might not feel natural on an instrument.
5. Recording & Final Mix: Making It Sound Cinematic
If you’re recording live, preparation is key.
Session tips:
📌 Print individual parts (not just the full score).
📌 Use a click track if syncing to picture.
📌 Record in layers (separate strings, brass, percussion) for better mix control.
Once you have the recordings, blend them with your MIDI instruments in Cubase. Even big-budget films layer real orchestras with virtual instruments for a fuller sound.
Example: The Avengers soundtrack layers real horns with sampled brass to enhance power as well as real strings with sampled strings
The final mix should balance depth, clarity, and emotion—you want it to hit hard, whether it’s a delicate piano cue or a massive battle theme.
Final Thoughts: Telling a Story with Music
At the heart of it all, film and game music is storytelling. Whether it’s a haunting melody like the Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter or an ambient synth pad that subtly shifts throughout a game world, your music should make the listener feel something.
Next time inspiration strikes, follow this workflow:
🎼 Sketch your melody.
🎻 Build an arrangement.
🎧 Create a realistic mockup.
🎵 Prepare a professional score.
🎬 Record and mix for a cinematic finish.
Now, take that melody you’ve been humming—and turn it into something unforgettable. 🎶
What’s Next? Try It Yourself!
1️⃣ Write a short 4-bar melody in Dorico.
2️⃣ Expand it into a small orchestral cue in Cubase.
3️⃣ Export the MIDI back to Dorico and clean up the score.
4️⃣ Share your work and refine it based on feedback.
Let’s hear the next great film or video game score—maybe it’ll be yours!
About Enrico Fallea
An accomplished composer and orchestrator from Italy, Enrico studied violin and composition at the Conservatory of Palermo and earned a Master’s degree in Film Scoring from Berklee Valencia (@berkleevalenciacampus). His expertise has led him to write music for short films and collaborate as an orchestrator with Musiversal, CdM, and renowned film composers, including Federico Jusid.
Enrico’s music has been recorded at some of the most prestigious studios across Europe, such as Air Studios in London, CNSO Studios in Prague, and Eastconnection Studios in Budapest. Whether working on orchestral scores or intimate compositions, his work consistently reflects precision and emotional depth and we are glad to have him as Faculty for the January Semester 2025 at GMI.