Composing : Animation score by Matthew Jordaan

Matthew Jordaan - I loved it! What's your process for a project like this?

Thanks a lot Kat Spencer. I've only been scoring for a little under a year so I don't know if my process is correct, but for this project it felt like it needed music to hit specific moments more often than underline the subtext or mood, like a lot of animations. So I marked off hit points and then improvised melodies and built harmonies around them, adding more and more pieces of the orchestra to expand it vertically, layering counter harmonies to add colour and counterpoint melodies. The trickiest part for me with this was transitioning horizontally between parts without sounding too jarring, so I tried to use voice leading from chord to chord. I play classical guitar and also electric guitar in metal bands, I don't play piano, but I'm teaching myself and I have to improvise and figure out the chords and scales by ear. What's your song-writing process?

First of all, congratulations, Matthew!

It's actually quite rare to see someone with less than a year of scoring experience demonstrate such a strong awareness of writing to picture. One thing I often notice—especially with composers coming from a classical background—is that they naturally focus on writing beautiful music but don't always think about what we call hit points, which can completely change the direction and purpose of a cue.

The fact that you're already thinking about those moments, while also considering voice leading and smooth transitions between sections, shows that you're approaching film scoring as storytelling rather than simply composition. That's a skill many aspiring composers overlook.

Keep developing that mindset. Your musical voice will continue to evolve, but having a solid understanding of how music serves the picture is an excellent foundation to build on.

Wishing you all the best—I look forward to hearing more of your work!