Journal

Notes on music, film & the sound of brands

Essays from the studio - on cinematic scoring, sonic identity, and why sound is the half of storytelling most people forget to design.

A grand piano lit warm gold, its sound dissolving into a stream of teal light and waveform
Field guide

The state of AI in music: a field guide for film & brand work

A plain-language reference - assistive vs generative AI, a capability matrix of what AI can and can't do, the current rights status, and a decision framework for filmmakers and brands.

A composer's desk with handwritten score sketches, a coffee, and a film still on a monitor in warm lamp light
Guide

How to commission custom music: a complete guide

The end-to-end path for film and brands - when to start, how to write the brief, what drives cost, the rights to agree, the process, and a commissioning checklist.

An orchestral bass drum struck, dust exploding off the drumhead in golden light
Interactive

The anatomy of a trailer score

An interactive breakdown of how a trailer is built - play the rising intensity curve and step through the four acts: intro, build-up, climax, and the stinger that lands the title.

A grand piano in warm light and a modular synthesizer glowing teal, facing each other
AI & production

AI and music: what machines can do, and what only a composer should

An honest deep dive from both sides of the line - the real uses, the real limits, the legal reality for brands, and the three questions to ask before any AI touches professional music.

An orchestral bass drum being struck, dust exploding off the drumhead in golden light
Film scoring

How trailer music works: inside the sound that sells films

The three-act build, risers and braams, backtiming to the title card - and why the biggest campaigns commission custom trailer scores.

A grand piano at the end of an empty fashion runway under a warm spotlight
Fashion & sound

Music for fashion: scoring films, campaigns, and runway shows

Fashion became a storytelling medium - and stories need scores. From Gucci’s commissioned composers to the sonic wardrobe, by the composer behind the Jacquemus film.

A screening room desk with two coffees and a notebook facing a glowing screen
For filmmakers

How to hire a film composer: process, cost, and the red flags

When to bring one on, what scores really cost, how to read a reel, the rights conversation, and what to put in the first email.

Analog mixing console faders in warm lamplight with a glowing VU meter
The production

Mixing vs. mastering: the difference, the cost, and what you actually need

Mixing makes instruments sound good together; mastering makes the song sound good everywhere. Both processes, real prices, and how to prepare your files.

A tuning fork on black marble with golden ripples of light
Sonic branding

What is sonic branding? A complete guide for brands

What it actually is, why sound reaches emotion faster than any logo, the research most brands ignore, and how a sonic identity gets built.

Shelves of identical records with one golden record pulled out
Music for brands

Custom music vs. library music: what your story actually needs

An honest comparison from inside the studio - when stock music is enough, when a custom score wins, and the licensing traps in between.

A composer's desk at night with manuscript paper and piano keys
The production

How a custom score gets made, from first call to final master

The brief, the piano sketch, the review rounds, the finishing - what actually happens when you commission music, step by step.

An empty cinema with a glowing screen and a cello in the front row
The production

Cinematic music: scoring emotion, not scenes

Tension and release, tempo and the heartbeat, themes and silence - the mechanics of how film music makes an audience feel.

A golden picture frame and a gramophone horn in a dark gallery
Sonic branding

Sonic branding vs. visual branding: which builds a stronger brand?

Your logo is seen. Your sound is felt. What each sense does best, what the Ipsos research shows, and why the strongest brands design for both.

A crystal perfume bottle on black silk in golden light
Sonic branding

The role of music in luxury branding

Why the great houses treat music as identity - from Burberry and Dior to the retail science that changes what customers buy.

Gold silk fabric flowing in slow motion against black
Sonic branding

What does a luxury brand sound like?

From the click of a Montblanc cap to Dior’s J’adore - why sound is the unseen dimension of luxury, and the science that makes a sonic logo stick.

A conductor raising a baton before a glowing cinema screen
Film scoring

The role of hybrid orchestral music in modern film scoring

From Dunkirk’s ticking watch to Oppenheimer’s bent strings - why the orchestra and the machine became one instrument, and how a hybrid score is built.