12. Music Editing

Eventually, when the editing of the film is almost complete, Adam’s thoughts turn toward music—in particular, what kind of music would be exactly right for Silent Night, Silent Cowboy.

Perhaps Adam wishes to work with the same composer he’s worked with on other films. Perhaps he wants no music or pieces of already recorded music. Or perhaps he will take a chance on a new composer. But, if there is any type of music in the film, there needs to be a music editor.

On many low-budget films, especially if there is very little music, the picture editor functions as the music editor, primarily assisting the composer in getting his timings and laying in the tracks (don’t worry, we’ll discuss these terms in a short while). But even ...

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