Score Your Film with Royalty-Free Cinematographic Music
Check out our library of royalty-free cinematic music to find the soundtrack for your next film. From thriller to romance, comedy to horror, PremiumBeat has you covered.
Our Cinematographic Music
Establish a Setting
On its own, cinematographic music has the power to sweep listeners off their feet and transport them to an epic imagined location. When coupled with the visual medium of film, such dramatic songs can complement the on-screen setting, adding an auditory dimension to what the audience can see. In this way, cinematic soundtracks help viewers enter the world of the film.
Amplify Narratives
Our most beloved films likely would not have packed so powerful a punch if they hadn’t had strong cinematic soundtracks to enhance the storytelling. Imagine your favorite mystery movie without suspenseful music or your favorite fantasy film without magical musical accompaniment. They simply would not be the same.
Wordlessly Portray Motives and Thoughts
Cinematographic music can speak for on-screen characters without those characters needing to say anything at all. If a character is simply gazing out of a window, for example, the audience’s perception of that character will be dramatically impacted by the music that plays. An uplifting song hints that the sun will soon come out, while a dark song warns of storm clouds on the horizon.
About Cinematographic Music
What is a cinematic soundtrack?
Cinematographic music is original music written to accompany a film. A film soundtrack plays an important role in storytelling: it establishes setting, creates an atmosphere, highlights specific elements, foreshadows important plot points, adds meaning to a character’s actions, and creates emotion in the audience. It has the ability to seamlessly unite a series of images and keep audience members engaged, as in a musical film montage that might otherwise seem disjointed to viewers. Cinematic music may be played as part of a theatrical trailer, during the opening and closing credits of a film, or throughout certain scenes of the film. The use and application of film soundtracks varies across cultures. Hollywood, for example, tends to use cinematic music differently than Bollywood. Hollywood film soundtracks generally play as a powerful sort of background music, while Bollywood films often feature large casts that sing the songs of the soundtrack on-screen.
What instruments are used in cinematographic music?
Cinematographic music tends to be orchestral and sweeping, and a wide array of instruments are used to achieve this effect. String instruments are often used to play up the intense emotional depth of a scene. In Steven Spielberg’s E.T., for example, the composer uses strings to speak both to the great joy of flying a bicycle through the sky and the pained goodbye Elliott must say to his beloved alien friend. Popular cinematic string instruments include the violin, cello, and bass. The piano is also often heard in film soundtracks. It is generally used to set a certain emotional tone for scenes that are romantic or sad. Think of “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme from Titanic, a song with the power to move many listeners to tears. Other instruments used in cinematic music include drums, flutes, and trumpets, among others.
How do I make cinematographic music?
If you intend to make cinematographic music to accompany a film, begin creating the music around the same time the film is being edited. The first step in this creation process is called “spotting.” You will want to watch the rough cut of the film to get a sense of its tone and style. If you have directed the film, you can decide for yourself which scenes you would like to make music for. Otherwise, discuss this with the film’s director. Make note of precise timing cues so that you know when each song will begin and end, and if there are certain moments in the scene that would benefit from lining up with the music, such as a sudden crash of cymbals when lightning streaks across the sky. The next step in the process is “syncing.” This is when you try to sync dramatic on-screen moments with musical events in your score. There are many different methods for this, such as the use of sequencing software that will calculate timings. Then it is time for the writing of the music, a personal process for composers. This is followed by orchestration, when the music is arranged so that an ensemble can perform it, and ultimately the recording of the soundtrack can take place.
How do I mix cinematic music?
When mixing cinematic music, keep in mind the ideal effect your sound will have on the audience. You want them fully immersed in the film. There are a number of sound design tips to help you mix a compelling cinematic soundtrack:
Equalization (EQ): Here you can adjust the volume level of a frequency or range of frequencies within a sound. To achieve a cinematic resonance, equalize to leave space.
Low end power: Many composers use low-end drones to increase the tension in their film score. Try adding a sine wave oscillator just one octave below your synth’s main oscillator to bring more power to your song.
Add a pulse: You know that terrifying, pulsing bassline so often heard in horror movies like Halloween? Including such a sound in your cinematic music is a powerful way to increase the heartbeat of your audience. To achieve this effect, try adding an eighth-note arpeggio on a single bass note.
Equalization (EQ): Here you can adjust the volume level of a frequency or range of frequencies within a sound. To achieve a cinematic resonance, equalize to leave space.
Low end power: Many composers use low-end drones to increase the tension in their film score. Try adding a sine wave oscillator just one octave below your synth’s main oscillator to bring more power to your song.
Add a pulse: You know that terrifying, pulsing bassline so often heard in horror movies like Halloween? Including such a sound in your cinematic music is a powerful way to increase the heartbeat of your audience. To achieve this effect, try adding an eighth-note arpeggio on a single bass note.
Where can I get cinematographic music?
PremiumBeat’s library is the best place to find professional-quality cinematic music that will take your film to the next level. Not sure where to start? You can always check out our curated playlist of cinematic music to get a sense of what’s available to you. If, on the other hand, you do have some specific song types in mind, head to our search engine. Enter keywords into the search bar and apply our many advanced filters to specify the exact sort of song you are looking for. To get started with cinematic music, click the “Genres” filter on the left side of the search page and scroll down to “Production/Film Scores.” Under that heading, you will see “Cinematic.” Select that to explore hundreds of sweeping, cinematic soundtracks. To find songs that will match the tone of your film, go to the “Mood” filter and choose from options such as Comedy, Crime, Horror, and Romantic, among many others.
Access the World of Cinematographic Music.
Our cinematographic music collection spans an epic range of styles. Whatever sound your movie needs, we’ve got you covered.
How to use cinematographic music
Using cinematic music for Youtube videos
Adding cinematographic music to your YouTube videos can increase the impact you have on your audience. It makes your content appear more professional, which in turn reflects well on your channel and keeps viewers coming back for more. A range of YouTube videos can benefit from the addition of cinematic music. If you have a gaming channel, videos of gorgeous natural vistas, or even a filmed poem, cinematic music can help deepen the viewers’ sense that your content is epic or emotionally powerful.
In order to use cinematic music in YouTube videos, it is essential that you have the rights to the music. Using a copyrighted song from your favorite film in your own video will quickly result in YouTube taking down or muting your video. To avoid this, simply find your ideal cinematic music in the PremiumBeat library, add it to your cart, and head to checkout to select the license that meets your needs.
Using cinematic music for films
When it comes to films, cinematographic music varies by genre and emotional intent of a given scene. Uplifting piano and strings are effective in songs that intend to convey a heartwarming and inspirational sense to the audience, for example, while eerie strings can achieve a frightened response in viewers. If you intend to use cinematic music in your film, you will first need to get clear on your film’s genre. Identify the scenes that would benefit from a soundtrack. A cinematic song toward the start of your film can help set the tone, while music played during important emotional scenes can help keep the audience wrapped up in the fictional world of the story and deepen the emotional impact. You can also consider diegetic music versus non-diegetic music. Diegetic music occurs within the film and can be heard by the characters, as in a car radio or a character singing karaoke. Non-diegetic music is more common in film, as it is the sort of cinematic soundtrack that the characters are unaware of.
Using cinematic music for trailers
If you are looking for cinematic music for a trailer, it helps to be aware of standard trailer music structure. Most will have an intro, buildup, climax I, climax II, and outro. To get a sense of what you like, watch the film trailers of some of your favorite movies. Study them. What is the total length of the trailer? How long is the intro? The buildup? The climax? What instruments were used? What chord progressions were used? When you are clear on the above, you can go to the PremiumBeat library and search for similar songs by using our advanced mood and genre filters. Download your favorite cinematic music and then upload it to your editing software. Try to sync your edits so that visual cuts and musical shifts happen simultaneously.
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Add cinematographic music tracks to your cart, go to checkout, and select the license that meets the needs of your project. Creating a cinematic soundtrack for your film is that easy.
Handpicked music
Explore our curated playlist of epic and dramatic soundtracks, each one offering a high-quality addition to your next film. Download tracks that will take your film to the next level today.
Wide variety of genres and moods
Play around with our advanced filters to find the exact sort of cinematic music you are looking for. With our long list of specific genres and moods, you will soon have the perfect soundtrack to accompany your film.