| This is a deep and almost more of a psychological theme than a musical one.
Some very interesting insights from the other posters. There are two interesting books that deal with the subject of communicating/interpreting what the director tells you regarding his music wishes. One is Jeff Rona's "The Reel World", the other is called something like "Getting your score"; which is written for directors to explain what the composer needs to know.
The problem that I mostly encounter is the directors' inability to identify the element(s) that is (are) problematic in a music cue. Sometimes it is tempo, sometimes associations with an instruments' sound. An accordion reminds one person of polka in Italy, another perceives it as Argentinean tango. Sometimes the harmonic/ melodic structures are just not "sad" "suspenseful" or whatever enough. I always ask the director for several non-musical adjectives relating to the context and mood of the scene.
Although I am a musician and film composer, I find that reading books about screenwriting more helpful than studying more music books!
Any other composers wish to share their wisdom regarding reading the directors' mind? |