How does the Music Supervisor determine the musical tone of the film?
What is the vibe?
* Cool, hip and modern like, younger audience?
* Traditional, appealing to an older audience?
* What role will the music play? Music heavy?
* Use music to help tell your story? – or Only background
* What genre of music does the director/producer have in mind?
The story and the setting will tell you – if it’s set among the urban gangs of the inner city. It may be heavily gangster rap-hip-hop. If it’s on a college campus, It might be more indie rock etc.
* Geography – what instrumentation is commonly associated with city and urban locations, or the ocean, or outer space?
* Time Period – what musical styles are commonly associated with prehistoric times, the 1920’s, 1950’s? If it’s set in the 1930’s or ancient times there will be different period music.
Your hybrid abilities to be a DJ, and be a music genre and music history expert, come in handy here. You are fulfilling specific scene requirements, but also have an ear to what the audience of the film/TV show may like to hear. It is a fine line to walk, the director may be more interested in what works in the film, the producer interested in targeting an audience with the music in the show.