Music is one of the most basic ingredients in video production. If used right, music is the most powerful tool to deliver your message effectively. Choosing the right music for a video is not rocket science, but it holds the key to making or breaking the video. Music has the potential to become a cultural phenomenon. Just think about the importance of Game of Thrones’s music in its iconic success.
The opening credits of Game of Thrones, without a doubt, is the most captivating piece of music. It set the tone for the most successful show in the history of television. No surprise that Game of Thrones background score won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Music Composition and earned a nomination for a Grammy. The title theme was compelling. It hit the right notes to capture the heart and the soul of their audience.
The creator of the opening credits of Game of Thrones, Ramin Djawadi, explaining the idea behind the theme said:
“It can be very dark and moody, but also beautiful and emotional at the same time, And it’s just perfect for the show. Because it’s such a dark show, because all these families have their problems.”
Not just the opening credits, Djawadi’s score for Game of Thrones is a jukebox of evocative tunes and instrumentation.
The music of betrayal:
The massacre of the episode Red Wedding that resulted in the killing off fan favorites Robb Stark was delivered with the haunting tunes of helplessness and betrayal.
The tune of Freedom:
The badass Daenerys Targaryen freeing the unsullied from the shackles of slavery.
The Rhythm of immense satisfaction:
Arya Killing the Freys to avenge the killers of her family was one of the most iconic and the most satisfying moment and offered much-needed closure.
The melody of loyalty and ultimate sacrifice:
Hodor stole the heart of the audience with his simplicity and ultimate sacrifice. It was one of the most iconic and painful cinematic moments matched by the equally good background score.
Explosion and fire:
Cersei Lannister taking a sip of wine while enjoying the annihilation of Great Sept sent the chills through the viewers. The background music matches the petrifying scene with a haunting sequence.
Suffice to say the background score of the Game of Throne was epic, enthralling, and soul-stirring. It is a fact that the best of performances and cinematic masterpiece requires the right music that matches with events, characters, and storyline.
How to Pick the Right Music for Your Video
While choosing the background music for your next video, there are many things to consider. The music is a perfect medium to set up the tone and atmosphere to tell a powerful story. Music is a reference point and a connection between the content, your message, and the audience. These are the most important factors that are integral while picking the music for your video.
– The tone of the content
– The message you want to deliver
– Your target audience
– The budget
After a prolonged and meaningful conversation with our talented audio engineering and creative team, we have compiled some tips that will help you to choose the perfect music for your video.
The role of music in your video:
Let the music do the talking, and rest assured the background music delivers a specific message. You have to figure out the exact role of the music in your video.
If the content of your video contains a piece of detailed or complicated information, then choose the light and subtle music that supports the video and makes it easy for the viewers to focus on the content of the video without any distraction. If you are working on a promotional video or promo, then the music you choose should have emotional appeal for the audience.
Know your audience:
Identifying the audience is a key aspect of choosing the right music. Use a musical genre that aligns with your video and resonates with your audience. You can test two or three genres and then finalize the one that is a better fit.
Know the Genre
Here are the different types of music genres you can choose from:
Ambient:
Calm, peaceful, soothing, light, and easy on-ear. Ambient is a perfect form of background music when you don’t want the music to overshadow the core message of your video. For message-centric videos, it works like a charm. For teaching videos, YouTube tutorials, and non-profit videos, ambient is the most suitable choice.
Corporate:
Right to the point. Engaging and encourage for call of action. Ideal for business communication and advertisement. When you want to showcase a new product or educate viewers about a service or an application, corporate music will help to juice up the content. It will keep your target audience interested and engaged.
Comedic:
Fun, bold, and zestful. Who doesn’t like good humor? People love funny and charming videos. Funny videos have the best reach on social media. Every funny video needs bubbly and funky music to strike the right chord and make it memorable.
Cinematic:
Captivating, grand, victorious, and larger than life. It is the most powerful music genre. It evokes all ranges of emotions: inspiration, pain, and happiness. With Cinematic music, you can take the viewers on a roller-coaster of emotions.
Acoustic Music:
Acoustic is a flexible genre. You can use it in a variety of videos. It is a perfect recipe to warm the heart of your audience. There are tons of motivational videos that pop up in our social media feeds. In most cases, the inspirational video content has the same theme, the use of acoustic guitars, and a vibrant drum beat. Acoustic music is also frequently used in lifestyle videos and other wide range of videos.
Classical Music:
If you want to create a soothing impression on your viewers, then classical music can do the trick. It can be calming and yet uplifting to inspire your audience.
Types of Video Content that You Can Create
When it comes to video, there are four types of video content you can create. Once you know what type of video content you are making, you can go ahead with the selection of the music. These are the four types of video content:
– Demo or explainer videos
– Promotion videos
– Customer testimonials
– Company culture videos
Demo or explainer videos:
The purpose of explainer videos is to give a brief overview of a business or a company. The duration of these videos is 2 to 3 minutes. As a creator of an explainer video, you have to stick to certain guidelines and specifications, so there is no room for experimentation. In that case, you need to stick to music that is precise and to the point. At the same time, it doesn’t overwhelm the tone of the video and let the narrator speak to the viewers without causing any disturbance.
Promotional videos:
The main aim of the promotional video is to engage and challenge the audience on an emotional level. Since the promotional videos are short, you have a limited time to catch the attention of the viewers and influence their opinion regarding a particular brand.
When it comes to promotional videos, demographics are very important. If you are dealing with a younger audience, then funky and groovy music is ideal. If your audience is more sophisticated, then you can use classical music.
Customer testimonial videos:
In the age of digital media, where everybody is looking for reviews before making up their mind about a product or service, customer testimonials and positive word of mouth can play a massive role. For customer testimonials, the content is very crucial. It should appear to be authentic, genuine, and outline an honest opinion. And in any case, it shouldn’t sound like a sale pitch.
When it comes to picking music for customer testimonial videos, avoid using over-the-top and mellow dramatic music. Choose a lighthearted or a slightly upbeat tune that goes well with the flow of the video.
Company culture videos:
The company culture videos have more room for experimentation. You can try new things or explore a specific angle. And same goes for the music that you want to pick for your video. The perfect soundtrack for a company culture video should be uplifting, exciting, and upbeat.
The Budget
No matter how much your budget is, never use substandard or low-quality music for your video. There are many available sources, where you can pick the right music, without upsetting your allocated budget.
The most suitable option is to pick and choose background music from royalty-free platforms. They have a wide variety of background music, and you can easily find the music that fits with your video.
These are the top 5 websites for buying royalty music.
Epidemic Sound
Epidemic sound’s library has over 30,000+ tracks. You can access their library and select the track of your preferred genre. For as low as 15$ a month, you can download as many songs as you want. Their subscription is super flexible and you can cancel it anytime. Epidemic sound’s search feature makes everything easy and hassle-free.
Audio Jungle
Audio Jungle has an immense selection of over 100,000 tracks from all genres, instruments, and sounds. Owned by Envato Elements, their monthly subscription costs $16.50.
Jamendo
Jamendo has a huge selection of music. You can pick the best music suited for your video.
Bensound
Bensound offers the best music for explainer and demo videos.
YouTube Audio Library
YouTube Audio Library has an unlimited amount of offers royalty-free music. With Youtube, you have the option of sorting the music by genre, duration, instrument, popularity, and attribution.
Free Background Music Resources
Here are some free music resources that you can utilize for your video:
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a great resource to find music for your video. With artists all over the world uploading their music on SoundCloud, there is a wide variety of music that you can pick from. Comply with artist’s guidelines under the creative commons license and you are good to go.
CcMixter
A community-based website that showcases the work of thousands of artists. Follow the CcMixter guidelines for both commercial and non-commercial use.
Free Music Archive
With Free Music Archive, you can search and download the music for free. You have the option of searching by genre, artist, and filmmaker.
Free Sound
Free Sound has a broad-ranging collection of sound effects.
Pixabay
Pixabay is a free library of musical tracks and sounds. The music on Pixabay is categorized by genre, mood, and movement.
The Bottom-line
In today’s super-competitive media environment, the viewers are spoilt for choice. They have access to a wide range of content. Under the current circumstances, you have to be top of your game to stand out from your competition. To create a unique experience that your viewers can connect and relate to, music has the power and appeal to play the central role.
Music can help you to build a meaningful connection that can last for a lifetime. The good news is you have a range of options that you can utilize as per the requirements of your project. The music allows you to speak your mind and effectively send your message.
You can inspire and motivate your audience. You can play on their emotions and feelings. With the right storyline, content, mood, and music, you can leave a long-lasting impression on your audience. Picking the right music and tone can be an overwhelming and time-consuming task. However, once your figure that out, the final product would be nothing less than a masterpiece.
Trust us when we say this, it’s worth all the effort and your time.