{"id":27673,"date":"2025-04-11T10:40:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T15:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=27673"},"modified":"2026-04-15T15:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:05:00","slug":"music-supervision-choosing-tv-theme-songs-thank-you-for-signing-up-4815162342","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/music-supervision-choosing-tv-theme-songs-thank-you-for-signing-up-4815162342\/","title":{"rendered":"Music Supervision: Choosing TV Theme Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How Music Supervisors Select Between Pre-Existing or Custom Composed Music as the Intro Songs for Television Shows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The following information on music supervision is excerpted from the Berklee Online course <\/span>Music Supervision 2<\/span><\/i><\/a>, written by <\/span>Brad Hatfield<\/span><\/a>, and currently enrolling.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

There are many variables that can come into play when choosing the perfect composition to use for an opening sequence of a movie or a recurring theme song for a radio or television program. In all likelihood, there may be several options that are floated before the definitive music is chosen. Remember, in many cases as a music supervisor, you are taking direction more often than giving it, and must listen to all the relevant folks that have opinions\u2014and as we know, everyone has an opinion on music!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s watch award-winning music supervisor Thomas Golubi\u0107 (Six Feet Under, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, SEAL Team<\/em>) as he talks about what to consider when thinking about the main title music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INSERT Thomas Golubi\u0107 VIDEO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Custom Composition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Identifying and hiring a composer (or collaborators) to create something unique is probably the most challenging path. The exception might be in the case of a composer who has a long track record and a recognizable sound that may help other principals in the decision-making process feel comfortable, and allow the process of creating the theme to move forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your production is a pilot and does not have an order for a full season by a network already, there will be a lot of chefs in the kitchen weighing in on this very important \u201cfirst impression\u201d of the show and the overall tone. In most cases, the opening sequence will be attached to every episode in the exact same way, and needs to hold up with a variety of continuing or new storylines. When working on a pilot, the opening sequence may go through enormous changes as the principals try things to see how they work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n What is a Pilot?<\/B>
\n A pilot is a single episode of a proposed TV show series that is produced and subjected to approval by the network that ordered the pilot. In many cases, the pilot becomes the first episode of the series, but this is not always the case, as some shows do not move linearly and do not need an opening episode with an introduction to the characters and their backstories.\n\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the actual course, this is the point where I\u2019d share a short example of an opening sequence for a pilot that went through a few approaches to the main title. It started with placement of some temp music created by the composer based solely on the character descriptions and locations described in the script, to an arrangement of a popular song as an instrumental, and finally the same song performed by a well-known artist on a major label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TO FIND OUT WHAT THE SHOW OR THE SONG WAS, YOU\u2019LL HAVE TO ENROLL IN THE 12-WEEK COURSE!<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a pilot is in production, decisions (whether they be the right ones or wrong ones!) happen quickly, so production team members must communicate effectively and respond quickly to notes given to them by directors, producers, studio execs, and network execs. With each decision, licensing and budgeting concerns arise, so it\u2019s more than just what music works better, it\u2019s also what is licensable<\/strong> and affordable<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch composer Jeff Beal (House of Cards, Ugly Betty, Monk, Rome<\/em>) as he discusses the creative concerns of composing a main title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INSERT JEFF BEAL VIDEO 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you would like to watch the full versions of the opening titles for House of Cards<\/em> and Rome<\/em>, here are those videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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