{"id":27787,"date":"2026-06-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=27787"},"modified":"2026-06-09T14:31:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T19:31:13","slug":"can-you-pick-the-perfect-song-enter-our-music-supervision-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/can-you-pick-the-perfect-song-enter-our-music-supervision-contest\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Pick the Perfect Song? Enter Our Music Supervision Song Sync Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Music Supervisor Hunter George Shares Tips for Soundtracking Our Contest Clip<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the most exciting aspects of music supervision is placing music to moving pictures\u2014finding the right song to amplify a scene, tell a story, or create an emotional connection with an audience. That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re asking you to do in Berklee Online\u2019s Music Supervision Contest<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download a short video clip, add music using Instagram\u2019s licensed music library, and submit your entry for a chance to win a free undergraduate Music Supervision course. It\u2019s an opportunity to try one of the most visible parts of the profession while getting a taste of what music supervisors do every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, music supervision itself involves much more than choosing songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hunter George, who is writing and teaching the two Cumulative Experience in Music Supervision<\/em> courses in Berklee Online\u2019s brand new Master of Arts in Music Supervision<\/a> program, knows that firsthand. He has been working professionally as a music supervisor for more than a decade, and is currently executive music producer and music supervisor for\u00a0Phantoms Creative Music Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n \"Hunter\n\n

Early in his career, Hunter spent years handling complex music clearances for film and television. Working on the CBS series Training Day<\/em>, he helped secure rights for music by artists ranging from Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams to Johnny Cash, AC\/DC, and N.W.A.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cI was doing clearances for things like Daft Punk\u2019s \u2018Get Lucky\u2019 with Pharrell. I think it was the first thing I ever cleared,\u201d he says. \u201cI didn\u2019t actually place anything for a few years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

As for selecting music itself, Hunter says the job is often less about personal taste and more about reading the room, and understanding the creative vision of the people making the project.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a dynamic conversation happening in a room with a very small group of people, and you\u2019re serving the director\u2019s vision at the end of the day,\u201d says Hunter. \u201cUnderstanding the dynamics, understanding the etiquette, understanding who\u2019s really leading the creative direction and not getting that confused\u2014that\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Sometimes that vision starts with temporary music used during editing: \u201cYour job is to wow them with options in the same zone,\u201d Hunter says.<\/p>\n

Other times, the direction can be surprisingly specific: \u201cA good music supervisor is trying to find the next song that could find virality, six months to a year early: That\u2019s the high we chase.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\n Beatles Clearances and \u2018Waiting for This Moment to Arise\u2019\n<\/strong>\n
\nRecently, Hunter worked on Netflix\u2019s hit Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery<\/em>. The scene where Edward Norton\u2019s character is sitting on the beach and playing the Beatles\u2019 \u201cBlackbird\u201d on guitar was a moment that Hunter had to navigate with the rights holders.

\n\u201cWe were going and securing that Beatles clearance, which is one of the trickier ones,\u201d he says.\nBecause the scene depended on a specific joke, the team also had to prepare backup plans in case the clearance didn’t come through. In some ways, Hunter says, his years working on Training Day<\/em> served as training for moments like this.

\n\u201cThat goes back to my early days of clearing all those legendary, iconic records. I kind of know how to navigate that path,\u201d he says. \u201cI thought it landed really well once I finally saw the scene.\u201d\n\n <\/p>\n\n

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