Action Film Composer
Action scoring is about more than intensity. It is about pacing that intensity across the entire sequence — and understanding where the film actually needs the music to reach its maximum power.
Selected Action Film Music
Score the Arc, Not Just the Action
For me, action scoring begins with pacing.
If I am looking at a six-minute chase, one of the first questions is: where does this sequence actually peak?
If the score uses its full orchestra, percussion, rhythmic complexity and intensity during the opening minute, there may be nowhere meaningful for it to go during the remaining five.
I prefer to understand the climax first and then work backward from it — stripping away instruments, density and complexity earlier in the sequence so the music has somewhere to build.
Not Every Climax Is the Film's Climax
The largest moment within an action sequence also has to be considered within the arc of the entire film.
Is this the moment where we want to use everything?
Or does the film need to preserve another level of musical scale for something that happens later?
That distinction matters. A score can make an individual sequence impressive while unintentionally weakening a more important moment later in the story.
The music has to understand both arcs.
Rhythm Before Melody
In many action sequences, I prefer a more rhythmically driven approach with less melodic information.
At times, sparse or almost nonexistent melodic material can be more effective because rhythm, orchestration and harmonic movement are already providing enormous forward momentum.
When melodic or harmonic material does become important, one device I particularly enjoy is the octatonic scale. Its alternating interval structure creates tremendous possibilities for tension while still allowing recognizable musical ideas to develop inside it.
The objective is not to make every second of an action sequence enormous. It is to control the energy so that when the score finally reaches its full scale, the film has earned it.
Tell Me About Your Film
If you're looking for an original score and Nathan's approach feels right for your film, tell me a little about the project, where you are in production, and what you're imagining for the music.