Ramayana Music Score: How AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer’s Collaboration Works, Hollywood vs Bollywood Film Scoring

How does composing for a film work?

The process generally begins with conversations between the director and composer. Once the film is sufficiently developed, they watch it together and decide where music is required, where silence might work better, and what emotions the music should convey. This is known as a spotting session.

The composer and director identify the precise points at which music should begin and end, and the kind of effect it should create. For instance, a scene showing a character remembering a loved one may need a recurring melody, while a chase sequence might require fast-paced percussion and rising tension.

The composer then begins developing the musical language of the film. This can involve researching the story, its historical or cultural setting, and the instruments and musical traditions that might suit it.

Zimmer, for example, is known to research deeply, like studying the Fibonacci sequence for The Da Vinci Code. In a 2014 interview to The Hollywood Reporter, Zimmer said, “What these films allow me to do is to go and start learning something. I mean, Inception was so about suddenly discovering the English mathematician Roger Penrose. And just going on that whole journey…”

The composer also decides on the film’s sonic palette — the combination of instruments, electronic sounds, textures and effects that will give its music a distinctive identity.

An important technique is the use of recurring musical themes, known as leitmotifs. A character, place or idea may have its own musical identity, which returns at important moments. To give an example that is definitely memorable, Komolika in Kasautii Zindagi Kay had her signature “likaa…” leitmotif.

Once the initial ideas are ready, the composer creates musical sketches or digital versions called mock-ups. These allow the director to hear how the music might sound before the final recording. Digital audio workstations and virtual instruments can simulate an entire orchestra, allowing composers to experiment with arrangements.

The next stage is orchestration: deciding which instruments will play which parts. If the score requires a live orchestra, orchestrators prepare sheet music for the musicians. The music is then recorded, often with the composer conducting or supervising the session. Finally, it is mixed and integrated with the film’s dialogue and sound effects.

Not every film follows this route. Some composers create much of the music themselves using synthesisers and computers, while others work with large teams of arrangers, orchestrators, sound designers and recording engineers.

How does Bollywood differ from Hollywood in use of music?

Bollywood and Hollywood increasingly have overlaps, but some typical elements stand out. One of the historical differences lies in the role songs play in the film.

Hindi cinema has traditionally incorporated songs into the narrative. Since Alam Ara (1931), the first Indian talkie, songs have been a central part of popular Hindi films. They convey romance, grief, celebration and conflict, often through elaborate choreography and actors lip-syncing to playback singers.

In this system, the music director traditionally composes the songs, working with lyricists, singers, arrangers and musicians. Playback singers record the vocals, which are subsequently matched to the actors’ performances on screen. The songs may be recorded and released as an album even before the film reaches theatres.

Hollywood, by contrast, has traditionally placed greater emphasis on the background score in mainstream narrative films. A score is the instrumental or vocal music composed specifically to accompany the action, without necessarily being performed by characters on screen. Songs may also feature, but they are often licensed from existing musicians or composed separately for the film. Hollywood musicals, of course, are an important exception, with songs integrated into the narrative.

The distinction is also reflected in the organisation of the work. Hindi film music historically developed around the music director and a network of arrangers, assistants, lyricists and studio musicians. Ethnomusicologist Gregory D Booth’s study of Mumbai’s film studios documents how these teams collectively shaped the music, with musicians often contributing significantly to the creative process.

In Hollywood, the composer is generally commissioned to create the film’s score, with specialised teams handling orchestration, music editing, sound design and recording. Large productions may employ an entire orchestra for the recording. However, these are broad tendencies, not rigid rules: Indian films also have elaborate orchestral scores, and Hollywood productions use original songs extensively.

Both industries have changed considerably. Hindi films, especially those primarily meant for OTT, increasingly use fewer songs, sometimes incorporating them into montages rather than interrupting the narrative. Some films employ multiple composers, while others use pre-existing songs. Background scoring has also become more sophisticated and central to storytelling.