ABSTRACT
Orchestration is widely acknowledged as a key activity in the production of a screen score, but the nature of the task itself is less well understood outside the industry. The role the orchestrator plays in forming the sound of the finished score raises questions regarding the level of creative input orchestrators have, and the extent to which orchestration might be considered a craft or art, rather than merely a process. The American Federation of Musicians (AFM) provides relatively clear guidance relating to what does and does not constitute orchestration, but the British Musicians’ Union (MU) offers no such framework within which an orchestrator might work. Furthermore, given that every orchestration job is different and can be impacted by variables including, but not limited to, the working practices of composers and the strength and length of the composer/orchestrator relationship, the applicability of any form of regulation is questionable in the contemporary screen-music industry.
