D.o.S. wrote:Experience from the other end of this transaction: Look for one central motif or theme that'll be the crux of the whole thing, then try to extrapolate that into as many similar--in mood & tone, not necessarily instrumentation or length--pieces as you can. Then take the best ones from that.
This is great advice. Very, very helpful in doing soundtrackery.
Having done a couple soundtracks in the past, one thing I've learned is that really the only times your compositional chops are noticed are at the beginning prior to the credits, and afterwards while the creds are rolling. So my best arrangements always go there, but the pieces based off of those ideas/ambient things etc. go as under-riding material.
Also, I like to study the music done in similar films. Try to find out the director's inspirations to his movie and either watch/listen to those. Knowing his film and lighting style also helps how you want to write as far as the mood goes...
But do remember that although you're complementing his work primarily, it's not a time to completely back down and be background noise.
Have fun with this project, dude!