How To Build A Horsey Horseless…Musically?

In 1899 the motor industry faced a challenge…

They had this new invention that was going to change the world: the automobile.

But when they released the car into the wild, panic ensued.

For one, people weren’t ready to accept a vehicle that could be propelled without the assistance of a horse. And, more seriously, horses weren’t ready to accept vehicles propelled by what must have appeared to them as magic.

And so one of the strangest inventions of the early 20th century was thought up…

The Horsey Horseless.

Despite being hailed as one of the worst cars of all time by Time magazine, this invention was a stroke of genius.

It helped usher in the acceptance of automobiles by sticking a fake horse’s head on the front of a car; tricking the horses on the road into thinking it was a regular old horse and carriage, and helping the general population accept the “radical” new automobile by disguising it as something more familiar.

Genius.

(Oh, and in a stroke of absolute brilliance, the horse head doubled as a fuel tank!)

You’re probably wondering what all this has to do with film music…

Well, as film composers we have to be the inventors of the Horsey Horseless!

Here’s what I mean…

You already know how important it is to “find your voice” as a composer, and to be “innovative” with your music…

…but how do you do that when you also have to cater to an audience that just isn’t ready for that kind of innovation?

You build a Horsey Horseless.

In other words, you find a way to disguise your brilliantly innovative music as something the general population will accept.

That’s the real art of innovation in film music: helping the audience bridge the gap between what they’re familiar with, and the future of music.

And we have a responsibility as film composers to do just that. Film is one of the few art forms that seamlessly integrates music into something aimed towards a mass audience, so it’s one of the few opportunities a composer gets to help push a wide audience’s appreciation and understanding of music forwards.

Now, go forth and build your Horsey Horseless!

But first, let me know: what’s one film score that you think disguises innovative music as something a general audience can enjoy?