Campus: Sync Licensing Month Week 2: Crafting the Syncable Song

Techniques and secrets behind the lyrics and production:

Live workshop Tuesday, November 11 at 8:30 p.m. EST

Executive summary

Not every great song works for picture. This session shows you how to write and produce songs that land on screen by serving story, emotion, and editors’ needs. You will leave with a checklist and a rework plan for one of your own tracks so it is actually pitchable for sync.

Why “syncable” songs are different

A syncable song is built to support visual narrative. That means clear emotion, universal language, and structures that help editors hit cuts, builds, and endings without fighting the track. The goal is simple. Make the story feel bigger and make the editor’s job easier.

What we will cover

1) Storytelling that lands on picture

Music for picture must amplify the on-screen arc. Think in scenes. Set up, tension, release. Map sections to narrative beats so supervisors and editors can feel the lift when the story needs it.

Do this now

• Pick a reference scene type you could score: first win, quiet resolve, last-minute sprint

• Plan your emotional arc in three acts and assign your song’s sections to each act

2) Lyrics that travel

Supervisors look for universal lyrics that let a scene breathe. Fewer names and ultra-specifics. More emotion-forward lines and hooks that work without context.

Do this now

• Replace hyper-specific nouns with emotional images

• Make the chorus stand alone as a single clear statement of feeling or intention

3) Production that helps editors

Editors need handles. Give them strong intros, dynamic builds, edit points, and a decisive ending. Deliver alt mixes and stems so they can shape around dialogue and SFX.

Your editor-friendly checklist

• 0:00 cold-open or instantly recognisable motif

• Section lifts every 8 to 16 bars

• Clear edit points with one-bar pauses or drumless downbeats

• Big button ending that rings out clean

• Deliver: full mix, instrumental, TV mix, no drums, vocals only, plus stems

4) Genre and sonic identity

Supervisors brief for emotion and vibe first. Genre supports that. Make choices that telegraph mood in the first five seconds and keep your sonic brand consistent across cues.

Do this now

• Choose a palette that sells the mood fast

• Keep tempo steady and groove confident

• Avoid dated tropes unless the brief wants period accurate

5) Real examples and why they won

We will break down real placements to show how arrangement, lyric universality, and edit points aligned to picture. You will see exactly how these songs made the scene work and why they were chosen.

Hands-on segment

Bring one existing song. You will:

1. Map its story beats

2. Rewrite your chorus for universality

3. Add two edit points and a button ending

4. Export alt mixes and stems

Deliverables you leave with

• A revised structure that supports a visual storyline

• A lyric pass focused on universal language

• A production plan with edit points, builds, and a clean ending

• A stem and alt-mix export list ready for pitching

• A repeatable checklist for future tracks

Pre-work before Tuesday

• Pick your target emotion and scene type

• Print your current lyrics and highlight specifics to generalise

• Prep your session for fast stem exports and organise your metadata and splits

Aftercare and pitching

Once the track is reworked, confirm ownership and admin, then pitch with alt mixes and a clear one-line mood description. Make it easy for a supervisor to hear it, clear it, and cut it.

See you Tuesday, November 11 at 8:30 p.m. EST. Bring a song, bring your stems, and be ready to make it syncable.