The 5 L’s of Song Selection for Video Editors

By Caleb Rexius

Today, I want to walk through my 5 L’s of selecting songs for my videos, which are as follows: layers, lyrics, limits, love, and learning to let it go. Let’s get started!

You have a project. You’ve got a billion creative decisions to make, and the one at the forefront is…what music should I use?

I’ve produced over 1,000 videos over the past 10 years, and I’ve found a framework that helps me move forward in my creative workflow, without getting stalled, and I want to share it with you in hopes that it can help you too. So let’s get started with the first step.

#1 – Layers

Audio layers, that is. We need to determine what layers we are going to need.

Obviously, there is the music/song layer. That’s what we’re primarily talking about here. But also – is there dialogue or narration of any kind? Because that will immediately change what kind of songs we can use, because we’ll need to leave room for the voices and not compete with an overly-aggressive music track thats drowning out the vocal frequencies.

Also, do we intend to have a sound design at all? Some videos may call for SFX and some may not, but let’s try to decide early if we’re going to have a bed of sound effects, because that will certainly factor into our song choice.

#2 – Lyrics or No Lyrics?

The choice to use a song with lyrics, or without lyrics like an instrumental track, is a huge decision on a video, and there’s not a wrong or right answer. It’s personal creative preference, but a song with the right lyrical feel can elevate a video significantly.

But if the lyrics are a bit off in relation to the visuals and/or the message of the video, it can be very jarring and honestly can kill a video project. At Filmpac, we offer both types of songs, and I will say that the use of lyrical songs in video projects is becoming much more accessible and popular in contemporary filmmaking and ad creation.

#3 – Limit Your Time

This is important, especially if you’re a music connoisseur and especially if you’re a perfectionist. I’ve seen editors and honestly some of my very own staff sink so many hours into searching for that perfect song, that by the time they start the edit, not only are they out of budgeted time, but they’re also losing some steam creatively. So I encourage you to find something that works well and is inspiring enough, and move on. Thats #3: limit your time!

#4 – Love the Song

Now hold on…this might seem to conflict with the last point about limiting your browsing time, but the importance of liking the song at first listen is very important. Remember how you felt when you first heard those first few notes? With the viewers, many times you get 1 shot, 1 watch, sometimes only a few seconds to hook them in.

Songs with an acquired taste don’t generally work. Also, as an editor, we all know that once we pick that song, we have to listen to it about a thousand times during the editing process, so there’s something to be said about loving it and feeling inspired throughout that process.

#5 – Learn to Let It Go.

Just like Elsa, sometimes you have to let it go.

As editors, we get attached to songs. But sometimes it’s not working. Sometimes a client asks for a new song, which can be so deflating because it has all been synced up and mixed just perfectly.

Let it go. Learn to let it go.

That really applies to all commercial client work, but especially when we’re talking about music. Sometimes you have to let it go.

So thats it. The 5 L’s: layers, lyrics, limits, love, and let it go. Is that oversimplified? Of course. Is it a good start to thinking about song selection for videos? You bet.

Obviously, there are a ton of intricacies in discerning just the right feel, pacing, and emotion, and that’s more of a master class that we don’t have time for today, but I hope this was helpful.

These are 5 principles that have been super effective for me in my experience as an editor, and I hope that they can help you as well. As always, you can find awesome music and footage available for use in your projects over at filmpac.com. Until next time, keep on creating, and thanks for reading.

Caleb is the founder and lead cinematographer at Filmpac.