Charge, scored
Published November 2026
Wall-to-wall action in D minor for orchestra and percussion: a stubborn theme for the old man, a half-time low-brass motif for the robot, tutti hits on the explosion and the burning depot, then a lone horn in the fog. Scored on November 1, 2026 through the scoring studio, the same loop anyone gets: the film went in, the scored film came back 16 minutes later, and nothing was touched by hand.
What was asked
- The sound: Action.
- How much music: wall to wall.
- If the film already has music: Replace it.
- Direction: “An old man steals a battery from a guarded depot and fights the robot sent after him: build from the theft into the fight, drive the escape, and leave the night quiet.”
Those are the studio's own controls, set as anyone would set them. The composer is free to depart from them when the picture asks for it, and says so when it does.
The composer's notes
What the studio's composer wrote back with the scored film, in its own words; only its closing offer of changes is left out.
The film is scored wall to wall, all 90 seconds, at web loudness (−16 LUFS, peaks at −2.4 dB). The clip had no soundtrack of its own, so there was nothing to remove or duck under: the score is the whole soundtrack. One theme carries it, a stubborn D-minor tune for the old man. The robot gets its own motif, and the orchestra is strings, horns, trumpets, trombones, timpani, concert snare, bass drum & cymbal and a drum kit.
The cues
- 1M1 "The Theft" (0:00–0:30): builds from the theft into the fight.
- Theft and reveal: a soft cello pulse and one high, held violin note while he lifts the battery. Horns swell as the doorway appears, and a clashing brass stab lands on the robot's red eye.
- The fight starts: the drums and string ostinato kick in on the first sparks. The horns state the theme, and the trumpets take it up when the spray can flies.
- The explosion: a tutti hit, then a menacing push into the next cue on the smoke.
- 1M2 "The Fight" (0:30–1:02): the theme fights on under off-beat brass stabs on the cuts.
- Man on the floor: everything drops away except a timpani heartbeat.
- Robot gets up: a low trombone tritone as it rises. When it stands over him, a heavy half-time robot motif takes over in the low brass.
- The wrench: it peaks on the raised wrench and rolls straight into the escape.
- 1M3 "Escape" (1:02–1:20): the theme at full strength in brass with trumpets on top and the drive under it. It climbs in the last bar to one tutti hit right on the cut to the burning depot.
- 1M4 "Night" (1:20–1:30): strings hold as the embers die, a soft harp chord rings, and a lone horn plays the theme slowly as he walks into the fog. I set this cue 7 dB under the action so the night really is quiet.
How the cuts landed: the door, the spray can, the explosion and the depot all land on downbeats. The robot reveal, the first sparks and the robot rising land on off-beats, as jolts; the tempo can't put them on bar lines without lurching.
What to know
- 1M1 percussion re-take: the first bass drum & cymbal take added three hits I hadn't written, so I re-took it once and used the clean take.
- 1M3 basses: they sound slightly percussive in tone. It's buried under the tutti, but I can re-take them if you hear it.
- 1M1 dynamics: because of that swap, 1M1 was mixed without the automatic level rides from the written dynamics. Its swells come only from how the notes are played, so it may feel a touch flatter than the other cues.
- 1M4 ending: the horn's last note is cut slightly by the end of the film.
Who played
- 1M2: Violins, Celli, Basses, Horns, Trumpets, Trombones, Timpani, Drum Kit, Snare, Bass Drum & Cymbal.
- 1M1: Violins, Celli, Basses, Horns, Trumpets, Trombones, Timpani, Drum Kit, Snare, Bass Drum & Cymbal.
- 1M3: Violins, Celli, Basses, Horns, Trumpets, Trombones, Timpani, Drum Kit, Snare, Bass Drum & Cymbal.
- 1M4: Violins, Celli, Basses, Solo Horn, Harp.
Every part is its own stem in the delivery, with the notes it played.
The delivery, measured
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Length | 1:30 |
| Integrated loudness | −16 LUFS (the web target) |
| True peak | −2.4 dBTP |
| Loudness range | 7.9 LU |
| Picture | copied untouched |
| Film in to scored film out | 16 minutes |
Score this film yourself
Open Charge in the studio as a sample, pick another sound or write your own direction, and get your own version back.
Open it in the studio →FAQ
Is Charge free to use?
Yes, under CC BY 4.0: use it, score it and share it, with the credit "© Blender Foundation, studio.blender.org/charge" and the licence named.
Was anything fixed by hand?
No. The film went through the scoring studio's own loop on the live service; the score, the mix and the delivery are what came back.
Can I score my own film this way?
Yes. Drop your cut into the scoring studio, pick a sound and how much music you want, add a line of direction, and you get the scored film, a printmaster, an M&E and every stem back.
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