Rewriting Cues Due to Re-Cuts

Rewrites of cues due to re-cuts of the movie are very annoying but unfortunately quite common. If the edits are not as drastic (like trimming a few frames here and there), there a good chances that you can make your old cue fit again by altering the original tempos slightly which is quite an easy rework.

If scenes get changed very heavily like whole lines being cut out or whole scenes being added, the rewrite process becomes quite complicated. It works to a certain extent to “cut” the music by adding/removing single or several odd bars, extending a few melodic lines etc. However there is a danger of the music getting a “patched” feeling which is of course something you would want to avoid.

If you can predict that the rewrite will cause a heavy patchwork, you might actually be better off rewriting the sequence or a passage entirely, not only from the esthetic standpoint but also considering the time needed. Finding musically plausible transitions for patches or cuts might be more time consuming than just rewriting the whole thing.