Video type — Brand Story & Documentary

Music for Brand Films and Documentaries

Story-led film wants less music than people expect. Our system places two to ten cues across a whole piece, on scene changes, at roughly a third of the density it gives a vlog — because a brand film or a documentary earns its weight from what is being said and shown, and a score that fills every gap takes that weight away.

How much music should a brand film or documentary have?

Less than a vlog, and far less than a drama. This format is allowed up to ten cues, but it is targeted at roughly a third of the density we apply to a vlog of the same length — so a six-minute film with three music sections is a normal result here, not an incomplete one.

Restraint is the point. Interview audio, narration and location sound are usually carrying the film, and every cue that is not doing work is competing with them.

Are documentaries and brand films handled differently?

No. They are one category in our system, and they get identical treatment — the same cut basis, the same density, the same thresholds. There is no separate documentary classification, and we would rather say so than imply a distinction the product does not make.

The reason they share a category is that they share a shape. Both are organised into scenes rather than into emotional turns or edit rhythm; both run longer than a spot; both are built around real people saying real things. Whatever separates a customer film from a documentary is a difference of intent, not of structure — and structure is what the segmentation is reading.

Where does the music change in a story-led film?

On scene changes — a new subject, a new location, a new chapter. This is the same basis used for cinematic work, applied more sparingly, and it is close to how an editor would spot a cue by hand.

Long stretches are respected rather than filled. A run of more than about a minute and a half without a change is re-examined for something missed, and left alone if there genuinely is nothing — a two-minute interview section carrying itself on a single bed is a legitimate result. Changes landing within half a minute of each other are collapsed into one.

Is my company video a brand film or an advert?

If it is selling something directly — a product launch, a campaign, a recruitment promo — it is treated as advertising, which is a separate type with a much tighter cap of two or three cues. If it is telling a longer story about people, origins or customers, it belongs here.

The practical test is length and intent together. A ninety-second piece built around a call to action is an ad; a five-minute film built around someone talking about what they do is a brand story. The advertising page covers the first case.

What to look for in the library

These are the catalogue's own categories, not descriptions we invented for this page — each value below is one you can filter by directly.

Moodhopefulwarmemotionalpeacefulnostalgicinspiring
Genreambientcinematicfolkclassicalcorporate
Instrumentpianostringsacousticambientguitar
Vocalinstrumental
Interviews and narration already occupy the vocal range.
Structureloopablebuild
Long sections need beds that hold; the one or two turning points need something that arrives.

These are search dimensions in the library, not a fixed recipe. The video type governs how the film is divided into sections — it carries no mapping to any particular set of track tags.

Start from a filtered view