A temp track is an existing piece of music or audio which is used in film production during the editing phase. It serves as a guideline for the mood or atmosphere the director is looking for in a scene.
The track is usually replaced before release by an original soundtrack composed specifically for the film. While some feel that having to follow a temp track can be limiting for a composer, it can be a useful tool in finding the right style of music for a particular scene and can be a time-saver for both the composer and director.
The temp track is sometimes also referred to as scratch music, temp score or temp music.
Famous quotes containing the word track:
“The universe constantly and obediently answers to our conceptions; whether we travel fast or slow, the track is laid for us. Let us spend our lives in conceiving then. The poet or the artist never yet had so fair and noble a design but some of his posterity at least could accomplish it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)