Stage #1 - Immersing yourself in the film
Watch the film that you are composing the music for; this helps you establish the story, and gives you an idea of the characters (Personality, Attitudes, and General Feel).
Then watch it again, as the second time round you will usually start seeing different things and you will get into the rhythm of the film easier as well.
Play the film in the background while you are going about your day. This means that your brain will get used to it more, and you will naturally come up with musical and compositional ideas about music that will fit.
Then, watch the whole film without any sound. This means without any dialogue or sound fx, just pure visuals; You will get to see some more details or notice other things (If it is very still at points or very fast at others.) The style of filming and the video editing will also stand out more, allowing you to get a better feel of the film. Your brain wont be distracted by sound elements either, which frees your mind to just focus on the images.
Stage #2 - Select Instruments / Atmosphere
Establish the atmosphere of the film, and specific parts in the film, and begin to associate individual characters with certain instruments, to develop their motif. For example the motif for a baddie in an action film will usually have a dark atmosphere so you will want to use instruments that reflect their atmosphere.
Stage #3 - Stick to the rhythm of editing / story of the film
The video editing can be fast or slow; make sure that you can establish the 'beat' of the film as well. It will usually change throughout the film so take that into account when composing.
The music you compose for the film must follow the story. It needs to match the general tone of the film and must accurately describe character, their thoughts, feelings, worries, other emotions and also ambitions. Remember that there are a lot of things that music can do for film, so make sure that you use them to your advantage.
For example, music can give hints to the audience about things that may happen later on in the film. Its like in the 'Star Wars' prequels; Anakin Skywalker's motif has some elements of the imperial march. This indicates that he may have something to do with Darth Vader later on. Using these techniques while composing can make your music choice much more interesting and engaging.
Stage #4 - Do not ask for feedback
Feedback can be a double edged sword. If you are really into the creation process, somebody's feedback can be helpful, or not helpful at all. You really need to be confident about your musical choices, and you need to know well enough where you want to go with it, in terms of intention and emotion, even though you aren't really sure at this point what instruments you may use. You can have people help you with the music, or not. Both can be helpful
Stage #5 - Compose
Begin to put ideas into action by playing and recording your music. Take into account tempo tha
t must match the pace of the film, and also the instruments you want to use.
Watch the film again without sound, but this time, put your music to it and see if it works. It doesn't matter if your choices don't really fit when you put it to the film, as you can always go back and change it later. You can also add elements or change instruments to make the music sound better and more engaging.
Sources from: http://www.wikihow.com/Compose-Music-for-Film
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