Every track gets built to survive the cutdown, which matters more than it sounds. A 60 second hero film becomes a 30, a 15 and a 6, and most music falls apart in the 6 because the hook sits too far into the arrangement to reach. We write the hook where the shortest version can get to it, then work outward.
Studio ZK works directly with brand teams, agencies, and production companies on music for TV, online video, radio, and out of home campaigns. We compose to picture, to brief, or to a rough cut, and we build every track to survive the cutdown process, so the 6 second social version hits as hard as the 60 second hero film.
We work directly with brand teams, agencies and production companies, composing to a locked cut, to an animatic, or to a brief with no picture attached yet.
Custom composition
Crafted from scratch, tailored to your brief, and designed to elevate the story, not distract from it. We compose to a locked cut, an animatic, or a creative brief alone.
Rerecordings & reworks
The track you built the edit around turns out to cost more than the production budget, or is not clearable for the territories you need. We rebuild it from scratch, performed and recorded here, so you own the recording and set your own usage terms.
Sound design
From subtle textures to cinematic sweeps, we shape sound that brings your visuals to life, for screens big and small, including UX and product sound.
Music supervision
Looking for the perfect existing track for your campaign? We use our musical knowledge and licensing network to link the right song to your message, on budget.
A launch film and a performance marketing cutdown need different music, and not because one deserves more effort. A launch film has room to build. A performance cutdown has two seconds to establish a mood before the offer lands, so the music has to arrive already at the emotional point the film would have taken twenty seconds to reach.
How a project comes together
1. Brief & reference
We start with your brief, edit, or animatic, plus reference tracks that capture the tone you're after. The clearer the reference, the faster we land on direction.
2. Direction & demo
We compose one or more demo directions to picture, so you can react to real music against your actual edit, not an abstract mood board.
3. Production & revisions
Once a direction is approved, we produce the full track with session musicians or in house production, refining through structured revision rounds.
4. Delivery & cutdowns
Final masters, stems, and every cutdown you need, including broadcast, social, and preroll, delivered to spec and ready to drop into your edit.
Music for advertising, explained
How much does custom music cost?
It depends on scope. A single social cutdown costs far less than an original score with multiple format deliverables. We scope every project against your budget before starting.
Can you rerecord a song we don't have the rights to?
Yes. We create rerecordings and reworks that capture the feel of a track you love, without composer or master use licensing costs.
How long does scoring a campaign take?
A single custom track can be delivered in 1 to 2 weeks. Full campaigns with multiple cutdowns typically run 3 to 5 weeks.
Do you deliver every format we need?
Yes, full mixes, cutdowns for social and preroll, stems, and format ready masters for broadcast, streaming, and out of home.