Making public domain music work in game trailers

A familiar classical melody can change the feel of a trailer in seconds. When the original composition is in the public domain in the territories you need, there is room to reshape it around the picture. That can save a lot of money, because you do not need to license the original composition. The recording is a separate matter. You can make a new one or licence an existing performance, as we did across these three projects.

For Team17's Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, we reworked Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" and recorded our arrangement with a 50-piece orchestra. We shaped the music around the edit and built the helicopters, explosions and gunfire into the sound design. Wagner's theme stays recognisable, while the new recording follows the pace of this trailer.

For John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King" gave us a very different starting point. The original builds steadily, which suited the trailer's mix of action and dark humour. We turned it into "In the Hall of the Zombie King" with 80s synths and a retrowave edge.

Our latest example is Team17's The Escapists 3 announcement trailer. We used the Finale from Rossini's "William Tell Overture". An existing recording fit the brief, so we licensed it and cut it to picture. Its galloping rhythm carries the escape and the reveal. The music reaches its peak as the characters break through the prison wall.

Each trailer called for a different approach. We made a new orchestral recording for Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, reshaped Grieg for Toxic Commando, and licensed an existing Rossini recording for The Escapists 3. The creative decision came first. Then we worked out the right recording and rights route.

Looking to use existing music in a game trailer? Book a call and we'll talk through the music, rights and budget.