I recently wrote a blog post for my website explaining what modal scales are and why they are different to the normal major / minor scales that we commonly hear. I thought it might be interesting to some of the composers on here who may not know about modes and want to learn more about them.
They are an invaluable tool to any composer, instead of using 2 scales major / minor, modes open that up to 9 different scales (not including hyper modes) Each one has its own different feeling which is great for cinematic music or jazz improvisation.
They are actually surprisingly simple to learn, to read more visit my blog post.
http://www.liambradburymusic.com/music-theory-modes/