A method of forming a recordable element including a substrate and having on its surface, in order, an optical recording layer and a light reflecting layer, the optical recording layer having at least two sublayers of different compositions is disclosed. The method includes forming in a sputtering chamber on the substrate surface a first sublayer of a predetermined thickness by sputtering at least two elements having Ge and Te, or alloys thereof, in a flowing environment of a hydrocarbon gas and an inert gas wherein the flow rate of the hydrocarbon gas is selected relative to the flow rate of the inert gas to provide the first sublayer with an elemental R.sub.min reflectivity in the range of 40-60% and forming in the sputtering chamber on the first sublayer a second sublayer of a predetermined thickness by sputtering at least two elements having Ge and Te, or alloys thereof, in a flowing environment of hydrocarbon gas and the inert gas, with the flow rate of the hydrocarbon gas being selected to be greater than when forming the first sublayer so that the elemental R.sub.min reflectivity of the second layer is in the range of about 70-85%. The method further includes forming a reflecting layer on the second sublayer and selecting the thicknesses of the first and second sublayers, and the reflecting layer such that the reflectivity of the recording element is about or greater than 70% for a laser wavelength of about 780 nm.