What it takes to suceed as a Film Composer...

[Gary Johnson]

I am a music composer in the process of transitioning into the film industry. I am looking for advice and guidance from my fellow composers. What does it take to succeed in the film industry? What knowledge should one have, what schools are great preparation schools? Most importantly, where can I get started/experience?

[Peter Alexander]

These are the same questions everyone asks. So here's a generic answer.

1. Join the Film Music Network and buy their publications plus attend their expos.
2. If you're in LA, consider classes at UCLA extension in film production, not music, so you can meet and network with future producer/directors.
3. Volunteer to score student film projects for those at USC and UCLA
4. Be a whiz at either Finale or SIbelius
5. Study privately with Jack Smalley as NO school can prepare or train you. You can get facts, but not skills.
6. Start reading the Hollywood Reporter to learn how the system works.
7. Consider reading Portfolio magazine for the same reason. Current issue has a great story on Haim Saban every composer should read.
8. Take a class on contract law
9. Make sure you're set up with either ASCAP or BMI
10. Take classes on recording and mixing as here you can learn skills, not just theory
11. Always read www.filmmusicmag.com and www.soniccontrol.tv (shameless plugs) for interviews and reviews

Then there's the technology component. What's not clearly expressed from a career perspective is that being a composer today is like a doctor setting up a practice. You need space and equipment. A sequencing program today is a music production suite. So the learning curve is lengthened. If you know how to record and mix, you shorten the learning curve drastically on any program you use.

But it is technology intensive as you're expected to produce mix and turn in a final project.

There's no longer a line between Mac and PC. On the PC, though it's notation is weaker, Sonar has now achieved what I consider to be "pro" status. It's 100% 64bit and both PLAY and Vienna Instruments run in it to full 64bit capacity. This is not so on the Mac with either Logic or DP.

On the Mac, both Logic and DP are 32bit. Logic is more well rounded for overall project regardless of the genre and has a more than capable notation program. In L.A., I can recommend you to a Logic Certified Trainer who is also a film composer who can help you. His name is Jay Asher (www.jayasher.com). DP has more film features, but there are no certified trainers and tech support is not easily achieved.

You'll need a quality reverb and on the computer, Altiverb is probably the best choice.

Based on where the market is going, you'll need 2-3 computers to get work and at minimum QLSO PLAY Gold, which will run on one system.

Amateurs will tell you that you only need one library. That's not true. You ALWAYS need a minimum of two.

Vienna is different and requires a separate discussion.

Finally, you must know MIDI mock up skills dead cold. You CANNOT avoid this. Here, the only direct training is what we offer at Alexander Publishing available through our TrueSpec web site where we have two packages for MIDI mock-up and they're both intense. One is with our Professional Orchestration Volume 1 packages where you get the materials to learn how to MIDI edit for each individual instrument. The second is a package by Andy Blaney showing how to apply that to the full orchestra via two mock-ups he did: Jeux de vagues from La Mer the Jupiter from the Planents. Between these three packages are what you need to learn these skills.

One addendum.

Many will disagree with this, but I still believe you need to music reading skills and the ability to write with paper and pencil. If you listen to many mock-up demos at other forums, they all pretty much sound the same: Hans Zimmer #457, Hans Zimmer #235, Hans Zimmer #1678, etc.

The problem here is that the music listening band is very narrow. To effectively score, in my view, you need a vocabulary beyond the newest software program. Music notation is the international language that at 2AM let's you confer with Debussy, Stravinksy, Vaughan Williams, William Byrd, Faure, Palestrina. By not learning to read, ultimately, the library is closed.

Many point to Hans Zimmer. But Hans is a unique talent, one in several million, who has yet to be replaced by those persisting in nonreading.

You will do your career a great service by routinely attending orchestra concerts, and spending $16 monthly on a subscription to the Naxos Music Library where you have over 300,000 music tracks fro Baroque to today to listen to.

[pete whitfield]

Wow that's really thorough Peter! Thanks for the heads up to sonic control too!
Having worked for some media composers, I'd add that you need an unswerving belief in your own ability and your right to be a film composer! I reckon I see 3 parts to a media composer's skills; creative and technical are the 1st 2, and the 3rd is about character and being social - working with people, persuading others that you can do the job and handle the pressure.
There may be composers in here who feel they are a long way off symphonic scores. Many styles of music have a place in music for media so if you are into world or rock or jazz, exploit your own strengths.

[Adrian Peek]

I would also add you should read "Ebony and Ivory" by Samm Brown that's posted on the Film Music Network Magazine Page. There is an element of old prejudiced attitudes that still exists (in LA) saying blacks can't write w/o flat 5ths/9ths/etc., or we can only do hip hop. "It took me years before I found out "Here comes the Schvartze" didn't mean "Here's comes the Composer", said Quincy Jones in the above article.

There's many more composers than opportunities at present, and prejudice can be a determining factor. It's not as bad as when Quincy started, but many filmmakers are even more sensitive about their art than musicians. They want to be as "safe" as possible, and there are many pressures (especially in post-production) that would cause a director/music supervisor to go with a "known" talent. Of course, as more "ethnics" compose successful scores the less of an issue this will be.

I'm not trying to discourage you in any way. Everything stated in the previous replies is totally correct. Because we don't look like the majority of composers we have additional hurdles to overcome. But, you score one hit production, and the sun will shine out of your backside as far as the "industry" will be concerned.

Good luck and have at it!

[Marius Amado-Alves]

Very helpful hints here, thanks a lot for sharing.
However, couple points.

Mind the USA bias. If this were a mandatory checklist, there would be no hope for us poor non-USA composers.

Hans Zimmer. I fail to understand the sentence involving his name. Are you citing an example of bad music? Bad mock-ups? (which ones?) Of lack of music notation skills?

Related: music reading skills. You making it an addendum indicates that many film music scorers do not read/write music. Isn't this a contradition in terms? How can a composer write a score not knowing to read/write music?!?!?! And how can he use Sibelius or Finale (or NoteWorthyComposer or Mup or LilyPond)? Aren't Sibelius or Finale strictly writing-based?

Does the term "score" mean something else than written music in the film industry?

Please take these comments as a further request for advice, from another aspiring film music composer. Thanks a lot.

[pete whitfield]

Hi Marius
There are numerous composers who work directly with sound (midi and samples) and don't touch notation. That's a whole other discussion!

[Marius Amado-Alves]

I see. And so don't touch Finale or Sibelius (or NoteWorthyComposer or Mup or Lilypond). And so fail to meet checklist item #4 in the first place and this is why making reading skill an addendum confused me.

So Hans Zimmer does not read or write music. So what is his "unique talent, one in a several million"?

Still confused.

I'm sure this is all clear for the people in the business, and it is one of the rites of passage, to be conversant with this crazy terminology and concepts and facts and stories. Thanks a lot for the continuing free lesson.

[Adrian Peek]

One thing I can say about reading music is an orchestration class helped me to make much-better sounding mock-ups, because I learned how the orchestra works and blends together. I don't know any good orchestration course that doesn't require reading music. When you do get an opportunity to have your mock-ups performed by live musicians, good charts are essential. Unless there's budget for an orchestrator, you'd have to insure the charts were correctly written for all instruments range/dynamic/articulation-wise. Reading musicians are a time-saving must in post-production (when the budget's almost finished), so the composer MUST have good charts.

Zimmer makes his directors happy, that's one of his "talents". Those of us struggling to get to a Zimmer-like level are trying to hit a moving target. The fact that "new" composers do break thru from time to time shows preparation can meet opportunity (get a lucky break).

[Marius Amado-Alves]

Thanks but I still don't get it, the fuss about Zimmer. What is a Zimmer-like level? What are his directors particularly happy about?

Hmm... maybe Zimmer is being used just as an example of an established film composer who gets a lot of contracts? But this reading is not consistent with the Adeddum, is it? Oh well, I guess I should stop trying to make sense of forum talk.

For the record, I write/read music and personally I don't conceive any other way to construct or study music seriously. My MIDIs are automatically generated from the scores.

Hmm... I think I see now, Zimmer is given as an example of an *unprepared* composer that got a lucky break. And that is an exception, you say...

[Adrian Peek]

Many people have strong feelings against Zimmer, because they feel his scores are sub-par. There are also those who feel John Williams is a hack too. Thing is, they have achieved a level of success most of us can only dream of. That IMHO has to be respected.

When you score you become part of a team that's been living with the production (sometimes) for 12-24 months. A composer that understands what the director wants, is easy to work with, takes direction and delivers on time makes directors happy. I'd wager many pursuing a scoring career could do this, but it's getting the opportunity to DO this that's the hassle.

It is about lucky breaks, but it's possible to make your own luck. Even in the current "market" where there's massively huge downward pressure on the monetary value of underscores. Someone who's spent the time it takes to develop this craft, like yourself, has a better chance than an "unprepared" composer.

[Chris Alpiar]

re:USA bias, I think Peter is making assumption that the question is how to be successful scoring Hollywood films. Nobody that I can think of is better qualified to talk about this issue and he really lays it out perfectly

I think the Hans comment was that his music is that some people consider it to be somewhat mediocre, hes not a Jerry Goldsmith or a John Williams to be sure. But he is a brilliant tactician and businessman and has positioned his group in a way that he is irreplaceable, and he uses his group's talent to keep the bar up high enough to not be dismissed

I dont think he intended to say you should be expert in finale if you cant read music, why do you need to try and extract what isnt there? Its pretty obvious that if you want to work in hollywood and are new, you should OWN (own as in skillwise, be ultra proficient with it) at least one of the notation programs as you will be able to communicate with the industry, with the composers that do write/read, with the orchestras and orchestrators. Then mentioning that there are some that dont read was to say he doesnt recommend it but yes there are people in LA who dont read music

Score means putting music to picture, derivitive from the term "dramatic underscore" which refers to music used as background music to enhance the picture in its emotional interpretation

I would add that in my opinion everyone seeking to be a score composer, in LA or any city, needs to read and write music fluently. You may hack your way into some jobs if you cant but to me you will be a hack that claims to live the life of a language/culture, but you can only speak, no reading or writing

I would also add that ATTITUDE is paramount to everything. You must be someone that people want to work with. You have to play that game at least enough to not be snobby, not to be overly critical about other people when it serves no purpose other than stroking your ego. Rather to point that cricial eye to ones own work and dig and keep digging on ones own flaws for the sake of growth. Of course that cant come at a cost of not being able to be confident and willing to stick up for yourself and know your art has value.

[Marius Amado-Alves]

yeah the assumption itself was usa biased in the first place ;-)
but you're right, after all Zimmer went to LA didn't he ;-)

a lot of musicians (99.999%) don't read/write
so it does not surprise me that many film score makers don't either
(but then they don't use Finale or Sibelius do they?)

yeah Zimmer got to be an excelent professional even if his music is subpar, which it is (sound of Hollywood doors shutting up on me forever)

[Marius Amado-Alves]

Aha! right, subpar, now I understand the original comment, thanks a lot.