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As I'm not a successful film composer, there is not much point in me advising you or anyone else on how to become one, but there is an interesting Facebook Group "PERSPECTIVE: A FORUM FOR FILM, TV, AND MEDIA COMPOSERS", which may be of interest to you, as there is a lot of exchange from aspiring score composers, actual film composers, agents, etc.
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Relationships and networking are important. Vital, really. Get to know young, aspiring filmmakers, and people who create films, video games, etc.
Basil Poledouris and John Milius met when they were students at USC. Many of the directors Jerry Goldsmith worked with were people he met in their early days in live television. James Cameron and James Horner met when they were both working for Roger Corman (before Cameron was even a director).
Hang around here and get to know people. I made a short a few years ago which was scored by my friend David Coscina, who I met on this board.
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Hi there, I'm starting an MA in Musical composition for Film, TV and Games this year and would really appreciate any advice regarding how to get ahead in the industry, what to look out for, how to market myself, work experience, that kind of thing. I don't want to leave anything to chance. Thanks guys
Hey, Alex, also not a film composer but I've been delving into it, with the possibility of composing some music for friends' indie films. I have zero to add yet in terms of the hands-on BUT this book is absolutely essential, in my mind, for newbies like us - very practical and if memory serves he does talk somewhat on the market/jobs, too:
https://www.amazon.ca/Complete-Guide-Film-Scoring-Business/dp/0876391099/ref=sr_1_3?crid=30JYQ31BLRT52&keywords=berklee+film+scoring&qid=1651155446&sprefix=berklee+film+scoring%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-3
(Not sure where you live - your own Amazon or even Barnes & Noble, etc. should also have this book.)
And beyond that, all the best of luck! The filmed world needs new composer voices!
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well, "own musical voice' sounds right, but for about 25 years ago.
This is not a sweet thing to say, but it is honest-
I would say that the path to success now is frankly less creativity, more homogeneous stylistic copying of what is selling. If you are in it for art you should probably bail out now, or accept that this will not be your primary career. If you are in it for financial success you should accept that your creativity and uniqueness will not be a primary driver of your career.
I think as brutal as this sounds, you're not wrong. I would add, though, that in and around the commercial, homogeneous stuff, there will be projects that allow you to express your own voice.
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Work on student film projects but specifically those completing their Senior/Master's thesis, not undergraduate. UCLA, USC, NYU, Chapman would be the big universities, and those people are all graduating with direct industry connections or through faculty, and as they promote their works your musical contributions will also be there.
In terms of music, develop your own style but simultaneously do projects where you match existing styles and/or the big music genres like rock/pop/funk. Cross-genre abilities will give you a greater flexibility that is easier to fit in.
Figuring out why music works is also crucial because it will help your communication, which is also important. A lot of things in this industry revolve around abstract conversations or idiosyncratic subjective viewpoints, so the more you can learn how to understand and interpret what people say, the more easily you can break away from just "matching the temp" and instead figuring out the core behind it. If someone slaps a temp score in front of you and says to "make it sound like that", understanding why music works can help you figure out the reasons someone likes a temp track.
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Bill Conti once said in a lecture to get a job, ANY job, where you're near film makers.
Get to know them.
When they're making a film, let them know you've written something that would be good for their film and "could I show it to you now?"
If they say, "No,"
reply "Oh, okay."
Keep doing it over, and over and over, with the same people.
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win grammys and oscars!
Sound advice, yes, go and win an Academy Award for "Best Original Score", that's a good career move.
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Posted: |
Apr 30, 2022 - 11:52 AM
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By: |
Broughtfan
(Member)
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Thirty years ago I would have suggested saving the amount of money needed to buy, say, a new Honda Civic and make an orchestral demo in London, LA, Salt Lake City, or NY, highlighting your ability to write suspense, romance, orchestral main title (a fifteen-minute “look what I can do with 80 players” sampler). I know several people who did this, gaining some career traction when an established composer heard his/her demo, made some calls on her/his behalf, often times securing for the hopeful composer orchestration work or even a cue writing “tryout” on some long-running drama series (such as “Barnaby Jones”). Alas, that was then…
Today
I'd recommend taking a page from James Horner's "book." He decided early on he wasn't going to be stuck writing incidental music for TV series twenty-four weeks a season, ironically, during a period (early 1980s) where series TV/mini series music was often of exceptional quality (composed by such talents as, among others, David Rose, Bruce Broughton, Billy Goldenberg, and Fred Karlin). So, deciding that composing weekly scores for episodic TV wasn't for him, Horner instead sought out 'B' films to score: The Lady in Red, Humanoids from the Deep, Deadly Blessing (and, interestingly, even a couple of TV movies). While this didn't do very much to raise his visibility in the industry it DID provide him with three very valuable things: a) musical material to use in procuring subsequent film work, b) opportunities to network with up and comers in the business, people, such as Jim Cameron and Ron Howard, who would eventually hire him for their major projects, and, perhaps most importantly, (c) experience with scoring film. Admittedly, Horner's "meteoric rise" was exceptional (though he seemed to be a natural). But it was the experience scoring low budget films that helped open to the door to his scoring his first studio features (The Hand, Wolfen, Battle Beyond The Stars) and, ultimately, a film resume that would include: horror, thriller, action, adventure, fantasy, historical drama, contemporary drama, coming-of age, dark fantasy, sci-fi and animation (can't recall if he did a romantic comedy, but likely he scored this genre as well).
Short answer, if I was starting out today, I would likely follow Horner's example. If I got series TV work , I'd do it for no more than five years (that is, unless you savor the idea of writing hours and hours of largely interchangeable, nondistinctive cues, more the rule than the exception for contemporary series drama), scoring whatever low budget independent films I could between seasons (and not try to juggle both during the TV season). Also, since everyone has all the same effects samples in their "tool kit," create some of your own, recording some sounds found in the home (such as striking the side of a shallow cooking pan with some sort of utensil), using a program such as UVI Falcon to manipulate and “sculpt” your sounds. Since this is a people business, talk to people, tell them what you do: I'm a film music composer (even if all you've done is one or two small student projects or have only scored a few practice scenes in your studio).
Video game scoring: Not quite the same as working with film but, in the end, you have new material (to put on your Soundcloud page), contacts (potential for future work), and, money to put in the bank (for buying better quality samples, updating one’s work space, etc.) Also, be aware that these are buyout deals (so probably no residuals forthcoming).
Lastly, only offer to work for free...once ('cause your time and talent is worth something).
Hope this helps in some way, Alex. I wish you success with your endeavor.
William
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Hi there, I'm starting an MA in Musical composition for Film, TV and Games this year and would really appreciate any advice regarding how to get ahead in the industry, what to look out for, how to market myself, work experience, that kind of thing. I don't want to leave anything to chance. Thanks guys
Hey Alex, which university are you going to or what region of the United States will you be?
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