HELP: Information on Film Composer as a Career needed!

[Anonymous]

OK, I really need some information on film composing as a career. I figured this may be a reliable source, since you’re all like me and know a bunch of stuff about composers. But, since I am bad with computers, I haven’t been able to find much information on the career. I thought maybe someone could help, please do. And, so this isn’t off topic…. DANNY ELFMAN! OK, thank you very much, I need this for a school project. My teacher just asked what I was doing…. ^^ Well, any help will be much appreciated, thank you!

~Piper

[Anonymous]

Hey, I’d also be very appreciative of similar help!… I’m trying to get into the business… Any contacts would be nice!

>:o)
The J

[Anonymous]

Do you mean on composers or composing it’s self?

Well…
I am gonna write on “composing”, as I understand it. Composers are usually hired during the filming of a movie (sometimes during post-production, like Elfman on Pee-wee or The Hulk). The director relays his vision and the composer has to translate that into something both of them can agree on. Now, some composers read the script to get an early start on the film (slackers). Some (Elfman, Williams) wait until a cut is viable and screen it with an open mind.

Then the proccess starts (this is as I’m aware of) as simply put as possible:

1. The composer spends about a week or two sketching out ideas and attempting to work out the tone. Once an idea comes along that the composer likes he’ll call the director and run it by him. If the director likes it then the idea/theme/motif is a go. On some rare instances composers wait until the orchestra is recording to show their work to the directors. I can’t even comprehend that. If the director disapproves… oh well. John Williams does a great thing and writes out a huge thematic suite before his cues are even written. This way he can go back for reference during the writing proccess and give the director a good idea of where he wants to take the music.

2. Once the “mood/tone” is set, the composer starts “spotting”. He picks out all the scenes he (and the director) know music is going to factor into and writes them down (usually in the form of timecode markings). Timecode is, of course, what the composer uses to sync his cues with the image. He writes the number down onto a score sheet and does this for all the scenes he believes music will be required in. This provides a fair road map.

3. Once all the scenes are laid out, the tempos to them are set. Every moving image, whatever it may be, has it’s own tempo. It’s up to the composer (with help from the director) to figure it out. Often, in many a case, scenes intercut (thanks to the editors) or speed up naturally. This means that the tempo has to comply with the film and quicken up or falter. In action movies this is especially important. Down the road this will be a major componant as in the orchestra will (in some cases) be required to wear headphones containing the click track (alternating tempo beats).

The composer has to build this framework before a single cue is written. The tempo setting will provide the skeleton of the music. This way less work will be required down the road.

4. Scoring the film begins. Often composer’s start from the end (i.e. John Williams, Bernard Herrmann and Danny Elfman) and make their way to the beginning (scoring all the important themes). Scoring all the important stuff backwards will make the movie seems to lead into the memorable stuff. The Grand Finale from “Edward Scissorhands” is a great example. It is the peak, but everything leads to it. A “Main Titles” is written early on too, to foreshadow the main motifs and themes of the film.

5. After the main cues are written the rest are written from start to finish. This takes most of the time, as in directors are mostly finicky and nit pickey (except for Tim Burton). Cues are constantly being transformed, altered, changed or putten through ever concievable permutation to fit the smallest of scenes.

It is at this point (with Elfman, at least) that an orchestrator (or team) is brought in to assist in proof reading and marking mistakes in the notation.

6. As post-production labors on the editor is making many changes. Sometimes [always] cutting entire scenes. It is up to the composer to keep up with this and make the time code alterations needed. Sometimes removing entire cues is even warranted.

7. Once the music is written the composer goes before the orchestra. This is the most stressful time as in the clock is ticking. The players have to be precise and in sync, or else the time given will be passed and expensive overtime fees will be charged. Movie executives will fume.

Also, music is not always as it is imagined (especially if it’s layed out with a synthesizer). The orchestra sounds entirely different. Orchestrators, and the composer, are constantly marking and altering the score to keep up with this. The scoring often lasts a week, maybe two, before it is finished.

8. The Music Editor puts the music into a nice enough format and the composer is finished… until he signs on for another project.

I hope I’ve helped some.

[Anonymous]

If that doesn’t help,
http://www.filmmusicmag.com/faq/

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Dawg!

>:o)
The J

[Anonymous]

…and WOW!! How do you know so much, Dawg?

[Anonymous]

I’ve heard it’s EXTREEEEMELY hard to get into the buisiness, though. I, also, want to be a film composer, but I’ll most likely never get the chance to do projects like Elfman does. It’s all about having talent, good people skills, and even moreso, being in the right place at exactly the right time. . . In other words, good luck.

[Anonymous]

I’m actually settling for contract orchestrator. I guess that’s why I knew all that stuff. I’ve got a music major in the works at Armstrong Atlantic and I’m planning on taking a job in Seattle. Out of that I’m going to “attempt” to plug into LA. Wish me luck. It’s gonna be a gradual thing.

MAybe one day — if I’m lucky — I’ll be at the right place at the right time and some director will be drunk enough to say I can write something for him.

STill, I have standards (as I’m sure you all do). If it’s for TV, or has to be synthesized, I’d say no. Sue me. I don’t care if it would be an opportunity. I hate TV synth music and all that “cheap” sounding stuff. I’d be selling myself off as a hack and something I totally hate. I’d rather work as a proof writer around a symphony any day.

[Anonymous]

God,
I sound like a such a dork.

[Anonymous]

Um, well, with the exception of Portman and Williams, most composers do a “mock score” with synths (acually samples). Some of them sound good enough to be the real thing, like if you can ever hear a James Newton Howard mock it would be hard to tell it was fake. Besides, doing indie films (as far as I know) is the best way to break into the buisness, and most can’t afford a big orchestra and studio recording time (let alone orchestrators) so you need to use the mock score as the final in that case. I totally hear you on the TV scoring though. Hell, it’s too damn political nowdays. You can get pegged as a “TV composer” or “Game Composer” waaay too fast, so STICK WITH THE FILM if that is what you want to do.

Knight (Every composer acually composes a score differently, some just dive write in, some write out thier themes, ect. Just do what you think feels right)

[Anonymous]

WOOHOO! Thank you! i’m gonna include “Dawg” in my bibliography. Heh heh, my teacher will find that funny. Anywho, thank you very much! ^^

~Piper

[Anonymous]

Yeah thanks,

Actually, you guys know who I really admire, now that I think of it? William Ross. He started out as an orchestrator. He was good enough at what he did (work incentive and all) that he was able to work with big A-list hollywood composers (most LA orchestrators do anyway, though).

He had no real film composing experience but worked on enough films as a proof reader / fixer that those Big Titles got billed on his resume. That’s just as big as writing those scores. He got to finally score Harry Potter 2 (with J. Williams’ Help) and Tuck Everlasting. I’m almost positive he was able to get those gigs because of the films he helped out on.

J. Newton Howard also started out as an orchestrator.

Maybe there’s hope for me…
Ha!

[Anonymous]

I VERYmuch agree with you, there, Dawg… I can’t stand synth TV music – it makes me wanna switch off! And thanks for the help, man! You sure are knowledgeable!

>:o)
The J

[Anonymous]

I’m looking to get into the business also… geez.. lotsa competition..! jus’ joshin’ he he if any of u guys wanna hear my stuff e-mail me. I like to share…

B

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