Composing

Agree with all of the above, plus check out https://www.mandy.com/jobs/opportunities.

I've had no luck with mandy.com the employers look at your application and that's it. Out of about 50 or so applications, I had only 1 that actually considered me. They don't even respond to you.

Sorry to hear that Andrew. I found that initially with Mandy too, but as my work has grown I've actually made some really good connections and worked on some great films through Mandy.

Help us out. What do you need to get started on a score? Do you do samples of themes and sounds, based on the title , period of the piece, script? Do you need to see the entire film to begin to score it? Help us learn what you need and you may get some new projects to start working on.

Gonna make things short. :) Scoring for me is both an artistic and business endeavor. I have scored something like 27 imdb films and they have run the gamut. Sometimes I get the whole film and the filmmaker/director gives me no input/direction and just asks me to score. Other times, I get a list of cues (here in Houston we don't formally spot short films and there is no reason for a 'cuesheet' since the films don't ever make it out festivals to earn anything --.... so far....) and with those cues I get 'temp tracks'. These tracks are often from something on youtube and can be another composer or a track from an older often popular feature film. Temp tracks are not designed to be emulated but rather to give 'sounds like' direction.

So there as many ways to score a film artistically as there are composers or artists who are asked to paint say a 'landscape'. We can have a technology and we can have our studios to create our deliverables and we could have gone to school to learn how to score films, but when the 'rubber hits the road' - its about our style, our own inner originality, and how we want the music and its 'sound' to support and 'shape' the scene - especially if there is no dialog in front of it. That inner vision is often a matter of our past experiences and how we see the music interacting with the other artistry of the other crew members in the film. In my opinion, the beauty of the creation process is it is often not 'cookie cutter'. Though I will say there are some of us who 'follow the pack' and create music that audience expects and anticipates and those of us to carve our own path. This is no different from say pop or country music songwriters or performers.

With that said let me use a very specific example - the score of one of the two films I scored that premiered this past Sat night.

Day At The Beach - scored last Mon to Wed (three days) under a tight deadline. Pretty much scored any part without dialog (and one dialog scene at the end). The opening was done at the end of the composing process on Wed and was taken from the end titles. I couldn't decide if I wanted a specific rhythm played by the guitar strumming so in the opening I left it in and in the end titles I left it out. The second cue - just an accordion 'motif' was totally accidental (these accidents are often a 'blessing'). I had copied part of the end titles to the right of the opening scene and forgot to cut out the accordion. It actually started, ended, and fit the scene perfectly and so I left it in. Two or so cues later (around 1m16s) I needed music to fit a 'nightmare' scene - so what is nightmare music? My artistic interpretation was created around the fact that nightmares for me are constantly changing tempos, sounds, and dissonances and needed layering at the end as reality (the parents voices/screams) get heard. And in the final scene (around 3m44s), as the evil clown's balloon is found, I decided (and checked with my contact) it would be 'cool' to create choral music that had a 'sound' like the 'monolith' music used in the opening scene of 2001 A Space Odyssey. "A Day At The Beach' is 9m4s long and has 5m1s of scored music.

https://soundcloud.com/joelirwin/day-at-the-beach

(btw, the pdf score as sheet music is available if you want to follow the music)

Unfortunately I´m not based in the UK but I wish all the best in your endeavour. I´d love to hear about your experience finding an agent. It could be helpful for other people here in the forum.

Sure, if people would find it useful I'll post an update when there's some news!

possible. pm me and we can talk.

PM -- Think I can come up with something. Let me know! :)

this is awesome. thanks for the link

Same here, I compose in cubase (though I don't use cubase's video engine as it's been pretty problematic for me in the past). As I write I sync by cubase sessions with video in Video Slave. Then when it comes to bounce to quicktime for notes or for mixing I bring my printed stereos or stems into Pro Tools. If you're working with a production that's using Avid for video it's often helpful to send them a Pro Tools session for final delivery as well.

Pro Tools here. It's where I learned everything so I've just stuck with it. I sometimes use Reaper or ableton live as well

Steinberg Dorico 2.0 now supports video. some interesting video handling is nice; can’t wait to put on computer. Able to use 3rd party sounds for anyone interested.

https://www.dorico.com/new-in-2/

I’ve been using Cubase for the last few years. Prior to that I was using Nuendo. Not a fan of ProTools. I know it’s the industry standard but to me it’s like Yamaha NS-10s. People use it because the client expects to see it but most don’t like it. At least the studio engineers I’ve talked to.

I am using Logic these days. I am on a deadline most of the time and don't have time to learn new software.

Hi Joel and Linwood what great feedback ...some great points there for me to work on and have some fun with that's for sure. Over the next week or so I will try all your points and just see what comes out of it ....might try 3 or 4 different sketches just to see how each of your ideas pans out !!

Really enjoyed 'Secluded Beauty ' Joel ...amazing work for your first attempt at composing on the computer. From now on I'll post any links from my Profile page so I don't upset anyone ...smile.

It's endless what you can do with even 3 notes. You can take them or they can take you anywhere. This is just a little 4meg ensemble patch and playing the three notes in just 3 different ways. www.linwoodbell.com/clientdownloads/al.mp3

Alistair/Linwood listen to Antonio Carlos Jobim's works - I know of no other composer in any genre that can do so much with so few melodic notes. Here is a great starting example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rzNLXxo01Q

(BTW here is a great trivia - to my knowledge there are only three composers/musicians in the Western Hemisphere that have international airports named after them - Jobim is one; the other two are Astor Piazzolla and Louis Armstrong)

Linwood and Joel thanks again for your great input. Yes less is more in my book. Jobim was a master song writer and made it sound so good with so few notes. Thank you for the little demo Linwood when I hear it then I can see it if you know what I mean :-)

Speaking of Jobim. Check out what is Jorge does @:10 with the melody B D C# A. Really nice and clever in it's construction. Get it under your fingers and analyze it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdzHxD2ya7U

I just write songs at this point.

Yup! I'm from India and like you may already know most of the indian films does consist of a list of songs, i have done for one movie a couple of yrs back when the director requested for some songs to move some stories and montages. i have also produced some songs aswell..

I write mostly Country to Pop Music. Most of my songs are available at: http://reverbnation.com/BrianLeeRobinson I have a lot of Instrumental versions of my songs, as well.

Hi, Greetings from Warsaw! I write songs and instrumentals. You can find them on my profile. Would be happy to cooperate with you. Have a great day! Bart

I do both - songwriting is very gratifying since songs can go places scoring can't and live on beyond one scene ... My latest song from "The Odds" a multi award winning indie movie: https://soundcloud.com/leonard-wolf-3/fireproof

I used Garritan back in the day, I thinks it’s gotten a little better over the years, but not compatible to East / West, Cinesamples, Spitfire, etc.

The stuff I use most...Spitfire, Spectrasonics, Toontrack...

My primary is Cinesamples. I also use Miroslav (though not the one with its own sampler which I own - I also own the original Gigastudio version which I converted to Kontakt). I have over a dozen pianos, but my primary is based on a Yamaha called 7CG (from Sampletekk). My drums sets (with drum maps) come from Abbey Road Drums and I have many other sets I have accumulated over the years (some converted from Gigastudio sets) including but not limited to sets from Big Fish, Dan Dean, Ventus, a Hammond, and a Yamaha Motif XS.

At some point along the way, I am considering Vienna but I am not a big fan of security hardware/dongles or software.

I much prefer getting the sounds/articulations done simply (and by default if necessary). I don't like getting techie with my samples and having to learn tweaks to get the sound and articulation I want to hear.

It's always evolving, but my current basic orchestral template is this:

WW-AudioModeling SWAM, using a Yamaha WX5 wind controller and MIR Pro with Teldex Studio, with CAGE, UIST, and THRILL for fx

BR-same as WW, but with SampleModeling instead of AudioModeling

TIMP, GC, TAM-Spitfire Hans Zimmer Percussion

XYLO, MAR, GLOCK-Spitfire Ricotti Mallets

VIBES-Soniccouture Vibraphone

CHIMES, CYMB, PIATTI, TRI, SNARES-Hollywood Orchestra Percussion Diamond

TOMS-8Dio Epic Toms Ensemble

SHAKER, TAMB-Wavesfactory Sharine

HARP 1-Spitfire Skaila Kanga Harp Redux

HARP 2-Chocolate Audio Glissando Concert Harp

PNO-Piano in Blue for solo, EW Pianos Platinum-Bosendorfer for orchestral blend

CEL-Sonokinetic Celesta

CHOIR-8Dio Requiem Professional for epic, FluffyAudio Dominus for intimate

STR-Spitfire: Chamber Strings with TouchOSC/UACC for articulation switching, LCOS, EVO, and Tundra; for effects: CASE, CAGE, UIST, and THRILL; for solo/1st chair: Embertone, SWAM, and CSSS; and I sometimes use Hollywood Strings Diamond and CSS

I started with East West but as my ears become more acute I am moving towards Spitfire Audio. Just listen to the Chamber Strings Library and the Symphonic Strings Libraries ...warm and very detailed. I also use Emotional Cello and the just released Emotional Violin for solo strings, again very warm and detailed to my ears. It all comes down to personal taste I guess.

I have have been looking for a new lyricist for some years now. If interested, pm me here or on FB.

you can also look into ambient and soundscapes to go along with your lyrics, then you wouldn't need a melody, you could just read them as a poem. artsy! https://youtu.be/vNwYtllyt3Q

Hi from Washington State. Mark McGary. I have a box with about 12 miles of quarter inch reel to reel filled with live stuff. Do you have a reel to reel capacity? I took classical violin from Allen Bodman.

Or send the lyrics and I 'll execute a live tape for you. mmcgary44@gmail.com

M.

Happy to read your lyrics and see if it inspires me to write music to your lyric.

Completely agree, Gary.

Charge something! :-P great share Brandi

I currently pitch at around $1200/minute, a steal at half the price, given that it helps films win festivals, sees tv shows broadcast around the planet, and games control entire niches of the market. I should be charging a lot more.

Brandi, thanks for posting. It's a great read and helps answer the perpetual question. :-P

Thanks for posting this article :)