Composing

Did anyone else sing “Network While You Work” to the tune of “Whistle While You Work”? Only film geeks, amiright? Or maybe it’s only Disney geeks? With less than three months left in 2020, it is so gratifying to hear so many projects are moving into production (utilizing COVID compliance safety precautions, of course). Major films and shows, local businesses, and of course the intrepid independent sets as well, all finding a way to move steadily forward. With more jobs, it also means it is tim...

You often read “how to deal with rejections” for actors and writers, but, when it comes to Composers for Film and Television, it looks like there is less literature, so I thought I’d give it a go myself. If you are pursuing a career in film scoring, no matter how long ago you started, I am sure you have experienced rejections. Why is that? Well, the first logical reason is… There are Many, Many Fish in the Sea By choosing to be a composer, you’ve chosen a very competitive field. Every tim...

Even if you're not in Hollywood, you can get a sense of the "business" by what professionals are talking about. What have Stage 32 members been talking about lately? The work. What work their doing, how to do the work, and getting back to the nitty gritty. It's exciting, but it's also a great time to show how much value you bring. Taking a few minutes to answer another's questions could be a great advantage to them and show what a fantastic asset you are!   It's true, the lounges are a great p...

          Good morning, Creative Army.  I'm thrilled to announce yet another exclusive Stage 32 partnership, this time with one of the oldest and most respected brands in the industry, Variety and Variety Insight. Under the partnership, VBI’s flagship product, Variety Insight, will be the Official Entertainment Industry Database Partner of Stage 32 and Variety Insight members will receive a credit toward education courses on Stage 32. In return Stage 32 will be the Official Education Partn...

There is a great feeling of satisfaction in seeing a film go through its various stages of completion and having it placed in your hands knowing that, through your efforts, the sonic landscape created will be able to convey the deeper emotions of what is being portrayed onscreen. Film Composers are in fact storytellers and our tools are sound.That being said there are a lot of steps that has to be covered before the Director trusts you with the work, vision and effort that it took to reach your...

Hey, Stage 32 Collaborators!   This week in the lounges, we've had a fantastic mix of requests for information and advice offered, of fun and engaging "getting to know you" questions, and straight-up requests for links. Even if you're dedicatedly one occupation (e.g. Screenwriter, Actor, Animator, etc.), I would highly recommend joining in conversations in adjacent roles. Screenwriters can pop over to the Acting Lounge or the Producing Lounge for insight into characters or pitching. Actors can...

You’ve heard the saying “Jack of all trades, master of none”? I’m going to start with something controversial, I hate that quote. This quote has been preached to me on many occasions throughout my career and I can imagine it will continue for the rest of my years. Why this quote? Because my creativity is hard to grasp, I do many things, and can do many things well, does this sound like you?. Your creativity doesn’t fit in the societal norms of occupation, the idea that we decide to be or do o...

So you landed a job as a composer for a Film. Congratulations! But now where do you start? I think a good point is to build a positive relationship with your Director. That could definitely contribute to the success of your gig. Like any other kind of human relationship, there are no rules to make it work and there is always room for improvement, but here you’ll find some tips and thoughts, based on my experience, that I think might be helpful. Let’s suppose you have negotiated the deal, th...

These days there’s a pretty interesting battle raging between composers scoring films, and filmmakers using prerecorded tracks in their projects. Both can work, and either one can be cheaper, or easier to use. As a composer who makes tracks for music libraries, and scores films, I can give you some ideas about when and why you might use one versus the other.     1. Hiring a Composer Hiring a composer can be cheap or expensive, depending on their experience, business and artistic skil...

Friends, family, project collaborators, social media connections—I’m sure your network is abundant. But in all likelihood, you’re missing out on a mastermind group—a creative support network of individuals who guide each other through professional challenges. Mastermind groups are well known in the business community, yet rarely used by filmmakers, writers, actors, and other artists. Personally, I think it’s time creatives start leveraging this idea for themselves.     What is a Mast...