Composing

I'll start by admitting there may be more important lessons to learn while scoring a feature film in four weeks than these, but I wanted to share some of the things I observed while going through the process on the latest film, Sacred Vow. 1. Deadlines Will Change - Except Yours Now that I've said that it's actually not always true. Your deadline can change but usually not in your favor. If it does change it will likely give you less time to complete the score. I remember being hired to scor...

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” ― John F. Kennedy, Address at Rice University, September 12, 1962   Filmmaking is never easy and it’s rarely fun, but I love it anyway. I have been making films since I was a child and growing up in LA. My high-school, of course, had a film program with a wind-up 16mm Bolex. My 11th-grade film teacher actually wrote on my report card that I was a “cinematic genius”....

Movies aren’t made with money. They are made with equipment, with artists, with technicians etc. Money is a key resource, but it is something that motivates and facilitates. It is not the movie itself. I like to think of it as energy. When you look at it that way, you begin to realize that there are a lot of ways to generate energy. You might find that even if you don’t have access to large amounts of money, you have more “energy” in a project than you thought.  Last year we shot a movie calle...

On the 30th of October 2016 ten composers in the Film, TV and Gaming industry will be coming together to perform their music live to picture at an event in LA. What makes this event unique is that all of the composers are women. In an industry where only 1-2% of films are scored by women, these composers are forging their way, creating music - beautiful, inspirational, colourful, dramatic, individual music. They work in film, in TV and in gaming, they create concert music and they perform. They...

As a film composer, it isn't hard to recognize that one of the hardest parts in creating a film or video project is finding or creating the right music. When I see filmmakers who don’t have access to a composer sifting through stock music lists, something always ends up getting comprised — whether it’s time, creative control, budget, etc. I love working with filmmakers, especially when the music is an artistic pillar of their project -- when the process of creation and collaboration that goes...

As filmmakers, we all try to move forward and create our films with the talent, materials and tools at our disposal. Some of these we may have in or arsenal and others we acquire through purchasing, hiring, renting, borrowing or simply putting the “arm” on colleagues. However, apart from a great story and script, some of the most important components of our productions are those resources called humans. Whether above the line or below, these critical creative team members are not inanimate objec...

No weekend News and Notes blog this weekend because I'm out of town...However... As we approach the final stretch of 2016 I thought it might be a good time to reflect a little on the creative goals we set for the year. Need a refresher on the goals you set? Here is where we all checked in to start this year. How are you doing? Making progress? Lagging behind? Changing direction entirely? Let's talk about it in the Comments section below. And, of course, if there is the opportunity to assist...

Often when people find out I work as a radio DJ, they put a fist in my face as if they were holding a microphone and ask me to do my 'radio voice.' Truth is, my 'radio voice' in real life doesn't even remotely sound like my voice on the radio. This is because there is so much processing and filters going on between the voice and the actual broadcast that what is poured on one side doesn't sound the same as the output. It's almost like making a soup, you might have a nice piece of chicken but all...

Here are five pieces of advice I wish I'd known when I was starting out as a media composer. Firstly as my disclaimer; these are by no means hard and fast rules. Think of the following as food for thought and NOT a recipe for success, but it may help you avoid cooking up a few dodgy meals. 1. Be a 'Jack of All' or a 'Master of One'  I think there is a primary decision to be made that lays the foundation of any composer's career: to be a 'jack of all', or a 'master of one'. I think it's so...

I want to let you in on a secret that no accomplished composer wants you to know. So why am I telling you? Honestly, it’s because I am a teacher and it’s just in my blood to teach. The thing is, I will actually be making my life much harder by teaching you this secret because as many of you know, it is extremely competitive in the world of film score composing. It’s not because there are just soooo many unbelievably talented composers out there, it’s simply because there are just so many fightin...