davidr's review
4.0
This is a very short, but fun book about the issues that confront a new film composer. As I am trying to break into this field, it is certainly relevant to me. The book was published in 2006, and since audio and music technology is flying forward at a very fast pace, the book is a bit dated. Nevertheless, most of the advice is still quite apropos.
The main message from this book is that when it comes to composing music for film, it is a buyer's market. This means that the supply of film composers greatly outweighs the number of film projects. While the number of films and videos has increased very quickly with the number of outlets (movies, cable TV, online web sites, etc.), the number of new film composers has increased even faster. One of the main reasons is that technology has made it much easier to produce "broadcast-quality" music. It is no longer necessary to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a studio.
This book is intended for the third tier of composers--those who compose for games, television, theme parks, low-budget features, documentaries, industrial films and commercials. But, where the book breaks down is in its discussion of preparing for recording by a live orchestra. The problem is that low-budget projects simply cannot afford to record live orchestras. Instead, incredibly realistic mock-ups are produced and used in just about all low-budget films. This is mentioned in the book, but does not receive the attention it deserves, primarily because the book was published so long ago.
Nevertheless, the book is entertaining and informative. It addresses some of the issues that are still important today. For example, should a prospective composer get a formal education? Should one become an assistant composer before trying to go for the higher levels? How much should one charge for composing? And what about all of the costs that go along with recording live musicians? How should a composer prepare for and behave during a spotting session with the director? With a very limited amount of time to score a feature-length film (maybe 4-8 weeks typically), how should one budget time, and how should one organize the task of composing a coherent score with multiple cues?
The book contains a number of anecdotes, many of them informative or even hilarious. One anecdote is about composer David Raskin complaining to Alfred Hitchcock. In the movie Lifeboat, Hitchcock did not want any music at all during the majority of the film when the action is focused on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. Raskin confronted Hitchcock about this, and Hitchcock answered that "there is no orchestra in the middle of the ocean". Raskin, quickly responded, "out in the middle of the ocean, where's the camera?".
One of the chief take-aways from the book is the purpose of music in a film. Film music should not merely repeat what a scene is already expressing. Instead, the score should diagnose what the scene needs to by saying, but is not expressing. If a scene is complete without any music, then there shouldn't be any.
Another useful discussion in this book is how a composer should negotiate, when the available budget is insufficient to meet the desires of the director or producer. Where should a composer cut costs, or perhaps negotiate for a higher percentage of the back-end royalties. This book gives lots of suggestions for this situation, a most welcome discussion.
I read this book in a couple of hours; it is written tersely, and does not cover all the issues confronting a film composer. But the book is so engaging, and its advice is extremely good.
The main message from this book is that when it comes to composing music for film, it is a buyer's market. This means that the supply of film composers greatly outweighs the number of film projects. While the number of films and videos has increased very quickly with the number of outlets (movies, cable TV, online web sites, etc.), the number of new film composers has increased even faster. One of the main reasons is that technology has made it much easier to produce "broadcast-quality" music. It is no longer necessary to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a studio.
This book is intended for the third tier of composers--those who compose for games, television, theme parks, low-budget features, documentaries, industrial films and commercials. But, where the book breaks down is in its discussion of preparing for recording by a live orchestra. The problem is that low-budget projects simply cannot afford to record live orchestras. Instead, incredibly realistic mock-ups are produced and used in just about all low-budget films. This is mentioned in the book, but does not receive the attention it deserves, primarily because the book was published so long ago.
Nevertheless, the book is entertaining and informative. It addresses some of the issues that are still important today. For example, should a prospective composer get a formal education? Should one become an assistant composer before trying to go for the higher levels? How much should one charge for composing? And what about all of the costs that go along with recording live musicians? How should a composer prepare for and behave during a spotting session with the director? With a very limited amount of time to score a feature-length film (maybe 4-8 weeks typically), how should one budget time, and how should one organize the task of composing a coherent score with multiple cues?
The book contains a number of anecdotes, many of them informative or even hilarious. One anecdote is about composer David Raskin complaining to Alfred Hitchcock. In the movie Lifeboat, Hitchcock did not want any music at all during the majority of the film when the action is focused on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. Raskin confronted Hitchcock about this, and Hitchcock answered that "there is no orchestra in the middle of the ocean". Raskin, quickly responded, "out in the middle of the ocean, where's the camera?".
One of the chief take-aways from the book is the purpose of music in a film. Film music should not merely repeat what a scene is already expressing. Instead, the score should diagnose what the scene needs to by saying, but is not expressing. If a scene is complete without any music, then there shouldn't be any.
Another useful discussion in this book is how a composer should negotiate, when the available budget is insufficient to meet the desires of the director or producer. Where should a composer cut costs, or perhaps negotiate for a higher percentage of the back-end royalties. This book gives lots of suggestions for this situation, a most welcome discussion.
I read this book in a couple of hours; it is written tersely, and does not cover all the issues confronting a film composer. But the book is so engaging, and its advice is extremely good.
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