Composing

John Tinger Thank you! That means the world to me. And that is my goal, to get it placed. I really appreciate your listening and your comment.

James Wunderlich Thank you!!! I appreciate that so much!

Gian Carlo Feoli Listening now! It's beautiful and so powerful. Wonderful job!

You're welcome

@Kat Spencer Thank you so much for listening and for your kind opinion.

Hi, Kerry Kennard. Mark Orton said, "I don’t do a ton of writing ‘on instruments.’ I much prefer to write music in my head." Which one do you prefer?

For instruments - and real - no in my head.

Mark said he recorded much of the score for The Holdovers in his studio, then they moved to a bigger studio for the final recording sessions, Kerry Kennard. Is that common in composing?

I think it depends on the composer and ..

Budget. Also, it’s about the sound the composer and … the Director wants.

You’re a director.. what do you see happening?

That makes sense, Kerry Kennard. I'm not a director. I'm a writer (screenwriter, commercial writer, and ghostwriter). I did try to produce two feature films way back.

Hello Rob Lowry thank you for being in the AMA and hello from Trinidad and Tobago (in the Caribbean). My questions are:

1. How can Caribbean-based Composers gain access to having their music placed in US based films? The music doesn't necessary have to contain a Steelpan or Caribbean rhythms by the way.

2. Do we have to be signed to a Label or Agent?

3. How large does the Composer's catalogue have to be to get the attention of a Music Supervisor?

Hey Navid Lancaster ! Thanks for the question. We tend to work with music and artists from all over the world. I had answered this in a previous question, but finding a US based synch licensing company is probably the best way to get your music in front of US based music supervisors. An artists' catalogue is pretty irrelevant at least from my point of view; we've licensed artists who have one song released, as well as artists who have 100's or 1000's... it's all just about the music!

Rob Lowry You've gone above and beyond the call, my friend. Thanks so much for sharing with us here. I'm gonna grab a cup and read through all this valuable info you've dropped.

Thanks again for having this AMA, Rob Lowry! Looking forward to watching Companion this weekend!

Rob Lowry hey there, Rob. Thanks for this AMA.

My current film in development, is set in the city of Bristol (UK) and to enhance the atmosphere we are going to use what is known as ‘Bristol Sound’. Bands that are from this area, to enhance the power of place in the film.

Wow! So much talent, Amanda Toney! John Williams is my favorite composer. Hans Zimmer and Ennio Morricone are two of my favorite composers as well. I talked with Hans way back about composing music for my feature film, but he was busy with projects. I don't think I would've had enough money in the budget to hire him anyway. Haha I didn't know that back then though. There was a lot about producing I didn't know. Hans is a nice guy.

Thanks for sharing, Amanda. They are all legendary composers.

Awesome Amanda Toney and I agree Maurice Vaughan, those are my favorites too!

Thanks for sharing, Amanda. These are all great composers!

I would add Jerry Goldsmith to this list Amanda Toney !

Thanks for sharing the video, Florin Şumălan. Great Q&A! Steven Weintraub asked Hans Zimmer what’s the first things he does when making music for a project. I’d like to hear what’s the first things everyone here does when making music for projects.

Oh man, I love Hans Zimmer. He's our modern-day John Williams Florin Şumălan.

I took my first class "music fundamentals" in the summer of 2003. Before then I knew nothing formally about music and music notation. SO I was playing around with my DAW at the time (Sonar) and a sampler called Gigastudio. I had just acquired an orchestra suite known as "Moroslav". So my first piece had no reverb and was not aligned or clicktracked and was a bunch of experimental sections. It remains my benchmark of how far I have come since 2003:

https://soundcloud.com/joelirwin/secluded-beauty

Depends on the film or project I’m writing for.

Sometimes I start with chords then melodies.

When I did the EP - Collaboratio - I had Ed’s piano part to write from. Then I used different instruments to add melodies and other lines within the song structure.

It’s called Rhythm n Keys on YouTube and all DSPs.

Yeah, I subconsciously hear things—melodies, soundscapes, abstract textures—but I prefer a workflow where I sit down with my DAW and instruments ready, record ideas as I play, and then refine everything afterward.

Very interesting question. Both work for me, both are fun to try :)

It depends. 9/10 times, it helps for me to get a pad down and then start writing. I love ambience, so getting that down usually spawns some moticom of creativity, especially if I'm having trouble finding something. However, I do think that trying to compose in my head away from my DAW ends up encouraging me and is more fulfilling for me as a composer.

Awesome responses, everyone! Thank you for sharing. I rarely hear things first (though it happens.) Usually, I just sit down at my keys, and then my fingers find a melody quickly. Sometimes, a lyric will come to me, and I build around that.

I just finished listening to the concert, Linwood Bell. It’s phenomenal! And it’s for a great cause! Thanks for sharing the video.

That's the stuff Maurice Vaughan.

Linwood Bell , I listened to this interview few hours ago. Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

I look forward to "Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert".

Fantastic interview! Thanks for sharing it, Linwood Bell. I talked with Hans Zimmer way back about composing music for my feature film, but he was busy with projects. I don't think I would've had enough money in the budget to hire him anyway. Haha I didn't know that back then though. There was a lot about producing I didn't know. Hans is a nice guy.

Rick Beato asked Hans "how important is your space, your environment for being creative?" and Hans said it's hugely important. Hans is right. One thing that distracts me when I write and create things is having a lot of clutter in my space. And an uncomfortable environment distracts me too. What about you?

Maurice Vaughan My space is no where near as nice as Hans', but I'm grateful to have it. I try my best to keep it clean. I find I'm more productive when it is and I like to go to work early. :)

https://www.stage32.com/photos/3634348350976829986

Terrific space, Linwood Bell! And I like that you can turn your chair around and be at the keyboards. What are the white panels against the walls for?

Maurice Vaughan The white panels are called “Real Traps”. Long story short; they make the room sound better. It’s not sound proofing. They help with echos/reflections, the low end of things, and the imaging. They're really a great product. You hang them on the wall just as you would a picture. Very easy to do and they don’t damage the wall when you take them down if you move. A tiny nail hole is all it leaves. This room I’m in has a pretty high ceiling that slopes up at like a 45°. I could use 4 more up there, but then I’d have to get up on a ladder. :)

This is such a fascinating topic, K.. Yeshwanth! Music is such a powerful storytelling tool, especially when it bridges the gap between what is said and what is felt.

One of my favorite examples is in A Quiet Place. The absence of spoken dialogue throughout much of the film makes the score even more impactful, heightening tension and emotion in ways that wouldn’t be as effective with words. Another is Interstellar; the organ-heavy score by Hans Zimmer is practically a language on its own, carrying so much weight in scenes where the dialogue is minimal.

Sometimes I like silence, though let the instruments ring out a few seconds - connecting the two scenes.

Kind of like the below example- at :50 - 1:00

I tried to have a short silence so the guys voice would share the emotion, and even had a local film

Producer watch what I had done, more music in between, … it turned out well for my writing, but think (feel) the judge wanted more emotion brought out by the music.

The Spitfire sounds rang out a lot, hence what I was talking about above … there’s not too many seconds in this part of the scene. I did best using a plugin to stop some of the long ringing the instruments have.

I live the 3/4 change into the next scene as they “ attempt to dance”, which is why I wrote it in 3/4 to interact with the scene.

https://youtu.be/JnTUtLeL_YE?feature=shared

Ashley Renee Smith Exactly Ashley!! A Quite Place is an epic example of creation and blending both "the dialogues and music". Both of them played a major role in the movie by creating a silence intense and horrific scene into a Epic one.

And Of course, I again agree with you about the interstellar score, from a Organ creation to the final complete movie.

Both the scores deserves a hats off.

Kerry Kennard First of all, the composition is very nice, but you need to add more backend elements. Try to focus creating backend with Low and Mid-Low octaves, so that it gives a huge strength to main Melody and Counter Melody.

This score could've also worked with 5/8 and 6/8. The 3/4 you had taken is a good thinking, it works in all of them.

Also when it comes to compositions, try to create the more textural elements, first, and then move on with your Melodies, Ostinatos, Runs, Harmonies, Backends & Rhythms.

Rest everything is good, you have done great job!!

This sounds like a golden spot! I can think of a muffling transition with musical texture coming in, either subtle or strong, depending on the emotion we want to bring. Sometimes, melodies can’t really stand alone, or the cue is too short to fill the space, so at times like this, a soundscape or musical texture with emotional chords might be a good option. And maybe there are even better ideas, I’m really curious and eager to learn!