What are the necessary steps in becoming a successful film composer.
- Thread starter jadedsean
- Start date
The first question is '1. Do you think having an understanding of theoretical principles of music is important for a working composer today?'
That's an insult to composers.
sazema
Senior Member
Hmm... it's questionable.
You have 2 possible answers, not steps
1) You're so talented, and your work is brilliant, you're so unique
2) You're not so talented, but you know right people, you have money to pay talented musicians and people for your job
You know, there is a lot of talented people on earth, but unfort. they will never see the light and they will never be used because they are unknown and mostly because of 2.
And it's pretty much same for any job, not only this one.
You have 2 possible answers, not steps
1) You're so talented, and your work is brilliant, you're so unique
2) You're not so talented, but you know right people, you have money to pay talented musicians and people for your job
You know, there is a lot of talented people on earth, but unfort. they will never see the light and they will never be used because they are unknown and mostly because of 2.
And it's pretty much same for any job, not only this one.
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muk
Senior Member
The questions are very clearly framed, and you won't have a representative random sample pool by asking on this forum. This will not produce valid results. It's a bit ironic, really: 1. 'Do you think having an understanding of theoretical principles of empiric research is important for creators of surveys today?
Edit: sorry if that comes across as harsh. I was a bit irritated by the implications of the questions.
Edit: sorry if that comes across as harsh. I was a bit irritated by the implications of the questions.
mc_deli
n trepreneur
Sorry, poor survey questions. They are mostly self serving and poorly worded. You would have been better off with a scale if importance with most of these.
My guess is, you are a vocational degree student without the academic support to get this in better shape ..? (At least that was my bitter experience, forgive my meanness)
My guess is, you are a vocational degree student without the academic support to get this in better shape ..? (At least that was my bitter experience, forgive my meanness)
Parsifal666
I don't even own a DAW, I'm just a troll.
Hmm... it's questionable.
You have 2 possible answers, not steps
1) You're so talented, and your work is brilliant, you're so unique
2) You're not so talented, but you know right people, you have money to pay talented musicians and people for your job
You know, there is a lot of talented people on earth, but unfort. they will never see the light and they will never be used because they are unknown and mostly because of 2.
And it's pretty much same for any job, not only this one.
1) That doesn't hold anywhere near as much weight as it did, say, forty five years ago. I personally know some really impressive composers whom have written some of the most moving, profound things I've ever heard, but are completely unknown outside of...say, 5,000 Facebook likes (meant in a sly way, no one should judge someone's success by that model of course). I mean, these composers are capable of competing with some of the elite today...but every time they run into your number:
2) Which is (ask the majority of working composers) what most aspiring composers have to do. Larry David said it baldly: "You need to know somebody".
You could also try paying and getting to know a really good music agent. It might cost you quite a bit, but you were going to spend all of that on libraries you don't really "need" anyway, right? (joking). Investing in a real, well-referenced music agent could be the chance you need...if you conscientiously investigate the potential candidates, you'll learn which agents are rubbing shoulders with the big guys (and gals).
I worked really hard, wrote every day for twelve years, and stumbled upon a popular-in-the-genre musician who was looking to make a comeback. That was nine years ago, and I'm still paying my rent with my music.
So yeah, I did end up knowing somebody.
sazema
Senior Member
Absolutely, there is a lot of variations to this answer, but I tend to short that best possible way
OP
OP
jadedsean
Senior Member
afterlight82
Active Member
Question bias aside, I don't mean to be a naysayer, but how is an unsourced, unattributable online survey, the link of which you post publicly...considered good enough evidence for a thesis at any academic institution?
It's not evidence of anything surely, unless you know the source. Anybody can click on that link and take it. It seems like a baffling methodology for something you're actually intending to submit academically?
It's not evidence of anything surely, unless you know the source. Anybody can click on that link and take it. It seems like a baffling methodology for something you're actually intending to submit academically?
OP
OP
jadedsean
Senior Member
It's funny i came to this forum because i felt composers might want to give their thoughts and experience of what it's like working in the industry. Instead it seems all people want to do is correct the survey itself, i apologize the survey isn't up to your standards as it's just a test as i wanted to gauge responses coming from this site.
Are there steps? Make good music, and network with others. Done? There's no formula to success. I think Bo Burnham said it best: "Taylor Swift telling you to follow your dreams is like a lottery winner telling you, 'Liquidize your assets, buy Powerball tickets, it works!'"
Parsifal666
I don't even own a DAW, I'm just a troll.
Super cool analogy.
afterlight82
Active Member
Oh, I'm sorry, it's our fault. Of course.
I think if you take a few minutes you'll find literally thousands upon thousands of posts of composers sharing their thoughts about what it's like working in the industry. I'm not sure why you think the site owes you anything or the many working composers on it need to take your survey, particularly when the questions are kind of loaded and seem to be yielding a certain bias.
This is the real world; we don't sugarcoat stuff to your feelings and we owe you zip. Everybody is nice here, but ask not great questions and people will say "hey, that's not a great question". If you don't like that, tough. There are people here who routinely score $50m-$100m movies and video games...owners of companies...software and sampling pioneers, hobbyists who make the pros look lame. This is not high school.
As such, we can look at your questions and say they're poor. "what genre of film scoring do you consider most effective" for one, with answers being a range of dates. Firstly, dates aren't genres. Secondly, the question is over simplistic as to be meaningless...1980's could mean anything from Williams to Carpenter to the smooth jazz sax music on a soft porn movie. I mean, c'mon, get real, you're kind of insulting people's intelligence.
OP
OP
jadedsean
Senior Member
The surveys is aimed at an active community of composers
Well for one its aimed a community of composers so the likelihood of anybody doing the survey is slim.
Cheers for your input, if you read my previous post you would see i stated it was never my intention to insult anybody on this forum, if anything i felt the survey was innocent in nature. Yeah of course the questions could be improved upon but again as stated it's a test survey to gauge responses coming from this website. By the way i never suggested this community owes me anything i merely made the point the survey is for beginners and would appreciate any help from experienced composers. I don't understand why your wasting your time energy on this, if you have done the survey thank you for your participation and your criticism i will take on board.
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Mediocre talents like Mozart, Van Beethoven, Wagner, Debussy and so on needed lessons, but the kids nowadays are so smart, I guess they could become anything, from composers to theoretical physicists, without having to study. It's because of those wonderful computers. I wished I was born a couple of decades later. When I was a teenager, all you had to write music was some paper, a pencil and an old piano. And a brain of course.
Is this the right flight direction?
