Jonny Armandary

LANDING
FILM
SCORING
PROJECTS
How To Find Work And Build
Lasting Relationships As A
Film Music Composer.
 You want to find real movies to compose music for…
In This Guide To
…but where are they?
Finding Film How do you find them?
Scoring Projects
And even if do find an exciting project, how on earth do you actually get in
touch with the person who can hire you?
• Building The Foundations - Before
You Begin Your Search I’ve heard those questions a lot. Usually followed by:

• Why Your Self-Promotion Isn’t

Working (& Seeking Purpose) • Everyone wants experience, but I don’t have any!

• Finding Your Target & Setting Your • I’m just rubbish at meeting people and networking
Sights - Ready, Aim, Fire!
• There’s too much competition
• Reach Out! Make Friends, Be
Helpful, And Be Memorable
• I don’t think my music is right, or it’s not good enough
• How To Absolutely Nail The Project
& Secure Future Referrals
• I live in the wrong place!
• Frequently Asked Questions
• All the projects I find are rubbish

• It doesn’t feel like I’m getting anywhere

• No one wants to pay for music anymore

And that’s why this guide exists. To help you get over those problems.

So buckle up, we’ve a lot to get through; get ready to jump start your gig-
finding efforts and land your next film scoring project!
 Become A
Better Composer
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Building The
Foundations - Before
You Begin Your Search
I’m going to start this section with a really clichéd quotation.

Because sometimes clichés are popular for a reason…

Here we go:

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.

The second best time is now.”

In other words : even though this section is about things to do

“before you start”, you should actually be doing this stuff while
your search begins.

The best time to start is now.

Okay, that’s the cheesy proverbs out of the way, now on to what
this section is all about!
There’s a few things you need to have prepared while you’re
searching for projects. Some of those things are practical things -
like a showreel, equipment, online presence, etc. - while other things
are all about your mental game and knowledge.
If you want to successfully land film & media projects, you’re going to
have to be prepared for all kinds of situations. Again, those may be
practical situations (for example, whether you’re actually capable of
seeing a project through from start to finish), or they might be
interpersonal situations - whether you know how to talk to people,
and be convincing.
In this section I’m going to take you through everything you need to
have in order “before” you start your search.
Your Skills & Personal Traits
If you’ve read The Media Scoring Guide (click to download) you’ll
have read my detailed description of all of the skills and traits you
need to have developed as a film composer.
Go ahead and read that section of the guide if you haven’t already -
it covers all of the essentials. But there are a few more skills and
traits you need to have when it comes to finding projects too.
Let’s start with some additions to the obvious one : composition.
You need to be able to capture anything musically. Good film music
is all about storytelling, and the only way you can tell a story with your
music is by knowing what things sound like musically.
What does “a humid summer’s day” sound like?
What does “I think my husband / wife is cheating on me” sound like?
How can you show the passing of time, musically?
Get the point? You need to be able to translate any mood, visual, or
emotion into music.
That doesn’t mean that before you start reaching out to filmmakers
you have to go through a list of literally everything on the planet and
create it musically, it just means you have to understand how to
translate ideas into music.
And on that topic, you also need to learn how to read minds.
Seriously.
As musicians we get used to talking in a certain language - even if
you aren’t “classically trained” or if you don’t understand music
theory, you still hear and describe music differently to how non-
musicians or filmmakers do.
When a director says:
“I need the music to be fresh, but timeless, capturing the feeling of a
cold winter’s morning all while making the audience feel warm inside,
but also frightened because they’re so madly in love”
You need to be able to be able to dissect that, read their mind, and
work out exactly what the heck it is that they want from you!
Right now you might be freaking out a little bit.
“I’m a composer, not a mindreader!”
Well, luckily for you, film music isn’t exactly a brand new invention.
We’ve had film music for over 100 years now - so a vast majority of
those moods and emotions have already been covered.
So here’s another skill you can learn:
Imitate —> Assimilate —> Innovate
This creative cycle was named by legendary jazz trumpeter Clark
Terry. And it applies as much to film music as it does to jazz (and, in
my opinion, pretty much every other creative process).
When we approach a creative pursuit we all start at the imitation
stage - that is, we’re copying what others have done before us.
Once we’ve copied a lot of different people, we start to move into
assimilation. That’s where we combine all of the sounds, techniques,
and styles of the people we’ve imitated - often subconsciously.
Most people never move past assimilation.
And, you know what?
That’s fine.
Not everyone has to move into innovation (where you create
something truly new and unique). Not everyone is able to, and that’s
not a criticism either.
Here’s an unpopular opinion in music, that I’ll no doubt be criticised
for, but I’m sharing anyway : innovation isn’t end goal in all forms of
creativity. There’s nothing wrong with not being truly innovative.
Because the truth is that you are unique. You’re an individual, so
everything you do will be done in your own way, and so it stands to
reason that everything you do is innovative in some way.
Let me summarise the last few paragraphs : learn from others, and
don’t fret about being 100% original.
That sums up our “composition skills” section…but there’s another
related aspect that we need to talk about…
Music Production. The more “hats” you can wear (music, sound, ADR), the more of a
benefit to the team you’ll be, the better your reputation, and the less
Yes, you need to know a bit about music production.
the budget needs to be spread.

Okay, let’s make that a lot.

One thing that is essential to say here is this:

The industry doesn’t work how it used to. You can’t sketch out a
Learn how to use ProTools
melody and chords on manuscript, hand it to an orchestrator for
arrangement, and have the whole thing recorded, mixed, and
Not necessarily as your main piece of composing software, but
mastered by other people.
definitely for audio editing.

The only scenario where I could ever see that happening is if you’re
ProTools is industry standard for audio. If you can learn how to use it
already some kind of world famous, virtuoso concert composer and
efficiently, you’ll be setting yourself up for many more opportunities.
you get personally headhunted by a director / studio. And even then,
it’s a long shot.
Theory / Analysis
The fact of the matter is that you need to be able to fully create your A final pointer : you need to know some theory.
music - from concept right the way through to the final mix.
And, no, not just music theory, but film theory as well.

I’m not going to dwell too long on music production skills, but I will
say that you need to be well-versed in all aspects of it.
Plus, if you can be an excellent music producer, sound, recording,
and mixing engineer, you’ll be opening yourself up to a whole world of
extra opportunities.
On many of the early projects you’ll be working on, it’s likely that
they’ll be very limited with the sound / music budget.
Maybe you don’t like the idea of “theory” - well, that’s fine, let’s call it
“analysis” instead. To even enter the imitate stage of your creative
journey you need to be able to analyse what has come before.
And the more film theory you know, the better you’ll be able to tell
stories with your music. So you have to love films. Study them, read
some of the key film theory books, and learn to talk the language of
film and filmmakers.

Bracing Yourself
Okay, we’ve covered the skills you need, we now need to talk about
what you’re getting yourself into.
Being a film music composer isn’t easy.
But you already know that, right?
Look, I’m not going to give you the “you need to love it” speech - I’m
sure you’ve heard it a million times before. I’m going to tell you a
story instead.
I used to run a course at one of the UK’s leading conservatoires.
Getting a place on the course was tough for students.
Auditions, interviews, tests, the works.
So we had good students. Motivated students. Students who felt
lucky to be there. I’m not going to lie, it was great environment.
And yet, almost every year I’d end up in a one-to-one meeting with a
student where they told me they just couldn’t do it anymore.
They weren’t talking about the workload - it wasn’t that kind of “high
pressure” course - they meant music.
They had no motivation to practice.
Do you know why?
These students had usually come straight from high school, where
they were known to the whole school as “the musical ones”. Music
was their hobby, their passion, and their escape from all of the other
subjects they hated.
But now it was the only subject they had. It wasn’t their escape
anymore. And on top of that, they were no longer the best in the
school - they were surrounded by other equally amazing musicians.
Their hobby, their passion, had become their work.
Some of you reading this will be thinking : “are they insane??? They
get to do music all day every day and they’re unhappy?!”
But remember : just because you love doing something as a hobby, it
doesn’t mean that it’s something you’ll love as a job.
I’m not telling you any of this to demotivate you. I’m telling you it to
prepare you.
And I’m speaking from experience.
Straight out of university I decided I was going to be a full-time
composer. I’d given myself a great head start, by working on so many
real world projects while I was studying, and so I leapt in.
I worked on project after project - short films, feature films, Be realistic with yourself. Do you really love this enough to pursue it
documentaries, adverts, idents - all combined with working as a as a full-time career? If not, that’s okay! You can still pursue projects
session musician, arranger, music producer. to work on for fun, and even get paid for them too.

I was really living the full-time musician lifestyle. So many people will tell you that in order to do this you need to be
able to drop everything and give it your all.
It was fun…for a while.
Ignore them.
But I realised it wasn’t the life I wanted to carry on living. I could see
my passion for music slowly draining away. Everything musical was You can compose passionately and still keep a day job. Not
becoming a chore. I wasn’t practicing anymore, only ever playing or everyone’s goal has to be to be a full-time composer.
composing music for work.
Learn to enjoy the process, the journey, and maybe you’ll find that
So I stopped. keeping music as your escape from the real world is exactly how you
need to keep it. Don’t let anyone tell you that unless you pursue it full-
I did a few guest teaching & lecturing gigs and realised that’s where time it’s not worth pursuing. That’s utter garbage.
my passion really was. Not only could I still be creative, but I could
also separate my passion for creating music, with my passion for Speaking of “utter garbage” here’s another worthless statement:
helping others.
“There’s too many composers and not enough films.”
I started teaching part time and composing part time, until eventually
What a load of BS.
the teaching became my full time job, and I kept composing as my
passion projects - only working on the projects I want to work on.
The number of films being released each year is growing
exponentially. In fact, the British Film Institute says “there are too
Of course, it means I’ve probably scuppered all of my chances of
many films being released” - and both of those linked articles are only
being a “serious full-time composer” - but that’s fine, because that’s
talking about cinema released feature films.
not my goal anymore.

Some estimate the total number of films (including independents and

I’m not just waffling here, I’m trying to emphasise a point : work out
shorts) being made each year in the millions!
what your real ambitions are when it comes to composing.
There’s a reason I’m telling you this too : you need to rise above the
pessimism. You’re going to face a lot of it.
Keep a positive attitude, stay true to yourself, embrace an abundance
mindset (“there’s plenty to go around”) and you’ll be much happier.
…and you’ll magically find yourself with more projects. It’s one of the
mysterious ways the world works - if you ooze positivity, people
suddenly want to work with you.
Who would have thought that people actually enjoy working with
happy, positive people? I know right? Mind blowing.
Looking After Yourself
We’ve talked a lot about your “mental game” in this section - how you
need to be psychologically prepared to deal with turning your passion
into work, and handling pessimism.
We also need to talk about how you look after yourself.
I’m going to vary this into three areas:
• Time
• Money
• Health
There’s a pretty toxic message going around at the moment : that you
should be working every hour under the sun and moon.
And it’s not limited to music. People seem to think that working 24
hours per day is what’s expected of them - I’ve seen people bragging
about only getting 3 hours sleep in as many days.
It’s ridiculous.
And, not to mention, unbelievably unhealthy.
Time management is an absolutely essential skill that you need to
develop. I know for a fact that, if I’m focused, I can get just as much
done in four intense hours than in 16 hours of unfocused work.
I also know that I wouldn’t be able to keep up such an intense rate for
more than four hours. So I work with that : I make sure my day has a
solid block of four super-intense working hours, and then I schedule
extra time for the dull, administrative stuff that requires less focus.
And I know what you’re thinking : “creativity doesn’t just come when
you want it to - I have to wait for inspiration, which can take hours”
I’ll challenge that with a quotation from Tchaikovsky:
"I sit down to the piano regularly at nine-o'clock in the morning
and Mesdames LesMuses have learned to be on time for that
rendezvous.” - P.I.Tchaikovsky
Inspiration can be trained to become a habit. Get yours trained, and
learn to summon it on demand. Figure out what gets you immediately
creative, and work that into your composing routine.
Regarding money, here’s the biggest piece of advice I can give you :
keep your overheads as low as you possibly can.
Question every purchase, and particularly every subscription or
recurring payment.
Is that new plugin really going to dramatically improve your work?
Do you really need to upgrade your phone?
Are you actually going to use that gym membership, or can you work
out a routine to do at home / outside instead?
Those are only the small things - bigger questions could be about the
car you drive, whether your rent / mortgage can be lowered.
The less expenses you have, the more options are open to you.
Being financially savvy is so important if you’re going to pursue
music. Work doesn’t come in consistently, so you need to plan for
your money to last you.
Likewise, if you can build up a healthy savings pot, then when / if an
opportunity comes calling you’ll be in a much better position to take it.
Life can take over sometimes, and you find yourself with a mortgage,
car payments, childcare expenses, big phone contracts, whatever
else, but you can still take action to reduce as many of those costs as
possible. Schedule an annual audit of all of your expenses, and be
ruthless - get rid of anything that is of no benefit to you, or that
doesn’t bring you joy (you still need joy!)
And, finally, health.
It should go without saying that your health is of the utmost
importance to you.
Figure out what works for you, what makes you healthy, and do it.
My top tips (but I’m no expert, so do your own research into what
works for you - speak to a doctor if necessary):
Build exercise into your day. It doesn’t have take a long time.
Personally I do a short 15-20 minute home routine in the morning,
and then every hour during the day I do one fast exercise (e.g.
pushups, jumping jacks, burpees, whatever). It takes 30 seconds
every hour, but gives me so much extra energy and, importantly, gets
me out of my chair!
Hydrate and eat well. Not going to dwell on this, but drink at least two
litres of water per day, and three healthy meals. Hint : the easier the
meals are to make, the easier it’ll be to stick to it.
Sleep. Create a sleep schedule and stick to it - go to bed at the
same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.
Aim for 7-8 hours (“I don’t need that much” is not a scientifically
accurate statement). Don’t drink caffeine after 2pm, and don’t use
any screens in the final hour before bed.
There you go, three things that will optimise your health, give you
boatloads of energy, and improve your life.
Further reading : High Performance Habits by Brendan Burchard

Practical Stuff
Okay, onto the more solid, defined stuff that you need - less of the
wishy-washy mindset stuff 😉
When you start pitching for work you’ll need:
• A portfolio
• A résumé
• A showreel
Presentation is of the utmost importance across all three of these. If
it looks like you know what you’re doing, you’re a thousand times
more likely to land a project than if you look unprofessional.
Your portfolio is a collection of your projects and previous work.
“But…what if I haven’t worked on anything before?!”
Ah, the classic catch-22 - you need experience to get the job, but
need the job to get experience. Don’t panic, you can still put
something together.
Chances are, since you’re hoping to become a film composer, that
you’ve written some music before. Right?
(If not…maybe you should start there!)
Well, that music is your portfolio - no one said it had to be paid or
commissioned work. Any and all music work forms your portfolio.
So gather all of your best tracks, and put them together as a portfolio.
How you do that is up to you - you can add images or video and
upload your tracks to YouTube or Vimeo, or just use the audio and
upload it to SoundCloud or Reelcrafter.
Ideally, you’ll do both - it’s great to give people a choice.
For free-to-use pictures and video, try MixKit or Pixabay.
And you’ll want to host all of this on your own website.
My friends over at FilmScoringTips are putting together a load of tips
on designing your website, check them out here.
To reiterate : presentation is key. There’s no excuse in 2019 to have
a badly designed website. If you’re in the least bit technical, you can
create a website cheaply with WordPress + a good theme.
If you’re nervous about online tech, companies like Wix have page
builders and templates ready for you to just change the text, colours,
and images.
Simple.
Next up is your résumé.
I’d argue that this is a little less essential, but you should still have
one prepared and ready - mostly in case someone does ask for it,
but also partly because it’s really great to keep a log of all of your
achievements to reflect back on.
So list out any and all of the musical stuff you’ve been involved in, as
well as any accolades or recognition you have for your music.
If you’re ever actually asked for a résumé, it’s most likely going to be
for a more serious project, where they’re checking to see whether
you’ll actually be able to manage the whole project. Make sure you
include any relevant experience you’ve gained in other work too.
Maybe you manage a small team in your current employment?
Perfect - that’s team management, and a vital skill to have when
you’re working on a larger project with others.
Keep it short and to the point, but try to make it as attractive as
possible. You can use free design sites like Canva for that.
Last, and maybe a sticking point for a lot of composers : showreels.
Your showreel is what you’ll send to someone to try and convince
them to hire you, so it needs to be really good.
Think of it as your trailer.
There are a few ways you can go about it too : you can make it all
about the music…or you can make it about you.
I’ve seen some great showreels where the composer has been
interviewed talking about their process - that can really help them
stand out to a filmmaker.
That said, you still need to showoff your music too - how else will the
person know whether you can actually write good music?
Here are my top recommendations for showreels:
Keep them short. No one is going to listen to 10 full minutes of your
music. Sorry, but it’s true. Keep your showreels 2 to 4 minutes long.
Create multiple showreels. Group your music into themes or genres
and create showreels for each style - horror, romance, sci-fi, etc.
There’s no point showing your romantic music on a pitch for a thriller.
Create a video template to quickly make custom showreels. If
you’re good and quick with video editing, it could be worth creating
custom showreels for projects you’re pitching on - showing your
music most suited to the project. Using a template, with a
predesigned structure and titles, can speed this process up.
Start and end strong. Put your best pieces at the beginning and end
- that’s where people will skip to.
Learn from trailers. Follow the flow of big movie trailers - where
does the fast action stuff go? How about the slow dramatic stuff?
Copy the general structure to add flow to your showreel.
Create a “main” showreel / interview. For your website, have
someone interview and video you about your process and turn it into
Contracts
a trailer that shows who you are. This is more for people that
“stumble” across your site, or are referred there by a friend. You This is the final thing you need to understand before you get started.
I’m not going to go into much detail here, because there’s far too
wouldn’t send this to someone you already have a relationship with.
much to cover, and I avoid giving legal advice at all costs.
You also need to make sure it’s high quality - no iPhone recordings.

After all, I’m no legal expert.

Use visuals. Sounds obvious, but some of your best music might not
already be synced to visuals, so find images or movies that you can
But you need to understand how contracts work and where your
put alongside the music. Filmmakers tend to be visual people, so
money comes from. Generally there are two main contract types :
only using an audio showreel puts you at a disadvantage.
package deal, or composer fee.

Have a “call to action”. That’s a marketing term for “tell them what
The package deal is more common nowadays, and is where you get
to do” - have a title that tells them exactly what to do and how to do it.
allocated a budget for music and have to pay any and all expenses
For example, how to contact you.
yourself. Need live musicians? You pay. Orchestration? You pay.

Hire a professional if you need to. Learning video editing is a really

useful skill, but it does take time to learn to do it well. Time that not all
of us have. Although there are programs to make things easier,
sometimes it can really help to hire a professional - especially if
you’re wanting to take things to the next level. Or maybe after reading
this guide you’ll have some new filmmaker friends that you can call
on to help you create something exceptional!
The good thing with package deals is that you get a bigger budget.
Downside is that if you’re not careful, you can quickly spend it all,
leaving nothing for yourself!
The other deal is the composer fee, where you get paid a set fee and
the studio takes care of the other expenses (although you still have to
work with their budget).

Hold a test screening for friends and family. If there’s one time I Pro Audio Files have a helpful guide on fees, but in a nutshell:
get really self-conscious about my music it’s when I play it to my
loved ones. Use that to your advantage and show your showreel to You get an upfront payment / license fee and backend royalties. You

your friends and family. I don’t mean “send them a link”, I mean sit need to guard your backend royalties; never give them up.

with them and watch it together. You’ll immediately notice where it’s
And there you have it. We’re ready to start hunting!
boring, and what can be improved.
Why Your Self-Promotion
Isn’t Working (& Seeking
Purpose)
Do you have a Facebook page?

If so, let me ask you something:

WHY?

Can you answer that question?

What is your online presence actually doing for you other than
wasting your time? That’s what we’re going to talk about here.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have a Facebook page, I’m just
saying that we need to delve into the purpose of it - and all of your
other self-promotion for that matter too.

You need to get this part of your promotion efforts in line so that
you can make sure you’re easily found, showoff what you do, and
stop wasting your time and effort on things that aren’t helping you.

I’m going to help you understand exactly what self-promotion you

should be doing, and where to focus your energy.

Self-Promotion
There’s one single form of self-promotion that will get you more work
than any other form of promotion combined.
Are you ready for it?
Relationships.
I cannot emphasise how important building strong and lasting
relationships are to your success. Hands down, this is the most
important thing you can do to start finding projects.
I’m going to talk about who to build relationships with and where to
find them in a later chapter, but for now I’m just going to really lay this
on thick : you need to learn how to make friends.
I talk to a lot of composers who are trying to find projects, trying to
find things to work on, and they say something along the lines of:
“I’ve sent my demo / showreel to so many people now, but no one
ever gets back to me!”
That’s the digital equivalent of being in a room full of filmmakers and
deciding that the best way to get yourself hired is to walk up to them
with some headphones plugged into your phone and saying : “hey,
listen to this!”
Except it’s even worse than that, because an email is a lot easier to
ignore than a crazy person with some headphones!
So before you even think about showing someone your music, you
need to make sure they actually want to hear your music.
And how do you do that?
You start by building a relationship. Talk to them. Find out who they
are as a person, and what makes them tick. There’s a quote from
Dale Carnegie that I absolutely love. It goes:
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming really
interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get
other people interested in you...
...which is just another way of saying that the way to make a friend is
to be one.” - D.Carnegie
First and foremost you need to be making friends and you need to
be helpful. If you can help a filmmaker out with a problem they have,
you’ll be 1000x more likely to pop into their mind when they’re looking
for a composer.
In a fantastic interview with Alex Steyermark, Nicholas Britell talks
about how he met with a director for lunch, and just chatted about
anything and everything, including the director’s upcoming movie.
After the lunch, he was so excited about the project that he threw
together playlist of tracks that he thought suited the mood of the
Of course, he ended up getting hired for that movie, but that was only
a bonus to Britell - the intention wasn’t to sell himself, only to be
friendly and helpful.
And the relationships you build can, and should, be with all kinds of
people. I know composers that have been hired for a project after a
costume designer recommended them to a director.
You never know who knows who.
There’s that old saying:
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”
Well, actually I say this:
“It’s not what you know, it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you,
and who knows what you do.”
Okay…so it doesn’t roll off the tongue so easily, but you get the
message. Make friends, and make sure they know what you do.
Online Presence
I began this chapter talking about social media and online presence,
so let’s move on to that.
I asked why you have a Facebook page.
That’s not me discouraging you from having one - in fact I think you
absolutely must have a Facebook page - but I’m asking you to
clarify why you have one. What purpose does it serve?
I’ll tell you a secret : composers aren’t discovered via Facebook.
Sure, if something you create goes absolutely viral there’s a slim
chance that someone will notice (like Hans Zimmer stumbling across
Tina Guo’s Queen Bee video) but, be honest, are you really creating
viral-worthy content?
The purpose of Facebook, or any social media for that matter, as a
composer isn’t for filmmakers to find you, it’s for them to trust you.
And how do you do that?
You show them exactly what you want them to see.
Ask yourself: why would a filmmaker be on my social media page?
It’s highly unlikely that they searched on Facebook for “film
composer” and just happened across your page.
If they did, start playing the lottery, because you’re clearly lucky!
It’s more likely that someone tagged you, or referred you. Or maybe
you follow the filmmaker’s social and you’ve interacted with them,
then they might have click on your profile to see who you are.
So once they’re there, what do you want them to see?
You have a limited amount of time to show them exactly who you are
and what you’re about. Use it wisely.
As I said earlier : you are unique. You need to show that, while also
showing that you’re professional, experienced, and reliable.
Work out your “branding” - think carefully about the colours and
imagery that you want to use on all your social media. That’s going to
help you stand out and make you more memorable. Again, you can
use tools like Canva to create more interesting social media graphics.
Don’t go overboard - you’re still an individual, not a brand, and
filmmakers need to see that. But think about how you can represent
what you do visually. Maybe you specialise in quirky, uplifting music -
if so, use bright, vibrant colours.
Easy!
…or not. Because part of being a film composer is being flexible, and
being able to work in all kinds of styles.
And therein lies the rub.
But here’s the thing : it’s kind of expected that a composer can work
in a range of styles. So that’s almost a moot point. You can still
specialise in a certain sound, while also being versatile.
Look at any of the great composers, like John Williams and Hans
Zimmer. Any of you could instantly tell me what they’re known for,
and what their specialty is, but does that mean they only work in one
genre? Of course not!
Once you’ve ascertained the kind of imagery you’ll be using on your
social pages, you then need to create profile and cover images with
that branding (but still with your own face in there : faces build trust),
and get to work on creating content.
Your content is going to show your trustworthiness and experience.
Prove that you’re an experienced composer by sharing snippets from
projects you’re working on (make sure you have the filmmaker’s
permission first!) and behind-the-scenes images or videos of your
creative process.
On Facebook and Twitter, share / retweet anything relevant to
filmmaking and give your opinion or comments on it.
In general, try your best to avoid political or religious debates - keep
those for your personal profiles instead - unless that’s the persona
you’re trying to portray. Just be aware that having an extreme view
will put off certain people from wanting to work with you.
Sadly, that’s just the way the world works.
I’m not trying to censor you, I’m just saying there’s a time and place.
Back to your content, here’s a top tip : you can use a service like
RecurPost to automatically share your content on loop. Just create a
load of content, upload it to RecurPost, and let it automatically share
your stuff every few days / weekly. Social media on autopilot 👍
The final piece of the social media puzzle is your bio.
Come up with a short sentence that really encapsulates what you do.
Take your time with this, it’s going to be your tagline. You need to
capture what makes you unique, while enticing someone to click on
the link to your website - which goes just below your tagline.
Make sure your bio is optimised to get the visitor to do one thing :
visit your website.
Don’t say : “text me here, listen to my music here, email this address,
follow my other social media pages” - instead, focus on just getting
them to your website. That’s where they can listen to your stuff, find
out more about you and, if all goes well, contact you.
And while we’re on the subject of your website, make sure that has
purpose too. What do you want visitors to do once they get there?
For this, you need to put yourself into the shoes of your “customer” -
the filmmaker. Ask yourself:
“If I were a filmmaker looking for a composer, what would I want to
see / hear / know?”
The answer isn’t likely to be: “I’d like to know where this composer
grew up, where they studied, and what their dog’s name is.”
Yes, filmmakers do want to work with people, so they will want to
know a bit about you - but that’s not the first thing they want to know.
So, coming back to the showreel topic from before, the homepage of
your website is an amazing place to put that video-interview of you.
Imagine the first thing a potential collaborator seeing when they land
on your website : a big video window inviting them to click play.
Then they hear a few seconds of beautiful music, and then your
friendly face appears, and they get to hear you talk super
passionately about how much you love working with new people,
how much their projects excite you, and then a little bit about your
creative process - just enough for them to see how passionate you
are, followed by you personally inviting them to send you a message
via the super-simple form just underneath the video.
Notice, the focus is on how much you want to work with people,
not on you as a composer - and you make everything clear and easy
for them. When they land on your website, there’s one thing for them
to do : click play. That’s it. No other distractions.
Now that’s a good website.
That’s a website with purpose.
Finding Your Target &
Setting Your Sights
Do you know what one of my biggest pet peeves is with a lot of
composer Facebook groups?

Composers promoting themselves to other composers.

Yes, there are some well known composers in many of those

Facebook groups. No, they won’t spend any time listening to your
latest track. Sorry, but that’s the honest truth.

You might get the odd thumbs up, or encouraging comments (or,
more likely, you’ll anger the trolls) - but it’s not going to lead
anywhere. No other composer is going to recommend you to their
director friend just because they heard your music in a Facebook
group. And no famous composer is going to hire you either.

This section is all about working out who you need to target, and
where you might find those people.

We’re also going to answer those big questions: should I go to

university? Should I move to LA/London? Can I find work online?

All that and more, coming right up.


The Film Industry
Now you know that you’re not meant to target composers. So who
are you meant to contact?
Basically : directors and producers.
If you’re at a level where studios and executives are involved, you’ll
most likely be working with an agent who will be connecting you with
the right people. So we’re going to focus on the lower-scale stuff.
For films, you need to meet directors. On films, directors are kind of
the equivalent to music producers - they’re in charge of the overall
vision for the project, for translating the screenplay into a movie. And
that includes deciding the direction for the music. Convince a director
that you’re the person they want to work with, and they’ll make sure
you’re on the project.
A producer is generally in charge of logistics - making sure
everything is in the right place at the right time, as well as overseeing
the finances. Technically speaking, the producer could overrule the
director’s decision, since they’re often in charge of the money, so it’s
wise to build good relationships with producers too.
On really low budget projects, the director will often also play the role
of producer - much like we composers also play the role of
everything music related on those projects too.
TV is a little different, where the producers are really in charge.
Another key music-person who is often overlooked is the music
supervisor. The music supervisor is often responsible for overseeing
anything music related on a project - including licensing commercial
tracks, keeping a log of all the music cues, arranging recording
sessions, etc. They’re kind of like “middle management” (and I
sincerely hope I don’t upset and music supervisors by saying that) -
they answer to the producer and director, but are in charge of all
things music related.
Those are the three people you really need to be targeting:
• Directors
• Producers
• Music supervisors
Of course, you should also always be trying to build relationships with
agents too, but generally speaking once you’re at the right level to
need an agent, they’ll find you.
As I’ve said before, just because you’re targeting the three people
listed above, you should still be building relationships with everyone
in the film industry. “The more the merrier”.
Now that you know who to target, you need to know how to talk to And now suddenly they’re giving their baby to you.
them. There’s one really important thing you need to remember:
And it’s terrifying for them. They’re giving up control.
Filmmakers are scared of composers.
So be gentle.
Why, you ask? Well…we cost a lot, we turn up right at the very end of
This is why relationship building is so important - if you have a
a project, we speak a totally different language, and we have the
strong relationship with the director already then they know they can
power to completely change a film - for better or worse.
talk with you. You need to encourage that honesty.
Often composers are called the “final writer” on a film, as the musical
We’re going to talk a little more about how to work with filmmakers
choices can change the interpretation of a film entirely.
later on - but that’s a taster for now.
So we need to offset some of those fears.
Targeting Composers
We do that by learning to speak the same language as our film
So…I was a little mean in the opening of this section, criticising those
friends. That’s why I told you to learn film theory earlier.
who promote themselves to other composers.
Being creative professionals, often filmmakers are quite musical,
which can really help. But not always. So try to avoid talking in In reality, it is one method of breaking into the industry - Facebook
just isn’t the way to do it.
musical language, instead using visual language. Help them to know
that you’re going to hold their hand through the music process. Let
One of the traditional methods of “working your way up” is the intern
them know that they can trust you, and talk to you - don’t ever let
—> assistant —> orchestrator —> composer route.
them feel left out.
You begin as an intern. Usually unpaid, and not exactly a glamorous
Remember : up until now the director has been in complete control,
job - cleaning, tidying, fetching teas / coffees / lunches, etc. - but you
and has been an expert through the whole process. They know how
get to watch masters at work. A wonderful learning experience.
to deal with actors, they know about cameras and lenses and how
lighting affects a scene. They know how editing works, and how Then you move into being a composer’s assistant : where you have
visual grading can change a scene. more responsibility and are more hands on. You might be responsible
for making sure all the equipment is working smoothly, managing the
composer’s emails and schedule, programming MIDI, or even
working as a PA (Personal Assistant) to the composer.
These roles are usually more permanent, and are usually paid -
congratulations, you now have a “job” in the film music world!
Next up is the orchestrator (or arranger, or any other word used to
describe it). In this role you have more creative responsibilities - you’ll
work much closer with the composer. At it’s most creative you’ll be
helping to develop smaller ideas into fully orchestrated / arranged
compositions. The more “defined” orchestrator role is simply
converting the MIDI score into a score performable by musicians, put
simply.
This can then lead into actual composition. You might start by
composing the odd cue here or there as a “ghost writer” (uncredited)
on a project credited to the composer you’re working with - often
called additional music - before moving onto your very own projects.
Those projects might be smaller ones that the composer you’re
working with doesn’t have time for, or other projects you’ve come
across thanks to your work with the composer.
It can also lead to ghost writing for other composers too - there are
actually quite a few composers that work pretty much full time as
ghost writers for established composers.
Finding composers to work with is, again, about building relationships
- in person relationships.
There’s no such thing as a “virtual intern”, so this route in requires
you to live in an area where there are working composers.
Thankfully, composers live all over the place - if you’re in a city,
chance are there will be composers working there. So if you’re
looking for interning experience, or even work as an assistant, you
should be able to find someone. However, if you’re looking to use this
method to go “all the way”, you really need to be in one of the big
hubs where there are lots of composers and lots of cross-pollination /
shared work : L.A., London, New York, etc.
If you’re interested in the assistant route, Kenny Wood has released
a brilliant guide, currently freely available - click here to download!
The Next Big Thing
A quick note on directors.
When you look at the top directors working today you’ll notice a
trend : they all tend to work with the same composer over and over.
Not always, but usually.
• John Williams and Steven Spielberg.
• Danny Elfman and Tim Burton.
• Hans Zimmer and Christopher Nolan
• Carter Burwell and The Coen Brothers
Need I go on?
All you have to do is find those directors that are on the up.
The “next big thing.”
Find them.
Impress them.
Make friends, be helpful, and be memorable.
Do that, and do it well, and they’ll be sure to take you for the ride.
The University Debate
A question I get asked a lot is “should I go to university?”
My response?
“If you want to.”
The one major benefit to university is that it gives you a few years to
focus entirely on honing your craft, and start building relationships -
providing you have good teachers and use your time well.
USC and UCLA are always touted as the best places to go for film
scoring, not only for their excellent programs, but also for the
opportunities they expose you to.
That being said, any university will give you time and projects to work
on, and if you’re proactive yourself you can find the opportunities.
What university doesn’t guarantee is a job at the end of it. Don’t think
that having a degree gives you any advantage over the competition -
people aren’t interested in your credentials, only your ability to work
with them and create good music for them.
A degree doesn’t guarantee a certain level of musical ability.
For interning and assistant jobs it can be useful though, as it shows
the composer that you should at least have some knowledge of how
it all works - so it can help get you to the interview stage. But that’s it.
If you decide not to go to university, you’ll need to make time and a
learning plan to really master all of the required techniques for film
scoring, as well as to find your own opportunities.
In Person Events
Attending events in person is a great way to meet people.
And, contrary to popular belief, filmmakers at these events aren’t
being constantly hounded by composers.
But I refer back to an earlier point : your number one goal is to make
friends. You are not trying to sell yourself and land projects at these
events - you’re just trying to make connections.
When people feel they are being sold to they react entirely differently
to when they’re just meeting people and socialising.
Think about it.
How did you feel the last time a telemarketer called you up trying to Plan to attend as many of the events as you can get yourself to, and
sell you something? Were you happy they called? remember your goal : to make friends.

Did you trust them?

Online Platforms
Of course, in person events depend a lot on you being able to get to
Were you completely open to what they had to say?
them - and I realise that not everyone lives near places that host such
events (although you’d be surprised how many small places have a
Or were you skeptical?
really active filmmaking scene).

Approaching filmmakers with the sole purpose of landing your next

That’s where online platforms come in.
project just doesn’t work. Your sole purpose is to meet people.

It is possible to find projects online. Or, more accurately, it is possible

The more people you meet and make an amazing impression on, the
to make friends online - you just have to cut through the noise.
more chance you have of being noticed and remembered.

But that’s what we’re talking about later, for now, here are some
We’re going to talk about how to reach out to people in the next
places you can keep an eye on upcoming projects that might need
chapter. For now, see if your local area has any filmmaking events or
music:
activities, such as:

• Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.)

• Film festivals

• Crowdfunding sites (Kickstarter, IndieGogo)

• Filmmaking courses

• Video sites (YouTube, Vimeo)

• A “movie club” (like a book club for films)

• Forums (Reddit, filmmaker forums, Facebook Groups)

• Local film premieres

• Job boards (Mandy, ShootingPeople, Starnow, Film and TV Now)

• Filmmaker networking events or conferences
When you’re searching on these platforms you need to be looking for
Working Internationally
films that are in development, in the early stages.
We’ll talk a little more about reaching out later in the guide.

Find and follow as many film industry people as you can (no, not
One of the wonders of the modern world is the ability to work
Reese Witherspoon, more like Joe Bloggs, your friendly
internationally, and it’s another question that gets asked a lot.
neighbourhood cameraperson).

It is possible to work internationally on film projects. Personally I’ve

Keep an eye on what they’re doing, and get involved in their worlds.
worked with plenty of filmmakers that I’ve never met in person.

Become a fan of them (if you’re genuinely interested in their work).

In fact, I have good friendships with them.

Enter into discussions in their comments.

I’m sure you have lots of people that you’d consider quite good
friends that you’ve either never met or that live in a different country
Get them to start recognising your name - they’ll eventually click
than you. Why can’t you have filmmaker friends like that too?
through to your beautifully optimised profile which will then direct
them to your beautifully optimised website and they’ll discover that
you’re a composer. That’s the goal for now. Logistically the internet has made working internationally a breeze.
There are some things that are a little more challenging - face to face
conversations about music are always a lot easier than via Skype -
You’re not waiting for them to say “I NEED A COMPOSER!” - you’re
but in general most hurdles can be overcome easily enough.
making yourself known to them so that when they decide they need a
composer they don’t have to go searching for one, because you’re
That being said, if you’re moving up to the higher levels of the
the first name that pops into their mind.
industry and still want to live in your home country, you’ll certainly find

You’ve just gone from pitching, to being pitched to. that you have to do a lot more travelling!

The benefit of living locally to a big film hub is the ease at which you
Ta da!
can meet people. But, then again, everyone else living there can
meet them too - so the ‘competition’ is increased.
Reach Out! Make
Friends, Be Helpful,
And Be Memorable
There comes a time where you have to really take action.

And that’s now.

You’ve got all of your stuff prepared - your website, social media,
showreels, etc. - and you’ve created a list of all the local film
festivals, followed a load of interesting up-and-coming directors on
social media and started engaging in conversations with them.

Great.

But now what?

Well, now you position yourself to actually work with them.

As discussed in the last chapter, with a bit of luck you’ve already

made yourself the first composer a director thinks of when they’ve
decided they’re ready for music.

But there are a few more things to think about, and a few more
ways to increase your chances of finding more projects.

What Do THEY Want?
You’ll have all seen the filmmaking groups online, when a filmmaker
says they’re looking for a composer there’s an absolute flood of
people posting links to their YouTube or SoundCloud, or saying “pm
sent” - how on earth do any of them stand out amongst the crowd?
Well…there’s a couple of things about that situation.
Firstly, we composers should have never let it get to a point where a
filmmaker is ready for music and hasn’t already secured a composer.
Six months ago, when they posted in the same group looking for an
editor, is when we should have started making friends.
And secondly, when a filmmaker says “I’m looking for music” what
they’re really saying is : “I’m looking for a creative collaborator”
Your showreel doesn’t mean very much to a director - I mean, the
next time you see a post like that just have a listen to some of the
work that’s posted. Some of it is obviously amateurish, but hats off to
the person for trying, and of the stuff that is a high standard, it’s all a
high standard, and often all in a similar style.
What I’m saying is : your music isn’t what’s going to make you stand
out. So what will make you stand out? I’ll tell you.
What makes you stand out is that when you message the filmmaker,
you say : “I saw your post in the group, and after Googling your name
I just HAD to reach out - I found your last project, PROJECT A, on
YouTube and it’s really amazing. I love how you did that really cool
effect at the 2:53 mark - that must have been a real challenge to film!
What is it that you’re hoping to achieve with your next project? Have
you thought much about what role you’d like the music to play?”
Okay…so you don’t have to “brownnose” that much, but you get the
picture : you prove that you’ve actually researched them and that you
want to work with them (you’re not just desperate to work on
absolutely anything), you’ve shown that you actually like their work,
and that you can actually talk in their language (by noticing
interesting things they’ve done in past projects), and you’ve entered
into a conversation.
You haven’t pitched yourself as a composer, you’ve simply begun the
conversation about what kind of music they might like.
Just get them talking, and the more they realise that you’re on their
wavelength, the more likely they’ll be to want to work with you in the
future.
This is all about getting into the mind of the filmmaker.
Every single time you’re about to talk to or approach anyone, as
yourself : what does this person want? And then give it to them.

Finding An Excuse
Which is better:
“Hi! I’m a composer looking to find new people to work with and I
came across your website - it looks great! Can we talk?”
…or…
“Hi! I just listened to your podcast interview with Joe Bloggs and was
absolutely blown away by your approach to using sound in film. I’d
love to talk some more with you about it - would you be free to chat /
meet at some point?”
The second one.
Right?
But why?
Well, much like we had to find purpose for our self-promotion, we
also have to find a reason, or excuse, to reach out to people.
Obviously, the absolute best way to meet someone is to be
introduced - that gives you an excuse right away. Check if you mutual
friends with the people you’re trying to reach out to and ask for an
introduction (if your friend is willing to do so).
The second best method is if you’ve met them in person yourself
already - make sure you follow up with everyone you meet at in-
person events. Get their cards, email address, or phone number (or
even find them on Facebook at the very least!)
After the event, touch base with them, and try to set another meeting.
Again, you’re just trying to make friends.
Failing either of those, it’s easy to find reasons to reach out to people
- you just have to be sincere about it.
Nearly everyone in the film world has some form of online presence,
so search for them online, stalk their social media, until you find
something that you really want to talk about with them.
There’s your entry!
If you get no response, you could follow up a week or two later with a
friendly nudge (a “did you get my last message?” kind of nudge), but
don’t be too pushy - no point forcing someone to be your friend!
If you really want to take this seriously, you could set yourself the
challenge of reaching out to two or three people per day, and see
how many new friends you make.
In-person or on the phone is more powerful than online messages or
email, but it also takes a stronger stomach. Some filmmakers also
don’t like being called on the phone - they see it as a little intrusive.

Make Friends, Be Helpful, and
Be Memorable
This is kind of my “catchphrase” when it comes to finding work.
Make friends.
Be helpful.
Be memorable.
Those are the three absolutely key things you need in order to find
work and get referred to others.
Before you start groaning, I’m not going to bang on about the
importance of building relationships again - as you’ll probably stop
reading, but skip back a few chapters and remind yourself about how
important it relationships really are.
I will talk a little about being helpful and memorable though.
The two go hand-in-hand really - if you’re helpful you’re much more
likely to me remembered. Remember my anecdote about Nicholas
Britell giving the film director a playlist of tracks that matched the style
of the movie? Well, who do you think was the first composer to pop
into the director’s mind when he started thinking about music?
Of course, it was Britell. He’d made himself memorable.
How?
By being helpful.
The more you can do to be remembered and to make yourself stand
out, the more likely you are to be the first person to pop into a
director’s mind when they need music.
People like helpful people.
People remember helpful people.
Now I’m not saying you should exploit yourself - but I am saying that
you’ll get back as much as you put in. Eventually. But it takes time.
Also, if you’re trying to help people in a genuine, non-cynical way (i.e.
you’re not only helping people because your’e trying to get work, but
you’re actually trying to be a good person) you’ll find that you begin to
enjoy life so much more. And you’ll make much better friends.
So network relentlessly to make friends, and then be helpful in
order to be memorable.
Make friends.
Be helpful.
Be memorable.
That’s it. Do those three things and you’ll be moving towards more
projects, and a better life in general.

Should You Work For Free?
Yes.
And no.
And maybe.
It’s a question that gets asked all the time. Many people are
outraged at the idea of working for free, while others are so
desperate and excited for opportunities that they’ll happily do it.
You’ll need to take what I say here with a pinch of salt, as many
people will disagree with it. And that’s true whether I tell you that you
should or that you should not work for free.
In my opinion, working for free at some point is almost an inevitability
for composers. However, there’s one massive caveat:
If you’re not being paid, no one should be.
That’s right, you can’t be an afterthought for the filmmaker. If they’ve
paid the actors, editors, directors of photography, etc., but aren’t
paying you, then walk away. For two reasons:
1) If you were renovating a house, why would you pay everyone
apart from the plumber?
2) If they value everyone else on a production more than the music,
then they’re clearly not actually interested in the music
Directors that aren’t interested in the music or the composer aren’t
worth your time. Any good director knows the value and importance
of music in a film.
If you’re not getting a fullscreen credit at the start or end of the movie
(only a “music by” in the scrolling credits) then should not be working
on the film for free.
And that’s not an “ego” thing (“I demand a fullscreen credit!”) it’s
about the value of the project to you. Projects that don’t value the
music won’t lead to anything. The director doesn’t care about you,
so won’t ever recommend you to anyone.
So do work for free, but only if everyone else is and if the project is
worth your time. Don’t be taken advantage of.
The only other time you should ever consider working for free where
others are getting paid, is if there’s a really compelling reason.
Maybe one of the persons getting paid is an A-Lister that would be
great to have your name associated with. Or maybe it’s a charitable
project - although, again, you need to question why others are still
getting paid and you’re not.
It should go without saying that if you are working for free, you should
make sure you have a written contract detailing how much you’ll get
paid should the film go on to be sold to a large distributor, and you
need to maintain all the rights to the music allowing you to claim
performance royalties, and use the music on other projects (you
might give them a couple of years of exclusivity first).
It would be lovely for me to tell you that you should be getting paid for
every single project you ever work on, but it’s not realistic. Just like
how you sometimes have to volunteer or intern for free to gain that
all-important “experience”, you have to do the same for composing.
Remember:
Work for experience, but never for exposure.
But once you’ve worked for free for a while, know when it’s time to
move on. Try to keep moving forwards - make sure each free project
gets better and better quality, and when you do start getting paid,
make sure you get paid going forwards too.
People tell you to “pay your dues” and that’s fine, but be sure to know
when you’re paid up.
How Much Should I Charge?
As much as you’re worth.
That’s the simple answer - and I know it’s not what you want to hear.
There’s no set rate in the industry, and fees and contract terms vary
depending on budget, time, your reputation, and a myriad of other
things.
Generally, for film work, the amount you charge comes from a
discussion with the filmmakers. It’s a negotiation based on what their
budget is and what you are able to provide.
And, despite it being a “business” conversation, it can actually test
your creativity as well as your interpersonal skills.
You need to be able to be honest with your filmmaker. If they say they
want a full scale symphony but simply don’t have the budget for
them, you need to tell them - in that case you’d either explain that if
they’re dead set on a full symphony then they’ll need to increase their
budget, but if they could settle for a smaller score, you can do that
within budget.
When Bill Conti was asked to compose the score for Rocky they
originally wanted a massive, grandiose score. Conti explained that
they couldn’t afford a full 120-piece orchestra, but he could give them
baroque. And so Rocky’s “baroque-rock” was born.
It’s about learning to work with what you’ve got, and being able to be
honest with the team to work out a solution.

Being Yourself
There’s a term that gets thrown around all the time in business:
USP - or Unique Selling Point
Composers are always trying to find their unique sound, and it’s an
honourable pursuit.
And a difficult one.
Because good film music is, at its very core, all about flexibility, and
being able to write in whatever style is called for.
And that makes it really difficult for you to find a unique voice!
So yes, absolutely do continue your pursuit of that unique voice (we
can’t argue that even though John Williams writes in many different
styles, he certainly has a voice in his music), but you also need to
focus on being yourself as a person.
There’s a great quotation from Oscar Wilde that I know Christian
Henson refers to a lot : “be yourself, everyone else is already taken”
What really makes you unique is you. So work hard on being you.
That’s the only way you can really be unique in this world.
And when it comes to your uniqueness as a composer, do you know
who can best compose in the style of Hans Zimmer?
Hans Zimmer.
I’m going to refer you back to an earlier chapter when I introduced the
imitate —> assimilate —> innovate model.
You do need to start at imitation.
Your early practices, your first projects where you’re working for free.
On those projects you can practice your best imitation of whatever
composer the director has asked for.
But then you need to move to assimilation.
And it will happen, probably naturally, providing you keep practicing
and providing you stay focused on being you.
When you think “I’d really like to try…” - TRY! Go and do it and see
what happens. That’s the only way you’ll progress as a composer.
That’s how you move from imitation to assimilation. And, if you’re
lucky, you might someday find yourself being truly innovative.
Just start by being yourself.
How To Absolutely Nail
The Project & Secure
Future Referrals
You’ve targeted the right people, made friends, made yourself
helpful and memorable, and landed a film project.

Congratulations!

But the work doesn’t stop there.

It’s true in business and it’s true in music: your best customers are
the ones that have already bought from you.

That is, people that have already worked with you are the ones
most likely to work with you again, and the ones most likely to refer
you to someone else.

Providing you do a good job!

If you got food poisoning from a restaurant, it’s not likely you’d ever
go back (unless, somehow, the food was so insanely good that it
was worth risking a few days in the bathroom for!)

And that analogy works well with music, because unless,

somehow, there’s something so unbelievably unique and
extraordinary about your music, no one will want to work with you
again if you’ve given them a bad experience.
Even if your music is unbelievably unique and extraordinary, people
still aren’t likely to work with you again if you’re seen as a risk.
Particularly on larger budget projects.
At the end of the day, bigger budget films do need to be profitable -
that’s the only way filmmakers can secure funding for future projects,
but proving that they’re a good investment.
If your unprofessionalism causes delays, overspends, or other
problems, you’re ruining their future chances.
The only situation where I can imagine a “pain” of a composer
actually being hired twice by the same person is if they’re already a
celebrity in their own right, and provide a massive selling point by
simply having their name attached to a project.
But I don’t know of any examples!
This section is all about how to make sure you set yourself up for
future work from the same team, and future referrals.
Being A Professional
As I’ve already mentioned, you need to be professional.
That means all of the typical parts of being a professional : reply
quickly to any correspondence, turn up to meetings at the right time,
don’t cause unnecessary conflict, be generally easy to work with.
But it also means that you need to learn to be a manager too. As you
start working on larger projects you’ll start to work with more and
more people - including people that you need to manage (like
musicians, orchestrators, and the likes).
Even before you have other people working with you, you’ll need
good team leading and problem solving skills, and to be an excellent
team player (more on that when we talk about prioritising the film).
Also remember to combine your professionalism with your
individuality. Just because you have to be professional, doesn’t mean
that you have to be a corporate robot. You still need to be you.
You still need to be memorable.
Be an interesting person to be around, keep on being helpful (not just
to the director or producers, but to everyone you’re working with -
you’re just as likely to be referred by the music editor as you are the
director).
Try to get yourself on set if you can, meet all of the people, absorb
the atmosphere, go for drinks with the team (and, if you can afford it,
buy a round!), if there are birthdays or events (like Christmas) coming
up, buy people cards or gifts. They don’ have to cost a lot, but little
things like that make you so much more memorable.
Plus, doing nice stuff like that for people just makes your life so much
brighter. I promise that seeing their joy will make you happier!
Prioritise The Film
In the skills section I spoke about learning film theory.
You need to remember that as you’re working on the project - the film
is the number one priority in what you’re doing.
You’re not making music, you’re making a movie.
That means you need to be a team player, and you need to work with
all the parties involved. This is a collaboration.
You aren’t being hired by a client or customer, you’re being invited to
collaborate on an exceptionally intricate project, with so many moving
creative parts.
Although music is hugely important to a film (as I’ve mentioned
before, it has the power to totally transform how a film is interpreted),
it’s not the only thing happening during post-production, and you
need to be aware of that.
Be a team player, don’t cause problems.
As Richard Kraft, of the legendary Kraft-Engel Management, said:
“When a composer switches from a ‘me vs. them’ mentality to seeing
themselves as part of an overall team, he is that much closer to being
someone other filmmakers can connect with.”
Kraft suggests spending time on set to see what really goes into
making a film. It really does take a village!
Part of accepting that you’re part of a team, and that the film itself is
the number one priority, is being able to accept feedback gracefully.
You might have one opinion on the direction of the music, while
others might disagree. You need to be open to their suggestions.
If there’s something that you really disagree on, try mocking up two
versions of the same cue - one to your taste and one to theirs - or at
least adding some temp music in both styles and seeing how it fits.
Show those mockups to the director / producer and see if their
opinion changes.
And if it doesn’t, then you need to be prepared to go with what they
want. Remember : the film is the director’s project - your job is to
help them fulfil their vision for the film.
Good communication is key in these disputes. There could be a time
where your idea is genuinely better than the director’s vision. In that
case, you need to be able to communicate that really clearly, without
getting frustrated, and without causing conflict.
This is where you’ll call on those negotiating skills that you learned
while budgeting.
Sometimes you won’t be satisfied with the outcome, but you need to
be able to deal with that and move on - don’t hold grudges.
Try things, and move on.
Worst Case Scenarios
Sometimes things just don’t go to plan.
And that’s okay, you need to be prepared for it.
On a practical level, I’m talking about backups - that is, making sure
you’re keeping your project files extremely well organised, and having
multiple backups (both external drive-based and cloud-based).
But on a work-focused level, I’m talking about bigger issues : creative
differences, and, ultimately, being fired.
Losing a project sucks. Especially after you’ve already begun work on
it. But it doesn’t have to be the end of the world, and if you handle
things well it doesn’t even have to be the end of your working
relationship with the filmmaker in question.
There are many reasons you might be taken off a project - creative
differences, budget cuts causing the team to need to go in a different
direction, or even a director getting too attached to the temp music
(as happened to Alex North on 2001: A Space Odyssey).
The key is to handle those situations gracefully.
Basically, don’t throw a strop.
If you’ve done everything right until this point, you should have a
really good communicative relationship with the filmmaker, so use
that to really find out why you’re being taken off a project.
Not because you “demand an answer” or because you think you can
fix it and get the job back, but because you really need the feedback
to know how you can avoid it happening again in the future.
So ask them to be honest, don’t take anything personally (even
creative differences aren’t personal), and reflect on it to improve for
next time.
Try to keep your relationship as in-tact as possible, and don’t talk
behind anyone’s back or complain to people. Word gets around.
If you maintain a good relationship, there’s still a chance you’ll get
referred onto a different project.
Diversification
The more diverse you can be, the more opportunities you have.
If you look at the routes film composers take to becoming film If you can be that “someone” then you’ll find you get recommended
composers, it’s not always a clear path. for a myriad of different projects.

John Williams started as a session pianist. And, if you’re committed to learning new skills (which you absolutely
should be), then you should be able to YES to a lot of them.
Danny Elfman was in a band.
Be honest with yourself, and with who you’re working for, about
John Ottman was (is) a film editor! whether or not you can actually do it, but if you think it’s something
you can learn and do a good job of, then go for it.
What I’m saying is:
Here’s three quotes from Christian Henson that I won’t even
Do. Musical. Stuff. comment on, since they speak for themselves:

Just be musical, follow whatever musical passions take your fancy, “Art is constantly changing, as will your career.”
and live the creative lifestyle. As long as everyone you meet and
know, knows that you “do music” you’ll find all kinds of projects come “Don’t be confined by your dreams.”
your way.
“Pick a passion, train for it, and then leave yourself open to seeing
People seem to like referring people. Have you ever seen those what happens.”
Facebook posts where someone asks for recommendations for a
plumber, as an example?

Someone always tags a friend in it with a “?” at the end - like “hey,
Bob, I know you do “house stuff” - can you do plumbing too?”

It doesn’t matter whether they know that “Bob” is a good plumber or

not, they’re just happy to recommend someone that they know.
Frequently Asked
Questions
Before I create guides like this, I always want to find the questions
people really need answering.

I do that by surveying my subscribers and polling members of my

Facebook group (did you spot my subtle hint there? If you want to

have your own questions answered in future guides: subscribe!)

I’ve tried to answer all of the questions that came up in my

surveying within the guide itself, but inevitably there are a few extra
questions that need answering.

You’ll find all of those questions, along with their answers, below.

Thanks to all of you who contributed questions, I hope you’ve

found value in this guide, and that I’ve solved some specific
problems for you :)

Okay, here we go - your questions answered:

I don’t have the patience / motivation, what can I do? Use the world’s biggest networking event : social media.

Focus on now. Find filmmakers online and do whatever you can to make friends with
them. Find the most direct method you can - follow their social media
If you’re always focusing on the future, you’ll feel rushed to get there,
profile through to their website and see if you can find their email
but if you can focus on what you’re doing right now to pursue that
address, or, even better, their phone number, and make contact.
dream, then the patience pays off quicker.
When is the best time to approach filmmakers about working on
Send five emails today and with a bit of luck you’ll get results by next their projects? I don’t want to be too late / too early.
week - the result being a reply. That’s already a win.
You can never be too early, but you can be too late.
Celebrate the small wins, and you’ll need much less patience.
If you focus on my “make friends, be helpful, be memorable”
Again, shift your focus towards making friends and you’ll get quicker
approach there won’t really be a time where you have to “pitch”
results, as well as taking the pressure off yourself - you’re now trying
yourself - the plan is to make yourself the first person anyone thinks
to make friends, rather than find projects. One is a lot easier than of when they need music.
the other!
So make friends as early on as you can, and then part of being a
I don’t live near any of the big filmmaking cities, or even near
good friend is keeping in touch - so keep in touch as projects grow.
any city at all. Can I still do this?
Show that you’re eager, and that you have good ideas by helping out
where your can.
Totally. There are film projects being made all over the world, in big
cities and small towns. Plus, the internet has made the world so How can you tell if a project is worthwhile?
much smaller, it’s now so easy to collaborate with people
internationally. Not all projects are good ones to be involved in. You should be able
to tell fairly early on whether or not the filmmaker knows what they’re
Your route will be different to that of someone living in one of the big
doing - do they communicate well? Are they organised?
film cities, but I’ve covered both approaches in the guide.
You could also reach out to people they’ve worked with before, or are
Having a day job means I don’t have the time to attend currently working with. Just be savvy with how you do this : if you
conferences / festivals / events. What can I do instead?
ask in a careless way, the person could take offence and feedback to When should I say “no” to a project?
the director that you’re asking questions about them. Just get in touch
If you know that you’re unable to complete it to the required
about their previous work and ask about the workflow that worked for
standard, you should say no.
them - see what kind of response you get. Read between the lines
and you should be able to gauge whether or not they found the
If others are being paid but they’ve “no budget” for music, you should
project worthwhile.
say no (unless there’s a really compelling reason not to).

Also see how involved the director wants to be with you. If they don’t
really care what you’re doing, and have halfheartedly given you a
couple of pointless reference tracks, proceed with caution. Any
director worth their salt will have put a lot of thought into the music, or
will at least realise how important this part is.
I don’t think I have the “chops” yet - should I wait until I’m
better?
No. You are ready, for something.
If the filmmaker clearly doesn’t care about the music, you should say
no (again, unless there’s a really compelling reason not to).
How much should I charge?
“How much do you get paid to compose film music?” or “how long is
a piece of string?” Unfortunately these questions are one and the
same. I’ve seen people try to work out how much they charge “per
minute” of music (is that for solo piano or full orchestra?) or decide
their hourly rate and provide an estimate (what if you go over/
under?).

I wouldn’t recommend emailing Universal Studios, but I would
recommend contacting your local film club, or even a local film school
and start talking with people. You’ll find some people that are working
at the same level as you, and that’s where you’ll start.
Just like you might not be as far along as you’d like, other filmmakers
aren’t either. You won’t get paid for these projects, but that’s okay
because this is your education. And it’s a lot cheaper than paying
university fees! And you never know, you might end up finding the
next Steven Spielberg just starting out!
The general rule is to ask! Find out what the director has budgeted
and figure out a way to work with it. Some people recommend that a
certain percentage of the production budget should be spent on
music, but doesn’t always happen. I’ve heard of people with a
$10,000 music budget on a $100k film (that’s 10%) and others with
the same budget on a $1million film (that’s 1%).
If you are asked to quote (like if the client has no idea what music is
worth) there are three other methods:
• charging “per minute” of music,
• working out your hourly rate and estimating how long it will take you
• work out how much you’d like to make in a year, divided by the
number of projects you think you’ll work on, and then set “low” and
“high” budget options
Obviously, the above can give you wildly varying and potentially
unrealistic results. Like, what do you charge for 8 seconds of music?
Or what about a short film that needs wall-to-wall music but would
be great for your CV? Do you factor royalties into the equation?
Don’t forget to discuss the hiring of musicians/engineers if you need
to. Make sure you work out who’s paying for them!
You’ll need to have a good discussion with the director about what
they’re expecting. And be honest. If they don’t have the budget, tell
them! But don’t just shut them down. Try to use your creativity to work
out a solution.
Again, after some practice you’ll know how much things cost and how
long things take. Then you’ll be able to work out how much you need
to charge or how to work better within the confines of a production
budget.
How can I compete with other composers who are better or have
more experience than me?
Don’t.
They aren’t your ‘competition’ - they have different friend groups to
you, so aren’t working on the same projects as you.
This all comes back to making friends. Just make friends with the
right filmmakers and you don’t have to “compete” with others -
composers shouldn’t be battling each other.
In fact, I’ve heard a few stories where a composer has discovered
that a director was pitching two composers against each other so
both composers just walked away.
It’s not a competition, it’s a team sport.
There’s plenty of work to go around at all different levels - just focus
on finding the right people to make friends with.
How do I get consistent work?
Make friends. Be helpful. Be memorable. 😉
I barely ever hear back from people I pitch to - is there a way to
deal with that?
By being a better friend! And by being more direct - if it’s more of a
“cold pitch” (in that you’re pitching to someone you’re not really
friends with) then an email might not be enough - you want to try and
get the on the phone.
Of course, just finding out why you weren’t chosen is one thing, but
really you want to know how to get chosen. And that comes down to
getting the pitch right. Be honest with yourself : did your music really How do I know if my music is suitable as film music?
meet the brief? Did you do enough to “wow” the person? Did you
It is.
impress them? What made you stand out?

I think I’ve heard literally every style of music there is in films at

You need to treat every pitch like it’s the most important thing in your
some point. You just have to learn to match the right mood with the
life - you need to give it your all if you want to stand any chance of
right scene.
success. And not just musically, I mean in terms of how you present
yourself, and how you actually pitch.
I’m terrible at networking / talking to people. What should I do?

Make them want you.

It’s really hard, and I relate entirely with you, but you need to practice.
Here’s a fantastic podcast episode to help get you started:
I’ve read all the resources, I think I’m good enough, but I still
have no idea where to start…so where do I start?!
https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/podcasts/charisma-course-
winning-in-person-encounters/
You already know!

I don’t have any credits or experience, so how do I get work?

But if you want direct instructions:

Just as you would in any field : by volunteering.

1. Search for filmmaking events near you and sign up to them right
now - get your tickets booked.
I know, you’ve worked way too hard to get to where you are to
consider working for free, but you might just have to.
2. Find and follow as many filmmakers as you can on social media,
and set yourself the challenge of reaching out directly to five of
Just remember my points about when to work for free.
them each and every day
You could also find a local composer to intern with - then you can at
3. Search for a working composer in your local area and ask if you
least say you’ve “worked on” or “worked with” something / someone.
can meet with them (with the hope of maybe interning for them)

Remember: make friends, be helpful, be memorable.

See where that gets you!

Conclusion
Hopefully you’re feeling more confident about seeking out film
projects now. I’ve tried to share everything I’ve learned and
experienced in as few words as possible, but it’s still turned out
pretty lengthy!

As you’d guess though, if I were to summarise what you really

need to do, it’s: make friends, be helpful, and be memorable.

Remember to be yourself, and to have confidence in yourself.

Be a good person, and you’ll attract good people.

Look after yourself, stay strong, rise above the pessimism, and
don’t let yourself get dragged into poor health.

I’m rooting for your success, and I know that you can get there if
you just stay determined, stay positive, and keep building
relationships.

Now go and find some new friends! Enjoy the journey.

- Jonny
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