Guerrilla Film Scoring: Practical Advice from Hollywood Composers

by Jeremy Borum

As the movie and music industries have changed, film scoring has become an overwhelmingly independent process. Film composers have more responsibilities than ever before, and they must fulfill them with smaller budgets and shorter schedules. As a result, composers are increasingly becoming armies of one.In Guerrilla Film Practical Advice from Hollywood Composers,Jeremy Borum provides valuable guidance on how to make a good film score both quickly and inexpensively. This handbook encompasses the entire film scoring process including education, preparation, writing and recording a score, editing, mixing and mastering, finding work, career development, and sample contracts. Offering strategic tools and techniques, this insider’s guide draws on the expertise from a number of prominent composers in movies, television, and video gaming, including Stewart Copeland, Bruce Broughton, and Jack Wall. A straightforward do-it-yourself manual, this book will help composers at all levels create the best-sounding scores quickly and cost effectively—without jeopardizing their art. With access to rare and extremely useful input from the best in the business, Guerrilla Film Scoring will benefit not only students but also professionals looking to update their game.

Genres: Music

311 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2015

Reviews

[Randall Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Today every film composer is, in effect, a one-man band.” “One of the best guerrilla tricks for saving money on your score is to record yourself performing on many instruments acoustically.” “Being a generalist can be almost as useful as being a virtuoso.” “A great way to accomplish this feat is to record yourself on as many instruments as you can play.” Film Music favors the multiinstrumentalist because the music needed is rarely complicated, and so the composer who plays 15 instruments well can outshine the brilliant player of one or two instruments. “Multitracking yourself is a great guerrilla technique.” “The added acoustic timbre of the simple part will augment the recording in a way that samples cannot.” “When you are alone the only cost is your time.” “A list that will help is a priority list. Successful people say no to a lot of things. Highly successful people say no to almost everything.” Ryan Shore says: “You don’t want to be feeling the pressure. You want to be feeling the music.” “Practice improvisation in many styles.” Stewart Copeland says, “The thing about moving fast is that you’re having more fun, and if you are having more fun the creative sparks are going to fly.” Nathan Furst says, “They don’t listen to only the notes, they hear the whole production. One note that sounds amazing is more valuable than a Rachmaninov score with bad MIDI.” With conflicting instruments, carve each supporting instrument with EQ to allow the main instrument to shine. Opt for subtractive over additive EQ to keep the mix sounding more natural. “The composers who readily find work are the ones who are a one-stop shop.” “You don’t really get paid for what you do. You get paid for the relationships you have.” The sync license covers the composition and the Master Use License covers the recording; you will need to sign both with a production company. The cue sheet needs to be sent in to the performing rights societies. When you keep the rights to the music, you can release a soundtrack album.” “In film or television, it’s more customary to deliver the music in stems or submixes.” “Triple confirm the frame rate. Very helpful book for new film composers; I’ve done three soundtracks and I enjoyed it… The end of the book has helpful sync and license forms for composers doing a score.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would consider this a must-read for anyone even considering film/tv//game music composition, and the numerous quotes and advice from working composers throughout the book are particularly insightful. Excellent read overall, one that inspires as well as sparks curiosity to seek out more literature in order to elaborate on sections where one's knowledge of various scoring/business aspects may be weaker.