The SCORE - Spring 2018

VOLUME XXXIII NUMBER ONE SPRING 2018

T H E P E R F O R M A N C E S C E N E

Score Concerts On The Rise: What To Take Away

By Kaya Savas With live score concerts on the rise we thought it would be a good idea to examine what exactly is driving the upswing in popularity for these kinds of experiences. While score concerts don’t directly affect how composers are working on a day-to-day basis, it’s important to examine music for visual media as a standalone music genre for the general public.

In order to gain some perspective we spoke to several professionals with experience in the live concert space. We spoke to composers Michael Giacchino, David Newman, Lolita Ritmanis and Brian Tyler. We also spoke to conductor and music director of the Orchestra Modern NYC, Amy Andersson. By gaining their insight from their involvement in live score concerts, we can take a step back and assess what this means for not only audiences worldwide but what it means for composers working today.

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here’s something special about how music and storytelling go hand in hand: the connection between the notes coming out of the speakers and the images we see on the screen. The beauty of it all is how music works subconsciously. We are so absorbed into what is happening onscreen that we don’t even realize the power a score is having on us as an audience. When John Williams’ iconic two-note motif plays in Jaws we don’t think, “The music means the shark is near!” No, instead we think, “The shark is near!” The score becomes part of the storytelling. At the end of the day we form close relationships with our favorite movies, TV shows and games. We get so emotionally invested that we feel a sense of ownership.

If a film resonates with you on a deeply emotional level, you’ll carry that film with you for your entire life. The score is a huge part of that emotional resonance. Music is the emotional backbone of visual storytelling and understanding that might help us understand this sudden surge in score concerts.

Live music performances have been around since the dawn of our civilization, evolving from prehistoric instruments most likely played in small ancient ceremonies to the concert culture we know today. And concerts are indeed a culture. Just take a look at any popular mainstream artists or band, and witness the demand that people have to

see music performed live despite being able to play their favorite songs on any device at any time. So where does film, TV and game music come into all this? Why has there been a sudden surge in score concerts? To get to the heart of it, it’s important to speak to a few prominent figures in the film music community. Getting these insights allows us to assess what has caused this rise in interest in live film music, what composers working today can take away from all this, why music for visual media tends to have a life of its own and what impact it has on the audiences that flock to these concerts?

While there are staples such as John Williams’ annual concert at The Hollywood Bowl, we’ve seen a rising amount of visual media concerts around the world. These concerts are occurring worldwide, not only in industry cities such as Los Angeles and New York City. Hans Zimmer just completed a worldwide tour that saw him perform in Australia, Europe, North America and Asia.

Ramin Djawadi has taken his score for Game Of Thrones and is about to embark on his second worldwide tour. Michael Giacchino has successfully held LOST concerts, kicked off Star Trek Live and held a giant concert bash for his 50th birthday in London. Brian Tyler hosted and conducted a concert of his own music in London. James Newton Howard just completed his first tour in Europe. Danny Continued on Page 18

Music is the emotional backbone of visual storytelling and understanding that might help us understand this sudden surge in score concerts.

C O N T E N T S

Remembering Ian Fraser 7 Tech Talk 7 New Gear 9 Dominic Lewis: Becoming Part Of The Experience 12 Musical Shares 23

F R O M T H E E D I T O R ' S D E S K

Following In Footsteps

By Kaya Savas

President ASHLEY IRWIN Vice Presidents ARTHUR HAMILTON CHARLES BERNSTEIN Recording Secretary JONATHAN DAVID NEAL Treasurer/CFO CHRISTOPHER FARRELL COO LYNN KOWAL The SCORE KAYA SAVAS, Editor Advisory Board ALAN BERGMAN MARILYN BERGMAN CHARLES BERNSTEIN BILL CONTI CHARLES FOX JAMES NEWTON HOWARD QUINCY JONES ALAN MENKEN THOMAS NEWMAN LALO SCHIFRIN MARC SHAIMAN HOWARD SHORE ALAN SILVESTRI DIANE WARREN PATRICK WILLIAMS CHRISTOPHER YOUNG HANS ZIMMER In Memoriam Advisory Board Members ELMER BERNSTEIN JOHN CACAVAS JERRY GOLDSMITH MAURICE JARRE PETER MATZ DAVID RAKSIN Directors RAMÓN BALCÁZAR LORI BARTH FLETCHER BEASLEY RUSSELL BROWER DAVID DAS JOEL DOUEK IRA HEARSHEN MICHAEL LEHMANN BODDICKER MARK MCKENZIE HELENE MUDDIMAN GREG PLISKA MARK ROOS ELIZABETH ROSE ADRYAN RUSS GARRY SCHYMAN ELIZABETH SELLERS KUBILAY UNER Past Presidents JOHN ADDISON RICHARD BELLIS BRUCE BROUGHTON JAY CHATTAWAY RAY COLCORD JAMES DI PASQUALE DAN FOLIART ARTHUR HAMILTON MARK WATTERS

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ear SCL community, I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Kaya Savas and I’ll be taking over the role of editor for The SCORE from Lori Barth. In the coming future I’ll be doing my absolute best to uphold the amazing quality and standards that Lori has built with this publication. As a film music journalist, I have spent the past eight years building Film.Music.Media, interviewing over 350 composers and covering industry events. I want to thank Lori from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to continue the legacy that she and all the contributors have built, and I promise to continue the passion and drive that was poured into every issue. Here’s to cherishing the past, looking forward to the g future and all the great music along the way!

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P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E

The Music Modernization Act (MMA): Where Does It Stand?

By Ashley Irwin

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ver the past five years I’ve made many trips to Washington, D.C. on behalf of the SCL, and in my meetings with congressional members and their staffers there are two common misconceptions I regularly need to dispel.

The first is, that unlike popular songwriters, the majority of music creators working in the A/V realm do not control their copyrights as they are customarily engaged under “work for hire” contracts—a distinction that separates us from music creators who control their copyrights and are free to enter into publishing contracts where the copyrights may ultimately revert to them at the end of the term. For the most part, SCL members are working under WFH terms and therefore have concerns specific to that form of engagement.

The second most common misconception has been, until recently, that the music industry is one homogenous group whose interests must, therefore, align and of course we know that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Creators, artists, publishers, production companies, labels, PROs, broadcasters, streaming services all have wants, needs and business models to which they are trying to adhere in the best interests of their customers, their stockholders, their stakeholders or themselves. Enter the Music Modernization Act (HR4706), filed on December 21, 2017 by U.S. Rep. Doug Collins (RGA) and lead co-sponsor U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). A companion bi-partisan bill was introduced in the Senate on January 24, 2018 by a group of nine senators.

For the first time in my recollection, virtually the entire music community has come together in support of a bill that, while far from perfect, corrects many of the anomalies and outdated practices that currently prevent stakeholders from receiving fair market value for their works. Drawing on elements of the previous Songwriter Equity Act, it initially had four main components (I say “had” because it was recently announced that at least two other bills will be included to make a larger omnibus bill. But more about that later): 1. Rate court judges would be able to consider mechanical and performance royalty rates established outside of their imme-

diate jurisdiction. Currently, under Section 114 (i) of the Copyright Act, rate court judges are restricted from using such rates for comparative valuation. It is envisaged the repeal of Section 114 (i) would create an opportunity for music creators to obtain fairer (i.e., increased) remuneration for their works.

2. Rate court judges would be randomly assigned from the “wheel” of district judges in the Southern District of New York rather than the current system where, by virtue of their consent decrees, ASCAP and BMI are adjudicated by lifetime appointees (currently Judges Cote and Stanton respectively). A rotation of judges would ensure that in a dispute, the presentation of evidence would be assessed on current merit without preconception or perceived bias.

3. The MMA would replace the setting of statutory rates by the Copyright Royalty Board for compulsory licenses, with a “willing buyer/willing seller” scenario, requiring the court to consider free-market value when establishing rates under Section 115 of the Copyright Act. It is generally accepted that the current system, which allows anyone who pays the statutory rate to reproduce a work, does not reflect fair market value.

4. In order to eliminate the bulk Notice of Intent (NOI) process through the Copyright Office (a “loophole” is currently being used by many digital services to delay, or even avoid, remunerating stakeholders while making use of their works) a Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) would be established and funded entirely by a consortium of digital service providers (DSPs). The MLC would be tasked with granting blanket mechanical licenses for digital downloads and interactive streaming of musical works. In order to facilitate the matching of songwriter, publisher and recording information, a publicly accessible database identifying the works’ stakeholders would be created. The MLC would be administered by a board comprised of pub-lishers and music creators, and the right to audit would also be available to stakeholders, which it currently is not under Section 115.

It is the last of these four components that has been the most controversial, drawing ire from some creator groups, and here are a few

For the first time in my recollection, virtually the entire music community has come together in support of a bill that, while far from perfect, corrects many of the anomalies and outdated practices that currently prevent stakeholders from receiving fair market value for their works.

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President’s Message Continued from Page 3

of the reasons why: • The bill prevents the filing of any claims against the digital services after January 1, 2018 for past infringements and there is conjecture as to whether or not this action is even constitutional.

It also provides protection for the DSPs from infringement and statutory damages for any works not in the database and given the growing number of music creators throughout the world who control their own works, they may be seriously disadvantaged.

• Any works remaining unmatched (i.e., creator/publisher to recording) after three years would be distributed to the publishers based on market share (i.e., “the big three” would be the greatest beneficiaries) who would likewise distribute to their writers on a similar basis. To many, this makes no sense because more than likely the reason the works remain unmatched is because they are the property of unpublished or self-published creators. It might be more equitable to transfer any such funds to a third-party charitable or educational non-profit organization with a musical focus.

• Unlike similar boards throughout the world governing royalty distribution, which have a minimum 50/50 split of writers and publishers, the original composition of the 10-person MLC board comprised of eight publishers and two self-published songwriters, with no pure songwriter/ composer members. This perceived imbalance caused great consternation for several music creator groups and alliances, both here and overseas. So, after some negotiation between the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and the Songwriters Guild of America (SGA) the MLC board was expanded to 14 by adding two pure songwriters/composers and two additional publishers. And while some creator organizations remain dissatisfied, the additional publishers will add more independent voices, providing more balance to the board.

However, the definition of a “songwriter/composer” and how they will be appointed to the board remain unclear.

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In February, after about five years of hearings and debate on copyright reform, U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (RVA) chairman of the House Judiciary Committee announced plans to introduce a broader omnibus bill addressing federal copyright and music licensing reform. The new bill will not only include the Music Modernization Act but also the Classics Act and the AMP Act. The Classics Act (Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service and Important Contributions to Society) addresses pre-1972 recordings and would require digital services to pay both rights holders and artists for the use of recordings made before 1972 at the same rate and in the same way they pay for post-1972 recordings.

The AMP Act (Allocation for Music Producers) would give producers the statutory right to be compensated for the recordings they produce through the letter of direction process and establish a procedure for producers and engineers to seek permission from featured artists or their heirs to receive royalty payments for recordings made prior to 1995.

Other bills under consideration for inclusion include the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act, which has passed the House but not the Senate, and would empower Congress to appoint the Register of Copyrights rather than the current responsibility of the Librarian of Congress, and the CASE Act which would create a small claims court for copyright claims under $15,000.

However, both these bills lack the near industry-wide support as the others and their inclusion may jeopardize any passage at all.

Obviously, the extent to which each of these bills affects the SCL’s members will be determined on an individual basis. If your contracts recognize you as the producer of your own soundtracks, the AMP Act could be relevant to you.

The same could be said for the Classics Act if you created music before 1972.

But far and away the most impactful change to A/V music creators, most of whom receive the majority of their royalties from performances via their PROs, will be the advent of the “wheel of judges” and the ability to introduce outside comparative valuations in the

PRO’s respective rate courts.

By the time you read this the “markup” of the MMA, scheduled for midMarch, will be complete. There is a Senate hearing scheduled before Easter, but there will be no further hearings in the House, apparently satisfied that the hearing held in New York, at the behest of the Recording Academy during Grammy week, was sufficient. The bill is then scheduled to be brought to the floor of the House shortly after the Easter recess and, assuming passage, will move to the Senate then hopefully on to the president’s desk for enactment into law.

As I stated earlier, the MMA is far from perfect. If this is our best chance of improving the current system, then there are so many other issues that could and should be addressed. Here are just a few: • The defining of the “writer’s share” as no less than 50% of the work and codifying it as such in the Copyright Act. • The bifurcation of the “writer’s share” (once defined) in a manner that grants the writer the unencumbered right to designate a collection agent for the revenue generated by that share, while at no time infringing upon the rights of copyright holder.

• The introduction of a broadcast mechanical right as it exists throughout the rest of the world.

• The abolition, or at least periodic review, of the consent decrees to assess their effectiveness and relevance to the musical eco-system of the time.

• The repeal of Alden-Rochelle, a lower court decision that is no longer relevant today.

As I stated at the outset, the Music Modernization Act is far from perfect and no doubt improvements could be made. But sometimes the worst enemy of “good” is “better”. The SCL board of directors debated the pros and cons of the bill and after careful consideration determined the opportunities it affords music creators for the future represent genuine progress. That does not mean we should refrain from voicing our reservations of certain aspects of the bill in the hope they are addressed in the future, but maintaining the status quo is a poor option, which is why the Society of Composers & Lyricists endorses the g Music Modernization Act.

Remembering Ian Fraser: Excerpts Of Inspiration

By Ashley Irwin SCL President Ashley Irwin moderated an SCL seminar on musical direction on August 7, 2014. The panelists included Ian Fraser, Rickey Minor, Bill Ross and Harold Wheeler. We would lose Ian soon after this seminar when he passed away on October 14, 2014, at the age of 81 from his battle with cancer. Ian’s insights into his craft shined a light of inspiration and knowledge, and his passion for what he did made listening to him so engaging. Even though Ian left us over three years ago, his words are still a shining light of inspiration. We thought it would be great to look back at excerpts of some of Ian’s answers.

Ashley: Most likely, you started as a musician and/or arranger. What was your path to Musical Director? What was you first gig and how did you get it? What was the biggest thing you learned from it?

Ian: I was fortunate to have a talented grandmother who taught me to play the piano at age four. I was mainly a classical pianist through school, followed, at age 18, by five years in an English army orchestra. I was the solo pianist, playing popular concertos like “Rhapsody in Blue.”

Later, I started to play jazz and big band piano, and did some self-taught arranging. Soon after that, I was hired as rehearsal pianist for a musical by Langston Hughes called Simply Heavenly, directed by the English actor Lau-

rence Harvey (the actor who played The Manchurian Candidate). They had hired a pit band with the lead trumpet also conducting, which was a disaster. The British union wouldn’t let the American composer conduct. Since I was the only person who knew the show, I was elevated to conductor. I’d never conducted before in my life, but somehow survived.

That was the start, and eventually led to my working as an arranger/ conductor in English TV and Decca Records. When Anthony Newley, one of the recording artists I worked with, wrote the London stage musical Stop The World, I Want To Get Off, I became the musical director and arranger/orchestrator. The show came to Broadway in 1962, and I came with it as musical supervisor. I’ve lived in America since then.

My greatest learning experience, perhaps to this day, was watching and listening to the renowned Broadway musical director, Milton Rosenstock conduct the show on Broadway, with the same orchestrations that I had conducted for a year in London, many of them mine, and realizing what a great conductor can bring out of the music.

He became my mentor, and the wisest words he ever told me were “conducting is about making music, not just beating time!”

Ashley: Describe the lead time on a

TV special / a stage show / a live tour.

Ian: On Christmas in Washington, an annual live show, which I conducted for 32 years ending last December, we used to meet with that year’s guest artists in L.A. or New York to set keys and layouts long before the show. All the artists would be in Washington three days before the show for rehearsals with the choirs and orchestra prior to the live show on Sunday.

We used to do the orchestra read on Friday evenings. When the show switched from NBC to TNT, and the budget was much lower, we were down to two days, and quite often artists who I’d never met or rehearsed with, (having set keys and layouts over the phone or via emailed mp3s), would turn up for a noon rehearsal with the choirs and orchestra on the day of the show. We then did a run through, dress rehearsal and the live show.

The orchestra was in an area directly behind the stage, and were revealed in some songs, when the walls in front of them opened. The artists, choirs and herald trumpets, who were all live, were able to follow me via a large TV monitor, which was set behind the ­audience.

My arrangement for the traditional finale that we did every year for 32 years was based on an arrangement I had recorded with Julie Andrews on our first Christmas album in 1973.

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Remembering Ian Fraser Continued from Page 5

The national building museum, where we did the show, is as long as a football field, so when the herald trumpets joined in, they echoed all over the ­place.

A stage show’s lead time varies too, but it’s anything from three to six weeks of pre-production, during which auditions are held, and the MD (musical director) works with the composers, director, choreographer, dance and vocal arrangers, preparing the show for rehearsals. These are generally between five and eight weeks depending on the budget. All the orchestrations and copying are done starting usually at the end of the first rehearsal week.

There will be some preview performances before the opening night, and often there’s a pre-Broadway tour, during which a lot of refinements and changes are made. On Victor/Victoria, the show was in constant flux when it played Minneapolis and Chicago prior to Broadway.

The MD has many responsibilities in addition to conducting. He might also do the vocal arrangements, and needs to ride herd over the dance arranger, who works with the choreographer, to make sure the dance layouts get to the orchestrator on schedule.

He also makes sure that the orchestrator is provided with a steady stream of sketches to orchestrate from, so that everything is on the music stands for the first orchestra rehearsal, which is usually seven to ten days before the first preview.

On Victor/Victoria we were graced with the amazing Billy Byers as our orchestrator, and he wrote every note himself, but sometimes the MD will have to help out, if there’s a new song that has to go into the show the next day.

A live tour is somewhat similar to a Broadway show. The MD will usually work with the artist at the piano choosing songs, setting keys, and sketching out the arrangements, which can take anywhere from two to eight weeks, depending on existing material. Then the orchestrations and copying are done.

This is usually followed by a break-in 6

date in the boondocks, where the music is read for the first time, and fixes and changes are made.

But, as I’m sure Bill will tell you, it’s a lot different if you are Barbra Streisand’s MD. She brings in the whole 60-piece orchestra that tours with her for three weeks rehearsal, on a replica of the stage they’ll be working on...plus a full sound crew. Now that’s luxury in this day and age.

I’ve been fortunate too, and my last tour with Julie Andrews was with great symphony orchestras in America and England. The downside with symphonies, is that rehearsal time is very limited because of the cost…usually two and a half hours to read the music, a dress rehearsal, and then the concert.

Ashley: You’ve also worked on musical films; are they different?

Ian: The preparation responsibilities in musical films are very similar to what I described for a Broadway show. But after that it changes.

In the musical movie Scrooge, which was filmed in England in 1969 with Albert Finney as Scrooge, we shot part of one of his songs completely live. The songs were written by Leslie Bricusse, who I’ve worked with since 1959.

At the end of the film, when Scrooge wakes up and realizes he’s not dead, and becomes a new man, he sings the song “I’ll Begin Again.”

We had pre-recorded a complete track with vocal, but Finney was having problems the day we shot the number. After about three takes, he came to me and the director, and said “I have to be free to act the first part of the song...I can’t lip synch to a track.” The problem had to be solved, so we took an early lunch, and had a piano sent over from the rehearsal room and put in a room that was next to the set but didn’t leak on to the stage.

This was long before wireless ear phones, so the sound crew found a small single headphone that would fit under Finney’s wig, ran a long audio cable under his costume to the sound recorder, and we shot the first part of the song live, with me playing the piano into Albie’s headphone as he acted the song live.

When we post-scored to the final edited picture, I replaced the piano track with the orchestra, and overlapped

into the pre-recorded track where it went into tempo. Since there was only one film cut in the live section, one of the sound crew, lying on the studio floor, had to detach the cable from Albie’s headphone, which was half way up his leg, as he turned and ran, and we overlapped to the original pre-­ recorded track.

We made quite a few inserts when I scored the movie. An example of which is when Scrooge slides down the stair case rail. The objective, when it’s all finished, is one seamless piece of music.

The director was the renowned Ronald Neame, who had started out as a hand-operated cameraman in silent films. His grandson, Graham, produces Downton Abbey. Scrooge was Ronnie’s first big production musical film. He was concerned that with pre-recorded tracks, his hands would be tied if he wanted a longer or shorter camera shot during the pre-recorded songs.

I told him that he needn’t worry, because I could always insert or cut bars when I scored the picture in postproduction. I wish I’d kept my mouth shut, because in the first song alone, I think there were between 20 and 30 inserts and cuts. The one major difference between a movie and Broadway musical: is that once it’s all filmed and edited, the MD becomes a film composer, scoring all the music needed for both musical and non-musical scenes, much of which is based on material from the songs.

Ashley: Any stories from working with headliners/talent and technical communication?

Ian: My one experience as an “on the spot” TV MD/songwriter, was when we did Bing Crosby’s last Christmas special in 1977. Sadly, he died a few weeks after we taped it. David Bowie was the special guest on the show, and we had sent him a vocal demo of his duet with Bing, “The Little Drummer Boy”. Bowie arrived for rehearsal the day before the orchestra read.

Myself, Larry Grossman, who wrote the special musical material, and Buz Kohan, the show’s writer, who is also a great composer/lyricist, introduced ourselves to Bowie. Then came the surprise! Bowie asked if he could sing something else with Bing, because he didn’t like “Drummer Boy.” Bing had Continued on Page 21

T E C H T A L K

A Look At TEControl’s USB MIDI Breath And Bite Controller 2 And Cinematic Studio Strings

By Fletcher Beasley

Few would argue that the MIDI keyboard is a vehicle for great musical expression. Manufacturers compensate for its limitations by adding knobs and sliders so that keyboard players can employ MIDI continuous controllers as they are playing to add nuance and subtlety. But twisting a knob or moving a slider isn’t the most natural way of replicating the expressiveness of a string or woodwind playing a legato line. MIDI breath controllers offer the potential for greater expression because you can control the dynamic contour of a musical line with a more natural source —your breath. Manufacturers like Akai and Yamaha have made MIDI Wind controllers for a long time, but they require facility on a woodwind instrument to get musical results.

I experimented with a Yamaha controller for a while, but, sadly, my high school saxophone chops had lapsed to the extent that my MIDI recordings required too much editing to make it a practical input choice.

The TEControl MIDI Breath and Bite Controller 2 is a USB breath controller that provides a mouthpiece for breath input while the player inputs notes from their MIDI keyboard. This idea is not new. Yamaha’s BC series of breath controllers provided this type of control, but they only worked with Yamaha’s products. TEControl’s breath controller outputs a MIDI stream via USB, so any USB MIDI device (your DAW, virtual instruments, etc.) will work with it. In addition to breath input, you can bite on the mouthpiece and nod and tilt the headpiece to

control a total of four MIDI continuous controllers simultaneously.

The Breath and Bite Controller 2 is an uncomplicated piece of hardware, featuring a mouthpiece attached to a flexible headset at the end of a USB cable. Setup is simple. Just plug the breath controller into a USB port and your DAW detects it. The controller comes with a handy utility, TECMidiBreathCtrl, that gives you complete control over the four MIDI streams output by the controller. You can set sensitivity to breath, bite, nod and tilt movement, MIDI minimum and maximum values, decay filters (very useful for creating a natural dynamic decay on string and wind lines), MIDI CC output, and a number of other parameters. It takes a little tweaking to get the breath controller to respond in a way that is most comfortable for you, but once you have it set you can make that save the settings to the breath controller’s memory or save presets that work best for different instruments and load them as needed.

The controller is lightweight and sits comfortably around your neck even when you are not playing it. I assigned breath to CC1 and bite to CC2 since these control dynamics and vibrato respectively in many libraries. The results were very satisfying. It was easy and intuitive to play parts that sounded realistic and expressive without a lot of need for post recording edits. The controller works particularly well with any sample library that uses dynamic crossfading for monophonic legato lines such as Cinematic Studio Strings (reviewed below) and libraries from developers such as Spitfire, EastWest, and Vienna,

TEControl USB MIDI Breath and Bite Controller 2

TEControl MIDI Breath Controller Software

TEControl USB MIDI Breath And Bite Controller 2

TEControl’s breath controller outputs a MIDI stream via USB, so any USB MIDI device (your DAW, virtual instruments, etc.) will work with it.

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Tech Talk Continued from Page 7

and, as such, is particularly effective for creating realistic legato parts.

Modelled instruments like those by Wallander Instruments also work incredibly well with the TEControl. Modelled instruments use physical modelling algorithms, rather than samples, to recreate the sound and response of an acoustic instrument. With just a keyboard and mod wheel, my results had been mixed with modelled instruments, but the combination of breath and bite breathed new life (pun intended) into them with much better results. I also had great fun applying breath and bite control to synthesized sounds.

I enjoyed experimenting with the nod and tilt functions but found, that for me, controlling four parameters simultaneously with the controller was too complex. I’m sure that many musicians, more coordinated than myself, will make great use of the extra features. At 199.99 EUR, TEControl’s MIDI Breath and Bite Controller 2 is a great tool for composers looking for a quick way to breathe new expression into their MIDI parts.

Cinematic Studio Strings

Cinematic Strings 2 has long been one of my favorite sample libraries, so it was with great anticipation that I checked out the Cinematic Studio Series’ latest ensemble string library— Cinematic Studio Strings. Like CS2, CSS features great sound quality with

excellent programming. It is a completely new library that was recorded at the Trackdown Scoring Stage in Sydney and works in Kontakt and the Kontakt Player. It is available for the very reasonable price of $399.

CSS has a single preset for each section of the string orchestra and uses keyswitches to access different articulations. The articulations for each patch are sustain, tremolo, trills, marcato, staccato, harmonic, measured trem and pizzicato. In addition to the sectional patches, there are full and ensemble patches as well as classic legato patches which mimic the way CS2’s legato engine worked.

The legato engine in CSS has been completely rewritten and features a standard and an advanced mode. Advanced uses three legato speeds based on the velocity at which you strike the key, allowing for highly realistic results. Standard strikes a balance between Advanced and Classic and is a little easier to use out of box. CSS also features the ability to trigger a rebowing of the same note by holding down the sustain pedal. Portamento can be employed on legato notes by playing a note velocity of 20 or below.

A feature unique to CSS is that Con Sordino can be applied to all articulations. Con Sordino is emulated using impulse recordings and can be activated with a switch on the user interface or triggered with a keyswitch. The emulation sounds great.

I wouldn’t normally mention a manual in a review, but the CSS manual is

a concise eight pages outlining everything you need to know without unnecessary fluff. It’s the first time in recent memory that I read the whole thing.

The CSS interface is well laid out and easy to grasp so you might be inclined to skip the PDF, but don’t because it contains lots of great ideas about how to get the most from the library.

Like its predecessor, CSS sounds great and is easy to play. All the presets balance well with one another, and the default stage sound (a mix of three different mics) has good body and responds well to additional reverb. A reverb is included, though I prefer to use my own favorite reverbs, and those sounded great when added to CSS. All the articulations were very playable, a testimony to the great programming of the patches.

At $399, CSS is less expensive than many of the high-end string libraries.

But don’t let the price fool you, CSS is one of the best sounding and most usable libraries available at any price.

I anticipate it residing in my orchestral g template for a long time.

BMI At Sundance

L-R: BMI’s Alison Smith, composer Lolita Ritmanis, BMI’s Doreen Ringer-Ross and composer Miriam Cutler attend the BMI dinner at The Blind Dog restaurant during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah

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MI’s 20th Annual Composer/ Director Roundtable “Music & Film: The Creative Process” was held at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. BMI also held their annual dinner and their 16th Annual Snowball.

L-R: BMI composer Heather McIntosh BMI’s Doreen Ringer-Ross and Hal director Amy Scott pictured at BMI’s Roundtable ‘Music & Film: The Creative Process’

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L-R: Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and actress, producer and singer/ songwriter Rita Wilson backstage at the BMI Snowball during the 2018 Sundance Film Festival

N E W G E A R

Plugin Alliance Lindell Audio ChannelX Plugin And U-HE Repro-1

By Jack D. Elliot Lindell Audio ChannelX Plugins

The Lindell ChannelX bundle consists of three excellent plugins. The bundle comes with 6X-500 preamp, 7X-500 Limiter, and PEX-500 EQ. You can run them separately or use them in the ChannelX plugin shell as a channel strip. The plugin is available in all formats (AU, AAX Native, VST2, VST3).

ChannelX leans toward that famous vintage sound everyone always craves. Tobias Lindell is a very successful engineer and the man behind these great plugins. Let’s look at each plugin.

The first one is the 6X-500. This is a preamp with EQ, based on the hardware version.

The plugin is inspired by a mono transformercoupled preamplifier with a passive two band boost only EQ. I really love the sound. It does a great job of adding depth to the tone, and the EQ is nice and smooth. It is not harsh, which I like. The 6X-500 includes separate High and Low Pass filters, plus five slope choices.

The second plugin is 7X-500. It is an FETbased compressor/limiter, based on the famous 1176 sound. It has some cool extra features like a High Pass sidechain filter with a mix control. This allows mixing between the wet and dry signals for parallel compression.

I don’t have an 1176 next to me to AB, but it does not matter. The plugin sounds amazing.

The third plugin in the bundle is my favorite, the PEX-500. It is based on a mono transformer-coupled Passive Pultec style EQ. But the kicker is that they added additional high frequency selections and a Mid/Side matrix.

I love the sound of the EQ. You can do a little carving if you want, but when you boost the high or low end, it does an amazing job on any source. I love it on live instruments and synth- or sample-based instruments.

This channel is a great value and a great addition for the professional or home studio gurus. I give it a 10/10.

U-HE Repro-1

U-He Repro-1 is a monophonic synth that has been modeled after one of the most famous synthesizers of the 1980s (Sequential Circuits’ Pro One). Every detail of the original has been thoroughly created by componentlevel modeling technology to create the most authentic model possible. All the characteristics found in the original are present here.

When you buy Repro-1, you get the free update to Repro-5, an eight-voice version modeled after the Prophet-5.

Repro-1 has two monophonic oscillators and a low-pass filter, modulation sources, arpeggiator, step sequencer and high-quality effects modules all from a single panel, which is awesome. A fun feature added is that you can take the cover off the synth to reveal ten extra under-the-hood tweaks.

Repro-1 includes a sequencer with two 32note patterns that will save with your preset.

You are able to enter the notes one at time using the step-record function, or add notes in manually by clicking on cell values in each step and dragging the mouse up or down.

A rest between notes can be added using the “Rest” button, and the cell named “Type” lets you select between Tied, Rest, or a regular “Note On” setting. To enter notes, you can click on the Repro-1 keyboard, or use MIDI keyboard. The patterns can be saved and recalled for later use.

Fans of the original will be blown away by the authenticity of its sounds, and will have a ball with the integrated effects and extra modulators. I don’t own the originals to compare, but I do own a Dave Smith Prophet 12.

It’s not an exact comparison, but the plugin sounds fantastic. I am a major fan of Dave Smith’s creations. This plugin holds its own, and, a great price as well, at $149. I give it a 9/10.

ChannelX is a great addition for the professional or home studio gurus.

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N O T E S F R O M N E W Y O R K

SCL New York Events SCL NY Seminar: A Conducting Workshop with Amy Andersson

With Allison Leyton-Brown, JoAnne Harris, Greg Pliska, Mark Roos and Jonathan Zalban Thursday, November 2nd at Brooklyn College Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema Screening: Good Time with Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never) and Josh Safdie

Monday, November 13th at Magno Screening Room Annual SCL NY Holiday Party

Honoring Philip Glass, recipient of the 2017 SCL Lifetime Achievement Award Tuesday, December 12th at MIST Harlem L-R: Ashley Irwin and Philip Glass with members of American Modern Ensemble

L-R: Mark Roos, Jonathan Zalben, Greg Pliska, Amy Andersson, JoAnne Harris, Allison Leyton-Brown

L-R: Mark Watters, Richard Bellis, Philip Glass, Dan Foliart, Ashley Irwin Philip Glass (center) with the SCL NY Steering Committee

SCL NY Seminar: World Music, Social Change

with Ricky Kej, Wouter Kellermann, and Eric Hachikian Moderated by Elizabeth Rose Wednesday, January 24th at BMI L-R: Wouter Kellermann, Danny Gray, Mark Roos, Elizabeth Rose, Eric Hachikian, Ricky Kej

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L-R: Varsha Kej and Tholsi Pillay

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What’sHappening

n Sunday, December 3, at the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers Golden Score Awards, legendary Grammy and Emmy-winning composer Charles Fox was honored alongside his Love Boat theme collaborator Paul Williams. Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino had the honor of presenting the award.

Oscar-winning composer and 2017 Jazz Award recipient, Johnny Mandel celebrates with friends and colleagues at the 2017 Jazz Tribute Awards. The awards were held on November 18, 2017 at The Montalban. g g g

L-R: 2017 ASMAC Golden Score recipient Charles Fox, composer Michael Giacchino and 2017 Golden Score recipient and ASCAP President, Paul Williams

Composer Graham Reynolds attends the premiere of Last Flag Flying with director Richard Linklater.

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Emmy-winning composer Jeff Beal debuted his new score to Buster Keaton’s classic, The General. The score was performed live to picture by the LA Chamber Orchestra on November 11, 2017 at The Theatre At Ace Hotel.

By Lori Barth

L-R: Composer Bruce Broughton, ASCAP Board Member Dean Kay, composer Johnny Mandel, ASCAP’s Loretta Munoz, ASCAP Board Member Dan Foliart and ASCAP’s Michael Todd

L-R: Songwriter Taura Stinson and Dan Kimpel

Oscar-nominated songwriter Taura Stinson speaks on The Story Ophonic Podcast with host Dan Kimpel. g g g

Composer Rolfe Kent and Paramount’s Randy Spendlove attend the premiere of Downsizing.

L-R: Composer Graham Reynolds and director Richard Linklater g g g

Education Through Music: Los Angeles held their 12th annual benefit gala at The Skirball Cultural Center on November 28, 2017. This year the honorees were Grammy-winning violinist Joshua Bell and veteran music teacher Vincent Womack.

L-R: Paramount’s Randy Spendlove and composer Rolfe Kent g g g

L-R: BMI’s Chris Dampier, composer Jeff Beal and BMI’s Evelyn Rascon g g g

Composer Daniel Lopatin (also known as Oneohtrix Point Never) celebrates a win at the Hollywood Music In Media Awards on ­November 16, 2017 for his score to Good Time.

L-R: Grammy-winning violinist Joshua Bell and SESAC’s Erin Collins

L-R: SESAC’s Erin Collins and composer Daniel Lopatin

L-R: Seth MacFarlane and lyricist Alan Bergman

Seth MacFarlane was the recipient of the 2017 David L. Abell Angel Award for his commitment to musicians, live music and charitable causes at the 2017 Jazz Tribute Awards. Seth celebrates alongside lyricist Alan Bergman. The awards were held on November 18, 2017 at The Montalban.

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DOMINIC LEWIS Becoming Part Of The Experience INTERVIEWED BY K A Y A S A V A S

Dominic Lewis has climbed the ladder by taking on some of the industry’s top composers as mentors. His career started with early sit-in sessions with Rupert Gregson-Williams. Through a friend’s recommendation he found himself working on John Powell’s How To Train Your Dragon. This led to becoming an additional composer for Ramin Djawadi, Hans Zimmer and Henry Jackman.

Dominic wrote additional music on movies like Rango, Clash Of The Titans, Kung Fu Panda 2, X-Men: First Class, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Big Hero 6 and many others.

As his career blossomed, he found himself at the helm of Money Monster with director Jodie Foster as well as the hit Amazon series The Man In The High Castle. Dominic’s other film credits include Free Birds, Fist Fight, Rough Night, Disney’s reboot of Ducktales and the recent adaptation of Peter Rabbit.

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Score: Let’s start at the beginning….

What was your childhood like and how old were you when you were introduced to music?

Dominic: My childhood was awesome.

I am the son of two very musical parents. There was always music in the house—my mom’s a singer, my dad’s a cellist. I started the cello when I was three. I wanted to be just like dad.

Music was always on in the house whether it was played by Dad or sung

by Mom, or both parents’ pupils coming to the house for music lessons—or just the radio or CD. I guess I didn’t ­really have much choice, my house was so musical that it was inevitable that I would land somewhere in music.

Ultimately when I got to the age where I could progress with cello—I would say that cello is my first instrument. I didn’t even really think about writing music at a base level—a song level. I mean, we would make up songs and stuff even with my grandfather

and the whole family. We’d make up silly songs and take existing tunes and put different words to them. You know, as every family does. I think? Maybe it was just my weird family.

Score: When did the idea of becoming a film and television composer pop into your head? What was that defining moment for you that made you go “I want to be a composer”?

Dominic: I didn’t really get interested till I was a teenager. I was introduced to the world of bands, songs and the guitar. I taught myself guitar. Then I started writing songs, but that wasn’t enough work to do so I started putting string arrangements to them. Then that wasn’t really enough. My dad at the time was doing a lot of film sessions; he was playing on a lot of film scores.

That kind of got me introduced to the film world.

I’ve always loved film music; I always noticed scores from a young age Continued on Next Page

and made my parents buy soundtracks.

But from an early age I didn’t know I wanted to do that. I just loved music and film music was the modern classical music of the day.

The original goal was to be a cellist like Dad until I found other things.

I mean thank god for Dad. He said, “You don’t want to be a cellist, there’s no money in it. The money is in writing music.” So as a teenager I switched my attention to writing, and I was fortunate enough to go to school with Rupert Gregson-Williams’ stepdaughter, Sadie. She introduced me to Rupert, and she knew I loved film music. ­Rupert and I really got on, and he was great to me. He invited me down to his studio to hang out, and he’d take breaks and let me play with all his gear.

That’s basically where I learned programming at the age of 16. I was very lucky and forever thankful to ­Rupert for allowing me to do that.

Score: Talk about the journey from the UK to the U.S. When did you decide to relocate here? Was it scary leaving your home country for a new life somewhere else, or was it more exciting?

Dominic: I didn’t have a job waiting.

The goal was that as soon as I knew I wanted to do film music, I knew that London was on its last legs for me. I love London. I love going back. I miss everyone there, but when I started auditioning for the academy to do film music or composition I knew that the eventual goal was to come to Los Angeles and seek my fortune as a film composer. So much so that in my second year of college I came out to visit Rupert—he was living out here at the time, doing Bee Movie—and I just soaked it all up. I met Hans Zimmer very briefly and spent a little bit of time at Remote Control Productions, and that was just a catalyst, and an even bigger fire was lit under me to do this.

To answer your question though, to move out to the States was a goal for four or five years before it actually happened. The original goal was to work for Rupert. It kind of felt like family already, so I wasn’t really daunted.

But when the job with Rupert didn’t happen, it did get a bit nerve-racking. ­Rupert said to me, “I don’t have anything for you at the moment so get yourself on a plane to L.A. Go meet

Hans. I’ll put in a good word.” It was a bit scary. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do so there was that initial push to do it. When I landed and there was no job, I wasn’t going to stop at anything, but I didn’t really have anyone around me. I didn’t have any family out here, so I was completely all alone. Luckily, when I came out in 2007, through Rupert and Sadie I became really good friends with a guy called Sean Black, who is now my best friend.

Sean and his mom put me up for a year when I was starting out. They’re my second family, and I love them to bits; she’s like my second mom, and he’s like my brother. I was very lucky to have those guys, and I’m forever grateful to them. They gave me a base.

Score: What was your first job after moving to Los Angeles?

Dominic: I didn’t get a job till I started working with John Powell, which was my first job out here. It had nothing to do with Hans or Remote Control, it was the fact that a good friend of mine and my dad’s, who plays in the orchestra in London, Emlyn Singleton, went to college with John, and he was out visiting for a holiday. We were hanging out with him, and he put in a really good word, so John gave me a chance.

I didn’t have anywhere to stay, I was sleeping on people’s couches. Then Sean and his mom put me up, which was two minutes from John’s studio. At that point L.A. and America started to feel like home, and it started to feel like I did belong here.

The move was daunting, but necessary and exciting. Once I got here, the Goliath of Remote Control was very scary, and the whole inner workings of that to someone who is very green in terms of how Hollywood works was really scary actually. It was just belief in myself and knowing that I’ve done stuff for Rupert that helped me. Plus knowing I could write music and finding that really fine line of not being too cocky about that, but also not being a super kiss-ass to everybody. It’s such a fine line when you enter an atmosphere like that. I was lucky I had the backing of Rupert and Steve Kofsky. Steve said to me in his office, “You’re not doing the runner job, you’re not doing the tech job. Rupert says you’re a great writer, so we’ll hold out for the right thing to get you started on.” It all seems like a

bit of a whirlwind looking back on it; I just feel very lucky that all the stars aligned. I’m now sitting in my studio in my house writing the third season of The Man In The High Castle. It’s crazy, it really is crazy. I’m very lucky and I’m very thankful.

Score: You mentioned working at Remote Control Productions and getting your start working with Rupert Gregson-Williams, but you also went on to work with an incredible slate of composers such as John Powell, Hans Zimmer, Ramin Djawadi and of course Henry Jackman. Was working as an additional composer or musician for those guys the best way to learn the ins and outs of the industry?

Dominic: Oh god, yes. Remote Control is the best university you could possibly hope for. At least it was when I started. You had such massive players in that building. Everywhere you looked there was someone who was at the top of their game, and of course you got the big dog Hans at the helm of it all. A lot of the composers have home studios now so they’re not really around. But when I started, Hans was there all the time, Ramin was there, Jim Dooley, Trevor Morris, Geoff Zanelli, Jimmy Levine, Henry Jackman, Atli Örvarsson, Rupert, Chris Willis, A.R. Rahman had a room there, Heitor Pereira, everyone was there! It was such a weird, incestuous, amazing, creative, competitive environment.

Going through the Remote experience and immediately being thrown into a three-week save job on Clash Of The Titans, you know it’s sink or swim.

I found myself sitting in a room with Ramin, Geoff Zanelli, Trevor Morris and Michael Higham, who I had just met for the first time, and now we’re really great friends. There were other music editors like Pete Snell as well. Luckily, Ramin liked the stuff I was doing. It was all a big team effort. I learned so much on those first few projects. Ramin was my first Remote collaborator. Then I went and started doing stuff with Hans, I worked on Rango and Kung Fu Panda 2. I mean, going from all that to working with Gore Verbinski on Rango, and I mean one-on-one time with Gore Verbinski. I never thought about this till you asked me this question. I was 25 and I’ve got this big ol’ A-lister director sitting behind me going, “Yeah Continued on Next Page 13

Lewis Interview Continued from Page 13

that’s cool, can you change that and do that.” I’m sitting there going, “Oh this is pretty cool. I mean I haven’t slept for three days, but this is cool.”

There was nothing that was ever going to get in my way and I’m still that way now. Nothing is going to get in my way of where I want to get to. I can’t say where I’m going to end up, no one can, but I’m just going to keep pushing. That was the mentality back then, the mentality was to just keep going, keep going, keep going and don’t stop till you get to where you want to go.

I’m checking off boxes as I go, but I’m still not there. I think that’s bull-headed, and in some respect slightly naive about the industry, but it helped me because I believed in myself. I believed in my ability. I would hope I’m a cool guy to hang around, to have around, and I think that helped me out. I’ve also been very lucky; a lot of people have to work from the very bottom. A-listers now have done that, and hats off to them.

I think that if I’d been thrown into that environment of an intern at Remote Control, I would have gotten chewed up and spat out.

Everyone has different paths, everyone gets there a different way, and some of us have luck and some of us don’t. If doors are opened, don’t shut them yourself. You got to get through it and then shut it behind you. You don’t let someone else shut it before you walk through it. I’ve been very fortunate and very lucky, but the opportunities I have been given I can hand-onheart say I have not squandered them.

I’ve grabbed them with both hands and ran. I wouldn’t be sitting here doing what I do if it hadn’t been for those Remote experiences. For all those mentors, especially Hans, Henry and John.

That trio has really sculpted who I am as a composer. The choices I will make in the future are not what I learned at college. I learned to orchestrate at college. By being a sponge, I tried to learn as much as I can. If you can get into an environment like that as a young composer, there’s nothing better.

Score: Has that experience helped you on your projects now that you’re helming your own scores?

Dominic: I’ve been through some pretty tough projects, amazing projects, and working with great people but difficult to get it done, if that makes sense.

Without that training, without that constant “got to get it done” and not sleeping—without that in the early years, I don’t think I would’ve been able to finish these things. It’s been a good platform for me to get those gigs and show heads of studios and directors what I can do.

Score: Well let’s talk about your general approach, where does the first note come from? Where do you start looking for that initial inspiration to pull the first musical idea out of your head on a project?

Dominic: It definitely depends on the project. For something like Free Birds, Peter Rabbit or Open Season: Scared Silly, with those things I start at the piano. I want to start with a melody that sums up the film, whether it’s after reading the script or seeing some of the footage.

That tends to be my go to, and I’ll noodle for a bit and try to find a melody that reflects what I know about the movie.

From that point it’s, “Where can this melody go?” For example, in Peter Rabbit the main melody is very sweet. It reflects those parts of the movie, and that needs to go places. Then I start moving towards different harmonization on the piano. But ultimately for those kinds of films, if I can play the tune on the piano and it sounds like what the film is—then it’s not until that point I’ll move over to the sequencer and start orchestrating things and maybe looking at the picture and seeing how we can manipulate this melody.

For something like MI-5 or Money Monster, what I like to do is start with noises. For example, in MI-5 I got a bunch of spy-related old school noises like typewriters and Morse code.

There’s all sorts of stuff to do with spies from way back to now; it was a whole broad spectrum of noises. Then I throw them all in the sequencer and start mucking around with them. Sometimes out of that there will be a happy accident, and a cool little motif will happen through delay or excess reverb. More often than not it provides a sound bed for me to then go and find cool instruments. The emotional meat and potatoes, if you will, came from the string

section.

Money Monster was kind of similar; I didn’t have a lot of time for that one.

That was basically just grab every noise you can think of from the stock market, be it a bell from the 60’s or beeping from modern stock market computers.

Again, that was mucking around with those noises, but the emotional content came from the strings.

Rough Night was kind of a blur how I came up with all that stuff. I was just mixing Cuban influences with modern day hip-hop as a thriller with action.

That was a big melting pot of stuff.

In short, I will just gravitate towards an instrument—whatever the film is telling me to go find. I’ll go find it and just start mucking around. It definitely changes every time, even the process too. Sometimes when you’re thrust into a film, the director is immediately like, “I need these three things done in the film and then we’ll go from there.”

I like to work from the beginning and finish at the end, because you know where you’ve been and it’s a journey.

Sometimes that’s not the way it works.

Sometimes a director needs to hear certain things first. You just have to adapt.

Score: The profession you chose is extremely demanding; it takes a lot of work and a lot of time. Being a husband and a father is also an extremely demanding job. How did you find the best way to balance life with work, especially in a profession where work is life most of the time?

Dominic: We all take a different path, if you’ve got that ultimate goal of where you want to be, it has to take priority over everything. And I don’t want people to take that the wrong way, because I have a wife and kids, and obviously they’re the most important thing in the world.

There are sacrifices you make, there’s sacrifices that Erin, my wife, has made. It’s a tough balance. It’s part of the learning curve. Family is important to me. That’s one thing I’ve taken from John Powell. He’s a family man.

He realized, “I have to take some time off. I have to spend time with my son here.” He told me his family lesson, “If you want a healthy marriage, you have to move that studio home. Otherwise there’s going to be problems.” I really respect and love the man and his choices. In terms of that work and home Continued on Next Page

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Lewis Interview Continued from Page 13

balance, it was really important not to echo it, but I saw the dynamic of that.

Ultimately, that’s why I moved my studio home because I want to be with my wife as much as possible and be with my kids. That may change when they get a bit older, I’ll be like “Oh, get me out of here!” But it felt like the right thing to do.

The next thing after learning the trade is learning how to have a life and do the trade. And everyone does it differently. It works differently for everybody.

Score: What does writing music to picture mean to you? Why do you love being a musical storyteller?

Dominic: Wow, that’s a really good question.

Score: I guess in a sense, what is your purpose?

Dominic: What is my purpose? I ask that to myself in front of the mirror every day.

No. The easy answer is everything about it drives me. I’ve always been very involved in theater and film; my sister is an actress. Anything dramatic. From an early age, the idea of blending theater with music has been huge for me.

Telling stories through music is such a specific, wonderful thing to do. If you can create all the different emotions ever—it’s such a good question but it’s so hard to describe how it makes you feel when you nail a cue or even when you’re struggling with something.

You know what the story is trying to say, and you cannot find what that is melodically or what that is harmonically. It’s those struggles that when you come through the other side are so rewarding.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s really nice to come in the morning, sit down, put up the cue and just knock it out.

And it’s like, “Yup, nailed that!” That doesn’t happen very often, but it’s really great when it does. More often than not, it’s the problem solving and it’s trying to figure out what the directors or producers want. What’s the story they’re trying to tell? Often times, especially with a show like The Man In The

High Castle, you can watch a scene and go, “Okay, I know what needs to happen.” Then you go in spotting and they say, “The underlying story of this is X.” And you go, “Oh, really?” That gives it a different path of music.

Obviously, I want people to like my music. I try to not let anything out into the world that I don’t like, because how would you expect people to like all of it? My job essentially as a film composer is to serve the film. The reason why film music is so special to me is because you’re not just a musician, you’re a filmmaker! You’re part of the filmmaking process. I think anyone that doesn’t have that view is not fulfilling their job to its full potential. If your brain is just on music, and you may still be telling a story, but you’re not aware of the dialogue or you’re not cutting through the effects. All these things you have to think about, if you’re not picking those boxes then you’re not doing your job properly.

The goal is to become renowned and well-known in this field. The people I feel that really set themselves apart from everyone else are those that do have such a strong musical identity.

Tell story and serve the film. That’s the hardest thing to do and that’s the quest every day when I sit down; the quest is to find the utmost musical experience that compliments the film.

An important message that Hans drilled into everybody from the beginning, and he’s a master of it, is just becoming part of the experience but being so distinctive that the score becomes part of everything. It’s the hardest thing we do, being memorable and effective. Also, for this day and age, to be modern and cool.

That’s what drives me every morning, to find out how I fit into that and what’s my way of doing that. I’ve struck — sorry for the pun — struck some chords that I like and there’s some moments I haven’t been so successful.

You learn from those. It sounds super cheesy, but you do learn from your mistakes. I’ve written some cues that are out in the big wide world that I’ll hear and go, “God, what was I doing?”

That’s important, that’s really important. You’re not going to be your best all the time. We’re not that as people, so it’s hard to be that as a composer.

As long as you’re learning from your mistakes and you don’t keep making

them, and those crap cues aren’t the ones you like, then maybe you stand a chance!

Score: If 2018 Dom could tell 2008 Dom one thing, right when you were starting to work with Rupert and starting your journey, what would 2018 Dom say?

Dominic: When you move to America, don’t eat as much as you did! No. Wow, that’s a good question. I’m reluctant to give this answer because I think everything I went through is essential to where I am now. What I would say to help me get through it would be just take a deep breath, and just to remind old me that it’s not personal. It’s not about you, no one is attacking your music. It’s what’s right for the film. The biggest struggle I had coming through as an additional composer was learning to let go. Whether that be with my mentors giving me notes or whether we were getting notes from directors.

What I’d say is, “Roll with the punches, it’s going to be okay.” Whatever you do, because you care about what you’re doing, is going to sound good and it’s going to be right for the film. If it’s not, it’s not your choice. You’re not the director.

Learning that lesson took two years longer than it should have. I think I could have done a Free Birds or a Money Monster a couple years earlier if I just learned that a bit earlier, but I was young. I was young, hungry and believed in myself. You bare all. I think it’s important when moving through the steps to just breathe, it’s all going be cool, you’ve got the drive, you’ve got the talent—or you believe that you have the talent—and it’s not all about you.

Back then I thought I was a very important part of the process, I mean I was, but not to the extent I thought I was. Even as a composer now you think you’re an extremely important part of the process, but not to the extent of every other thing that goes on from pre-production to the print master. The composer does the cues! That’s it! There’s so many other factors! And while that really helps sell a film, it’s not the be-all and end-all. There are great movies that have average scores and vice versa. That would be the main thing. Try and get some sleep, breathe g and it’s not all about you.

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2017 SCL Holiday Dinner

T

L-R: 2017 SCL Ambassadors Bruce Broughton, Randy Edelman and SCL President Ashley Irwin

he Society of Composers & Lyricists held its 2017 Holiday Dinner at The Skirball Center in Bel Air, CA, on Tuesday, December 5, 2017.

This is always the highlight of the holiday season where composers get to mix and mingle. This year’s honorees for Ambassadors to the SCL were Bruce Broughton and Randy Edelman.

A special recognition was given to Lori Barth for her 34 years of service as the Senior Editor of The Score.

Lori Barth receiving recognition

L-R: ASCAP’s John Titta, Benj Pasek, Richard Bellis, Justin Paul, ASCAP’s Shawn Lemone

L-R: Mychael Danna, BMI’s Doreen Ringer Ross, Jeff Danna L-R: Mary J. Blige and Ashley Irwin

L-R: Diane Warren, Jeff Sanderson, J. Ralph

L-R: Jonathan David Neal, L-R: Edie SESAC’s Erin Collins, Lehmann Boddicker Garry Schyman and Arlene Matza 16

L-R: Julie Fogg, Russell Brower, Ronit Kirchman

L-R: Diane Warren, Lori Barth, Jim Di Pasquale, Arthur Hamilton

L-R: Dan Carlin, Darlene Koldenhoven, Jeff Beal

L-R: Nicholas Britell, Adryan Russ, Lolita Ritmanis

L-R: ASCAP’s Jennifer Harmon, Frank Fitzpatrick, Angela Rose White, David Quan

L-R: Mike Lang, George Clinton, Curt Sobel

L-R: Lynn Kowal, Common, Diane Warren

L-R: Tom Rotella, Carlos Siliotto, Curt Sobel, Mark Adler

L-R: Gabriel Mann, Edie Lehmann Boddicker, John Beal

L-R: Randy Edelman and BMI’s Doreen Ringer Ross 17

Score Concerts On The Rise Continued from Page 1

Elfman’s Music From the Films of Tim Burton tour was a massive success. The annual Krakow Film Music Festival sees a variety of composers debuting their work to massive audiences each and every year. Concert companies such as Film Concerts Live, Video Games Live and CineConcerts are bringing the live to picture experience to audiences all over. The list goes on and on, and the question is why now?

David Newman is one of the most respected film composers and conductors in the business, and he has led orchestras onstage in front of thousands of people. David believes the rise in popularity is because “These live film events cross a bridge between concert western classical music and what orchestras would call “Pops music.” It’s neither one, but something different. It’s exciting, communal, and very satisfying. It’s also familiar which is an aspect of concert going that helps with the experience. You have some idea of what the music is because you have heard it before.” That is indeed a huge part of it. Billions of movie tickets are sold each and every year, and in today’s age of rapidly growing technology we see people connected to media more than ever.

Amy Andersson is another con-

Amy Andersson

images, people and events. While playing video games, the player has an immediate interaction with the visuals, as well as an instantaneous connection to the music. Films and TV connect the viewers psychologically to the moving image, as well as to the emotion of the music.”

We cannot underestimate the power that social media and new viewing platforms have had on the reach of music for visual media. Brian Tyler is one of the most active composers on social media and has obtained a unique perspective of it all. “The evolving ways in which we hear music has changed in the last ten years to include listening to music on a variety of platforms that are both personally curated and often visual. For instance, much musical discovery is on YouTube and social media up-loads, and those all benefit from a visual component,” says Tyler. Brian Tyler was also able to connect to what fans want from his own experience growing up as a lover of film music; he says, “I wanted to see recording session footage and concerts.

So when I became a film composer myself, that is what I did. I would release footage of me conducting the orchestra and recording the instruments. And this has become an element of modern film music in general. So, I think the

David Newman

ductor in the field, and she is the music director of Orchestra Moderne NYC as well as the musical director for The Legend Of Zelda World Tour. Amy believes that “We live in a digital age as well as in a very visual age. With the rise of social media like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, people experience an immediate emotional connection with 18

Brian Tyler

exposure for film composers and their music has gotten much broader over the last decade, enough to now there is a demand for concerts.”

Composer Lolita Ritmanis has amassed a huge number of fans through her work with the DC animated series and films she has worked on. Lolita recalls that Pops concerts have been around for a long time. She remembers from her childhood growing up in Portland, Oregon, “hearing movie themes by Henry Mancini, John Williams, as well as songs for films by Burt Bacharach, etc. performed by the full symphony orchestra.” She continues, “Fast forward to 2012 when my partners Michael McCuistion, Kristopher Carter and I were guests of the film music festival Playfest in Ubeda, Spain. The level of interest from European audiences hearing our music performed by a huge orchestra and choir live, music from Justice League, Batman: The Brave and The Bold, etc. was thrilling. Who knew that people half way across the world knew our music?”

There is also the perspective from the orchestras and conductors who are performing all this music. Michael Giacchino believes that “Orchestras are looking to diversify their repertoire, and film concerts give them a chance to bring in a different audience.” That observation definitely rings true as symphonic orchestras look for new material to perform outside of the iconic classical pieces that make up most symphonic concerts.

We definitely can take away that forming that initial bond between music and audience is so essential, so much so that people carry it with them apart from the narrative it was written to accompany. We can also credit technological growth as a means of connecting people to music more often and with greater ease. So, with this growing interest and demand for live music performances, what does that mean for composers working today?

With so many young and veteran composers continually writing new music that help tell stories, does this rising interest in score concerts mean anything to the music being created right now? It should probably make music makers more aware of the power of their own voice, even though it won’t affect what you do in your day to day Continued on Next Page

Score Concerts On The Rise Continued from Page 18

process. Knowing that the appetite for concerts is growing won’t change your approach.

Lolita Ritmanis makes an excellent point in saying, “I do not think that everything we compose for media should be translated to live performance, absolutely not! One would hope that as composers, we realize that “1M6” is not necessarily meant to be heard anywhere away from the picture! Composers should also realize that, with the exception of a very few composers like John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, etc. or the big game music franchises that tour, these types of concerts are not something one should think of as big income-generating ventures for the composer.”

But Ritmanis also thinks that a little preparation cannot hurt if you find yourself working on a highly popular project. She suggests that “a composer working on a successful television show, film or game absolutely would be wise to create suites of his or her work for a standard orchestra size, suites that can be made available to orchestras programming film music or pops concerts. Crafting a suite that has shape and is interesting to listen to both with and away from picture, a suite properly orchestrated, will have a good chance of being performed. If the suite is ready to go (score and parts) — you are ahead of the game.”

Lolita Ritmanis

Giacchino echoes some of Lolita Ritmanis’ views. He says, “As a composer for film, TV or video games, your main concern still is how your score will serve the story you are writing

Michael Giacchino

it for. You can’t compose with the thought that one day this might be in a concert hall. It’s an added bonus that orchestras want to perform this music live, but as a film composer, my first responsibility is to the story.”

Amy Andersson believes composers should remember that “Our digital media has made an irreversible impact on our world and culture in that we expect immediacy. People listening to music expect it to be readily accessible, both visually, musically and emotionally. Composers would do well to remember this. Audiences do not want to ‘work’ to understand music. They want to be touched, moved, and swept away by it, with almost no effort.”

The time we live in is an exciting time because this profession, that usually keeps the artist locked in a dark room for hours on end, is seeing the demand for music creators to step into the light. It’s true that not every score will immediately translate into a world tour, but the fact that we are seeing more one-off and tribute concerts is also a sign that composers should take note of. Recently we had an amazing “The Women Who Score” concert that focused on the amazing work being done by female composers. Composer Tori Letzler also spearheaded “The Future Is Female,” another concert dedicated to younger up-and-coming female composers. The Golden State Pops Orchestra is doing amazing work with their concerts by bringing classic scores back to life in a live setting. So, we have so much other work being done that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be Hans Zimmer or John Williams to attract a crowd. Always remember the power scores can have.

That leads to another part of this phenomenon, why do film, TV and game scores have a life beyond the screen? Why do people crave instru-

mental music designed to tell a story apart from the story it was made for?

It signals such a deep emotional connection and the ownership people take with their favorite content.

David Newman comments, “Many ballets, operas, etc. have their place in the western canon away from their original function. Why not film music?

It’s evocative of the art form itself. To listen to the music gives you a different feeling if you have already seen the movie.” That is a key point. We want to re-experience our favorite moments.

We as an audience want that rush of emotions as we sit in our car, or as we read in our study. Giacchino sees the power in the re-experience as well. He says, “It offers a different way to reexperience the story that you enjoyed when you first saw the film, and brings up the emotions that you experienced in that story.”

Amy Andersson also believes it’s the emotional bond that forever connects score to the listener. She says, “Music for visual media has a primary responsibility, and that is to bond the listener immediately with the emotion of the film, TV or video game. That emotion is so strongly imbedded, that when the music is played alone, the listener can still feel that intense connection. I think this is why music for visual media can live beautifully inside the concert hall, or outside the concert hall on iTunes, Spotify or Pandora.”

Lolita Ritmanis is as much a consumer of music as she is a creator of it. She says, “The emotional impact of a powerful film score can transport us back to where we were while watching the film, or it underscores our own reality that we find ourselves in at the moment. An example: I am a big walker, usually walking around five miles in the morning before I start composing. Sometimes my walks are in silence, but other days I have my ‘twoalbum walks.’ Yesterday I listened to A Beautiful Mind by James Horner.

Now that is one spectacular score! The experience of listening to this breathtaking score, looking at the sky, feeling the wind in my hair was an allencompassing experience! Good film music has the ability to transport and inspire.”

We also fall in love with the humans behind the music. I think everyone can relate to that feeling of hearing a piece Continued on Page 22

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SCL Events November 4—Mudbound Screening with Dee Rees and Mary J. Blige, Pacific Design Center, Silverscreen Theater.

L-R: Director Dee Rees, Songwriter Mary J. Blige, Moderator Tre’vell Anderson November 5— Detroit Screening with Questlove, London Screening Room.

L-R: Moderator Tim Greiving, Songwriter Questlove

November 14—Good Time Screening with Oneothrix Point Never, Sonic Magic Studios.

L-R: Moderator Tim Greiving, Composer Oneohtrix Point Never, Brian Reitzell

December 10—Marshall Screening with Dianne Warren and Common, RealD Theater.

November 17—Wonderstruck Screening with Carter Burwell, Sherry Lansing Theater.

L-R: Composer Carter Burwell, Moderator Ashley Irwin

L-R: Songwriter Diane Warren, Moderator Lynn F. Kowal, Songwriter Common December 15—Ladybird Screening with Jon Brion and T-Bone Burnett, London Screening Room.

November 28—The Breadwinner Screening with Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna, Chaplin Theater.

L-R: Moderator T-Bone Burnett, Composer Jon Brion, SCL President Ashley Irwin November 7—Murder on the Orient Express Screening with Patrick Doyle, Fox Studios.

L-R: Moderator Jon Burlingame, Composer Patrick Doyle, SCL President Ashley Irwin November 8—The Shape of Water Screening with Alexandre Desplat, ArcLight Cinemas.

L-R: Composer Jeff Danna, Moderator Chris Farrell, Composer Mychael Danna November 29—Step Screening with Laura Karpman, Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson, Blakely Theatre.

L-R: Moderator Jon Burlingame, Composer Alexandre Desplat November 9—Coco Screening with Tim MacDougall, Germaine Franco, Michael Giacchino, Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Adrian Molina, Pacific Design Center, Silverscreen Theater.

December 18—The Greatest Showman Screening with Justin Paul and Benj Pasek.

L-R: Songwriters Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, Moderator Jon Burlingame L-R: Moderator Lynn F. Kowal, Composer/ Songwriter Laura Karpman, Composer/Songwriter Raphael Saadiq, Songwriter Taura Stinson

L-R: Exec VP Disney Music Tom Mac Dougall, Composer Germaine Franco, Moderator Jon Burlingame, Composer Michael Giacchino, Songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen AndersonLopez, Co-Director Adrian Molina November 11—Battle of the Sexes Screening with Nicholas Britell and Sara Bareilles, London Screening Room.

L-R: Moderator Tim Greiving, Composer Nicholas Britell, Songwriter Sara Bareilles 20

December 7—Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool Screening with J. Ralph, Jimmy Stewart Theater.

L-R: Moderator Lynn F. Kowal, Composer J. Ralph

January 9—Hostiles Screening with Ryan Bingham, NeueHouse Screening Room.

L-R: Songwriter Ryan Bingham, Moderator Lynn F. Kowal

Continued on Next Page

Remembering Ian Fraser Continued from Page 6

already learned his part, and we didn’t want to throw him a curve at the last minute.

The first thing on the schedule was rehearsing and camera blocking the scenes that preceded the song. Having informed our producer what was going on, the three of us went to a rehearsal room, stared at each other for a few minutes, until one of us, we can’t remember who it was said, “Let’s write a counter melody to ‘Drummer Boy’ which Bowie can sing, and then Bing doesn’t have to change a thing.”

About an hour later, believe it or not, we went back to the studio, with a new lead sheet, with beautiful lyrics by Buz, and music by Larry and me. We played it for Bowie, who loved it, and agreed to sing the first phrase of the original duet, even though he didn’t like it!

We then played it for Bing, and he loved it too. Bing just had to learn the new 8-bar bridge of “Peace On Earth”, which I felt was needed to complete “Peace On Earth” as a song and was my main contribution to the new song.

It took Buz about ten minutes to come up with the lyric of the bridge, after I played him the melody. I borrowed it from the old English folk song “Greensleeves”! When time is of the essence, use anything you can lay your hands on! Many of us, particularly on albums, end up writing Christmas music in the middle of summer, so everything’s ready for release right after Thanksgiving. I did also do Easter, spring, and summer themed shows, but for now one last “Christmas In ­August”! It’s from the Julie Andrews special The Sound of Christmas.

We shot the show in 1987 in Salzburg where Julie had made The Sound of ­Music. Nick Yanoff and Dwight Hemion, our producer and director, wanted to start the show with a long intro shot like the start of the movie, so I used parts of Irwin Kostal’s lovely original pastoral overture.

A year later when we recorded the song for a Hallmark album, I wrote a much longer intro using Christmas carols. I recall that Bill Ross did a wonderful orchestration for me on another

SCL Events Continued from Page 20

January 11—SCL Seminar: Music & Sound for Virtual, Mixed & Augmented Realities, AFI. January 22—Wakefield Screening with Aaron Zigman and Robin Swicord, RealD Theater.

L-R: Seminar Chair Fletcher Beasley, Moderator Joel Douek, Sound Designer/ Producer John Hendicott, Composer/Sound Designer Benedict Green, VR Audio Expert Sally-anne Kellaway, Composer Jeremy Nathan Tisser L-R: Moderator Jon Burlingame, Writer/Director Robin Swicord, Composer Aaron Zigman

Top row, L-R: Composer Danny Mulhern, composer Ian Hultquist, panel moderator Lucy Bright of The Music Sales Group, composer Paul Saunderson, composer Nathan Halpern, composer Anne Nikitin, composer Aska Matsumiya. Bottom row, L-R: ASCAP’s Michael Todd, White Bear PR’s Thomas Mikusz and Chandler Poling, ASCAP’s Brian Reyes, ASCAP’s Shawn LeMone

A

ASCAP At Sundance

SCAP held their annual Composer Reception at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival as well as the “Scoring for Sundance” panel that featured composers speaking about their work.

L-R: ASCAP’s Shawn LeMone, composer Wendy Blackstone, composer Michael Abels (Get Out), ASCAP’s Loretta Munoz and Brian Reyes L-R: ASCAP’s Shawn LeMone, Lynne Grossman (Owner, Secret Road Artist MGMT and Music Services), composer Catherine Grealish (Executive Director Alliance for Women Film Composers), ASCAP’s Michael Todd

Continued on Next Page

21

Remembering Ian Fraser Continued from Page 21

song from that album.

We pre-recorded all the music for the show in London with those gorgeous English strings. That included all the title music, bumpers billboards, and even the background music. This was laid under the dialog in post-production, which involved pre-timing the dialog from the script, so that it would fit later. I think this show, in particular, contains so many of the disciplines a budding musical director will need, and if you want to see more, like everything else, there are lots of clips on YouTube. The show won five Emmys, including musical direction for me.

The orchestration was by the brilliant Angela Morley, and the music and lyrics, once again, by the equally brilliant Larry Grossman and Buz Kohan.

Ashley: Any closing thoughts?

Ian: I’ve always believed that the best

Score Concerts On The Rise Continued from Page 19

of music and having an emotional response so powerful that you immediately want to know who created it and somehow connect to that person.

Brian Tyler also sees this as a reason why we go see our favorite composers perform their own music live. He says, “Score aficionados, myself included, find it incredibly exciting to see the living breathing human beings pouring themselves into the music. I will never grow tired of watching other composers perform their music.”

Our love for music is so instinctual and so natural to us that when you take a step back and examine why scores have the power that they do, the picture of why live concerts for scores have become so in-demand becomes clearer. The deep emotional bond we form to scores has always been there.

There’s nothing new there. But it’s the constantly advancing technology and platforms that bring music to us quicker and easier that creates a desire 22

place to start out as an MD is to conduct for a singer, or the theatre. You will slowly learn the pacing and timing of a live performance and will start to develop some of the skills you’ll need in TV and film. The most important thing of all, is to surround yourself with a great team. Find the best contractor, and he’ll find you the best musicians. Build long relationships with those musicians. They’ll rescue you when things go wrong. Hire great copyists. Wrong notes can kill you on a short rehearsal schedule.

Try to listen to everything you can lay your hands on. All styles of music, and you’ll discover the best arrangers and orchestrators. Then go seek them out and beg them to work with you.

I’ve been very blessed to have worked with so many of the great ones, like Billy Byers, Ralph Burns, and Herbert Spencer, and of course three of the gentlemen on the stage tonight, my dear friends Ashley, Bill and Harold.

And always remember, you’re making music, not waving your hands in g the air! to experience scores in a new way.

Film, TV and game scores can be considered a niche genre, but we are seeing a more mainstream reach. Live to picture concerts especially help this extended reach immensely. These concerts usually attract people who love what is being projected on the big screen, but it exposes people who may not usually listen to scores on their own to visualizing the music as a separate entity. Going to see the Harry Potter: Film Concert Series might be a great gateway to experience the film with the score performed live, and that may lead to seeking out John Williams live in the hopes of just hearing a suite performed without picture.

Getting insights from veterans such as Amy Andersson, Michael Giacchino, David Newman, Lolita Ritmanis and Brian Tyler also helps us understand the impact all of this has on composers writing music today. At the end of the day, we are living in exciting times for the art, business and craft of scores. As we move headstrong into the future and as the digital age accelerates, we will continue to see the chase for live g score experiences grow.

SCL Premier Partners SCL members can find out the member discount details and how to contact Partners on our website.

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SCL AMBASSADORS BURT BACHARACH ALAN & MARILYN BERGMAN BRUCE BROUGHTON CARTER BURWELL GEORGE S. CLINTON RANDY EDELMAN CHARLES FOX ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL DAVE GRUSIN ARTHUR HAMILTON JAMES NEWTON HOWARD MARK ISHAM ROBERT LOPEZ & KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ JOHNNY MANDEL RANDY NEWMAN THOMAS NEWMAN MIKE POST LALO SCHIFRIN RICHARD SHERMAN

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M U S I C A L S H A R E S

BY CHARLES BERNSTEIN

Film Music: The Professional

W

hat makes someone a professional?

Getting paid? Having a high-level education? Special training? Lots of experience? No doubt it’s all of these things.

But, there’s certainly more to it.

For one thing, professionals deliver. To be a professional means to come up with the goods on demand. Dabbling is fine for amateurs, but a pro has to come through and seal the deal with great results, every time. There is a level of expectation when it comes to professionals. We don’t just want them to be brilliant, they have to show up and perform regardless of circumstances. Apple founder Steve Jobs famously said, “Real artists ship,” (in this case, “ship” means to follow through, to connect the product to the customer). Mr. Jobs was probably saying that brilliant ideas are important, but at the professional level, creative people have to connect and reach fulfillment to really matter in this world.

Clearly, professionals are essential in our lives. No one wants an amateur flying them to Europe, performing surgery on a family member, or preparing their tax returns. We count on professionals to keep the lights on, the water running and the wheels turning in countless ways. Many of these pros remain unseen and unsung. When things go well, it’s usually because professionals are somewhere in the background working diligently to make everything go smoothly. Professionals seem to possess a magical quality, almost an ability to see into the future. They somehow know how to avoid mistakes, or at least vastly minimize them. There is a Public TV show on Saturdays that shows a team of pros building a house. All the crafts, including carpentry, plumbing, electrical, stonemasonry, etc., are demonstrated by people who really know their field. These are not just people who know what to do, but more importantly, they know what not to do. That special all-important crystal-ball quality might be called “anticipatory wisdom.” It is an ability to avoid disasters down the road by understanding the consequences of each action taken in the present. As carpenters like to say, “Measure twice, cut once.”

The entertainment industry truly relies on such precision and craftsmanship at all levels.

The split-second timing we see in a Broadway musical; the flawless coordination of sound, art and story in an animated feature film; the dazzle, excitement and rough power of a

major rock concert, or classical ballet—all of these are made possible by legions of rigorously trained, highly skilled professionals.

Many of these people are never visible to the audience. Nonetheless, there has always been a special challenge for anyone in the entertainment business. It is the challenge of trying to be a “professional” and an “artist” at the same time. The two are not always compatible. It is essential for a professional to deliver what is needed, often at the demand of others, preferably within constraints of time, budget and other considerations. On the other hand, an artist is generally focused on aesthetics, on getting everything “just right.” The artist’s personal vision and taste will always come first and foremost. It falls to the professionals to grapple with delivery schedules, spreadsheets and pleasing the-one-with-the-checkbook. In this sense, even successful artists are more like brilliant ingenious amateurs.

In her autobiography, the wonderful mystery writer Agatha Christie summed up what being a professional meant to her, “There was a moment when I changed from an amateur to a professional. I assumed the burden of a profession, which is to write even when you don’t want to, don’t much like what you’re writing, and aren’t writing particularly well.”

It’s hard to imagine Christie not writing “particularly well,” but she was probably just saying the same thing that Steve Jobs had said about the importance of “shipping.” It’s essential. Not an option. Steve Jobs didn’t say that “Real professionals ship.” That would be obvious. He said that “Real artists ship.”

Maybe that’s why this statement seems to resonate so deeply with professionals and artists alike. In just three words, Jobs beautifully sums up the challenge of being an artist in a world of professional demands.

So, how does this affect our world of film music? People who write music for film seem to exist right in the middle of the artist/professional dilemma. All the elements of artistry, creativity, talent and timing are essential in bringing music and film together in just the right way. Yet, tight budgets, technical skills, strict deadlines and demanding bosses are a big part of the movie music business.

So, those who aspire to write music for the media have to become consummate professionals, but at the same time, they must also be highly sensitive and creative artists. Unfortunately, this push-pull between artistic

People who write music for film seem to exist right in the middle of the Artist/Professional dilemma.

Continued on Next Page 23

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Musical Shares Continued from Previous Page

and professional demands can make life pretty stressful for composers. The array of professional skills involved in writing and producing film music is vast. These include musical composition, orchestration, playing musical instruments, mastering a huge universe of technology, being a copyist, a recording engineer, a music editor, and performing many other tasks where a high level of professionalism is essential to getting the job done… to delivering.

In practice, while film composers are occupied being “artists,” there are legions of professionals without whom the film music industry couldn’t really deliver the goods. These pros assist (actually rescue) the writers of film music on a daily basis. They literally make creativity possible by shoring up many of the most demanding parts of a composer’s job. It is these people to whom most composers owe more than a debt of gratitude. They probably owe them their health, their sanity, and their careers. These people include our world-class professional musicians, or-

chestrators, programmers, recording engineers, music editors, tech providers, copyists and all the other experts that do the music preparation. These and many other behind-the-scenes professionals are the reason that film composers walk and talk and can actually make their deadlines in spite of all the often-overwhelming constraints and demands. We simply can’t do without them.

It was the great American author John Updike that really nailed the professionalism-in-art dilemma. He said, “Professionalism in art has this difficulty: To be professional is to be dependable, to be dependable is to be predictable, and predictability is esthetically boring—an anti-virtue in a field where we hope to be astonished and startled and at some deep level refreshed.” So true. But film composers have learned, often through bitter experience, that no one survives in this tough business without an artistic sensibility and a healthy dose of professionalism. As Updike noted, we artists must “astonish, startle and refresh.”

But no matter how astonishing and startling a film score might be, if it

doesn’t get delivered on time, on target and on budget, nothing else really matters. And, in fact, it’s a good thing that Steve Jobs was able to “ship” all of those miraculous, life-changing computers into our lives and our studios. I guess we can add him and all the other innovators to the list of “essential professionals” that we artistic composers g simply can’t do without. © Charles Bernstein 2018 www.charlesbernstein.com

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DISCLAIMER: The articles in The Score do not necessarily reflect the views of the Society of Composers & Lyricists.