Career Description
A Composer usually starts working from behind his or her computer in their recording studio, using software such as Logic Pro to write music, score, program, and conform music to picture edits or Director or Producer-mandated changes in musical direction. Most Composers rely heavily on sample libraries, although those working on bigger budget projects sometimes are able to hire musicians for live instrumentation.
Depending on the project, Film Composers work with Directors, Producers, Music Supervisors, Music Editors, Film Music Composers, and musicians. Sometimes they tend to work with Piano Techs. Composers who specifically write music for commercials are known as Jingle Writers. During post-production, the Re-recording Mixer will make sure the levels of the Composer’s music sync well with the Sound Designer’s contributions and with the dialogue and sound effects used in the film.
For this piece we spoke to Film Composer Jacob Yoffee and Classical Composer John Buckley.
What is the difference between a musician and a Composer?
John Buckley (Maynooth Te Deum, Rivers of Paradise, Concerto for Organ and Orchestra)
A musician is anybody who makes music. This includes Composers, Arrangers, Conductors, instrumentalists, Singers, and others. Many musicians engage in several of these activities eg. a Composer who plays piano, a Conductor who arranges music.
Other musicians focus on just one of these — e.g. I am a professional Composer but I do not conduct orchestras or perform in public (though I can play the flute). I compose music that is performed by orchestras and choirs and so forth. A simple definition — all Composers are musicians because they compose music — not all musicians are Composers, because some concentrate on performing music written by other people.
What is the difference between a Music Composer and a Music Director?
John Buckley (Maynooth Te Deum, Rivers of Paradise, Concerto for Organ and Orchestra)
A Composer actually creates or invents the music — this is usually, though not necessarily, written down in the form of a score. A Musical Director, such as a Conductor of an orchestra or a Director of a musical show interprets the music that has been created by the Composer. Simple definition: the Composer creates, the Musical Director interprets the Composer’s work.
Salary
On average, Composers earn approximately $40,500 per year. The salary range for Composers runs from $20,000 to $115,000.
“I’d rather tell someone the bad news first,” Yoffee says. “It’s not like they tell you in school: ‘You’re the Composer. You’ll be making this much.’” Income is very low for those just starting out.
“You won’t be making a living,” he says, adding that many Composers just starting out make under $5,000 a year, earning “only $500 for an entire 80-minute film, but people do it just for the credit. They say $30,000 in school for the first film [you score],” but the reality is significantly lower. This is possible because so many people are willing to work for free. Composers are paid on a per-project basis.
Career Outlook
”I work 60 hours a week,” Yoffee says. “On a project, I work up to 120 hours a week. Deadlines and rewrites mean stress levels get really high.”
Producers and Directors may decide to cut or rearrange scenes, or the Music Editor may decide they want a song in one scene instead of a score. “The amount of rejection, the stress, it’s a thousand no’s before you get a yes,” he says about his early years as a Composer, struggling to get established and even find those first few paid industry jobs.
Career Path
”It is nearly a million-to-one odds” that an aspiring Composer will earn a living in his or her chosen field, says Los Angeles-based Composer Jacob Yoffee. This is a highly competitive field, akin to breaking into Hollywood as an Actor.
He cautions that it’s extremely difficult to get that first composing job or to make a solid wage as a Composer, especially for those just starting out.
“Prospects are a bit higher now because people are making films independently of studios,” he says, but these indie films also often have very low (or no) budgets. Advancement in this career will primarily be financial, and very few will ever achieve the name recognition and high salaries of legends like John Williams or Hans Zimmer. Composers can also transition into becoming Music Supervisors.
According to Yoffee, the best way to start your job search is by searching Craigslist postings, approaching Directors, and working on student films. “Start at the bottom and it’s going to be rough. You’re going to work on stuff that you’re like, ‘I hope no one ever sees this.’”
Basically, you have to find that one person who says “I’m going to give you a chance. ” He advises, “work with everyone. No matter how big, treat it as the dream gig you’ve always wanted. No matter who’s hiring you, you have to give 100%.”
