How To Get Into Film Scoring
Unlike the professions most people create a LinkedIn profile to join, film scoring doesn’t have a direct application process. Making it more challenging, while there are more opportunities to find composing jobs these days thanks to the streaming wars, there are more composers, which makes it hard to stand out. That said, how does one get a film scoring job? After analyzing the business, I’ve met composers who’ve come from one of three categories.
Work as an assistant to a composer
Undoubtably, this is the most secure strategy to finding a career as a film composer. With this, you’ll likely move to one of the film scoring meccas—New York, London, certainly Los Angeles. Composers hire their assistants via word of mouth and after hearing samples of music. To increase your chances of getting hired, make it a priority to have everyone in you circle know you are “[Your name], the composer.” This will help your name get out faster in an already relatively small community. Once hired, you’ll be performing the tasks that take composers away from composing, e.g. studio maintenance, computer backups, synth programming, and coffee runs. (You’ll be at an advantage if you’re savvy with multiple DAWs.) Other tasks may include note taking in meetings, orchestrating cues, and, hopefully, writing additional music. Through time—budget a few years—you’ll be getting what every young composer wants: mentorship from the composer, introductions to industry folk such as the composer’s agent—who could very well become your agent—and job referrals from the composer in the event they cannot take on another project.
Notable composers who have taken this route are Ludwig Göransson assisting Theodore Shapiro, Ramin Djawdi, John Powell, Pinar Toprak, and Harry Gregson-Williams assisting Has Zimmer.
Use your relationship with a filmmaker/producer
As an undergraduate composition student—a freshman in academia and life—I figured this was the sole path to get a job in film scoring. Composers who take this route are likely starting from scratch with their filmmaking counterparts whom they’ve met in school, at film festivals, or in a professional internship-like setting. While living in New York, I attended film festivals and introduced myself to young filmmakers in hopes of joining them as a collaborator. It should be noted this is not the most secure way to get into the game. Reason being, most young directors are at the mercy of their studios when starting out. The studio is taking a bit of a “risk” on them and will likely minimize this risk by surrounding their young talent with an established, experienced crew including a composer. It isn’t outlandish to have the composer signed onto the film before the director. It’s more feasible for composers to use their relationships to maintain work vs. getting their first job.
Notable people who have taken this route are Michael Giacchino with J. J. Abrams, John Williams with Steven Spielberg, Terence Blanchard with Spike Lee.
Have a successful music career (in another area)
Have you ever loved a recording artist to the point you thought they should score a film? Sometimes producers and filmmakers will hire such an artist because they, too, are a fan. This opportunity will go to the artists who have already made a name for themselves to the point they might be an asset to the film production, e.g. Daft Punk scoring 2010’s TRON: Legacy. In other cases, the film’s director might be using an artist’s music as a temp track and, as a result, ask the artist to make original music leading to a new career path. This was the case for Max Richter. This strategy relies on years of experience outside of film and may not be the preferred method if you are devoted to being a film composer. But if you’re already on the world stage of pop, electronic, classical, or jazz music, your name might hold enough market value to get you composing for media.
Notable people who have taken this route are Daft Punk, Jonny Greenwood, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Max Richter.