I always like to ask people from any industry how they became successful in their business. At what point did they get that one job that catapulted the growth of their service or company. You can pretty much plug in any business to that equation. If it’s a contractor maybe he got the big housing tract or government contract that linked him to the next big contract. If it’s an actor, maybe it was the little pilot that turned into “The Office” that made him John Krasinski. If it’s a composer, maybe it’s the show with a small music budget but a big deserted island budget that brought him to an Oscar for an animation film.

Unlike other industries though, with composing the bridge is missing from not working, to working. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the people who do get that first job. Some composers were in successful bands. Some were sound tech geeks that a director got a hold of. Some were film editors. Some just met a guy at a garage sale who happened to need a composer at that very moment. How do you make sense of that? For myself, I’ve tried to take on a wide variety of projects from a wide variety of producers. You know, throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall assuming that something will eventually stick. The difficulty in that sentence is the word “eventually”. How long can you hold out before you’ve got to get a job at the local coffee shop? Even in acting one has the ability, the necessity really, to go on auditions. Growing in your confidence, perfecting your craft, building a portfolio, but where can we do that as a composer?

What’s worse is that at this moment in time everything is in a flux. The money is drying up, but ironically there has never been this much content in history. We are in a terrible economic place, but that didn’t stop the highest grossing film EVER to be released. Producers are crying broke while amazing new technologies in 3D and super cars are being thrown into the market place. So doesn’t that mean logically that there is some way to tap into the market that exists and is growing? Maybe the reality is that there’s plenty of work to be had, there’s just a new way of going about getting it. Anyone have any ideas? Let’s hear em! The composer world is listening, because I know there are a lot of very talented people who are hurting for work.

As I talk about often, there is a risk of losing true artistry in an industry full of art, especially when the suits can take advantage of a situation of crying money woes when the lug nut on their Maserati could pay for a couple months of sustenance of a lowly composer. For instance, no one understands how gas prices move up and down so much. They make it really complicated, and when something happens that you would think make them go up, like a catastrophic oil spill, they don’t. But when a terrorist upsets a tiny production in an obscure desert you’re selling off your kids to get to your next gig. Like when the cost of necessities goes up because of the price of fuel for delivery, but doesn’t come back down when those prices drop. Okay that’s enough of that.

Point is, there’s plenty of money and plenty of content, but because of the worlds flex in technology and finance the things that used to work don’t anymore. When I figure it out I’ll let the world know… maybe. At least after I reap some of the benefits for myself. The trick is to keep writing, keep creating, and don’t give up, because as I often quote a good composer and teacher of mine, “the only people who don’t make it in this business are the ones who give up”… I hope.

One might say it was just a matter of time before this “recession”, code for “depression”, has affected the entertainment industry, which I am willing to accept. The issue that dumb founds me is the fact that there is more content on T.V. than there ever has been in the history of television. Truth is, there are probably a lot more films being released because a lot of them go to DVD a lot faster these days. So why is it that the ever so important aspect of story telling, on any level, that music brings is being pushed to the back of the line?

You might think that I’m crazy because all the big shows are still doing well. Lost, Amazing Race, Hells Kitchen, etc. And there are a whole lot of new shows popping up on the networks as well, but us back end supporters are being squeezed by cheap libraries and licensed bands. I’m all for both, believe it or not, but how much is being lost in quality for the saving of a few bucks? Maybe a lot, maybe a little. At the end of the day the giant corporations that back all of this content don’t really care. It’s all about the money. At what point do the numbers start to make sense again after somewhere in the back section of the company assets in a housing tract that was a complete loss is compensated by the success of the next hottest singing high school show about bliss. Sorry, long winded… it’s the only thing that really makes sense though.

All of this falls in line with the fact that the infrastructure that has supported the television industry is in complete confusion. Advertising dollars are being redirected and big networks are not the ones making ALL of the blockbusters anymore. Everything as we know it is going to change and no one seems to know when and how… including Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.

The truth is, it’s like any other industry. There is a pyramid of what is the most successful and profitable. The biggest bang for the buck is at the tip of that pyramid, but is also the hardest to squeeze your way into. The shows that are making money are still making a lot of money. The budgets keep coming and studios are banking on the next big hit. But the people making that hit are staying put, perfectly happy. The trick of course is to get into the next one, slipping in under the radar… or just bulling your way through the crowd. Either way, it’s about the tight nit peeps at the tip of that pyramid. I’m still working on how to accomplish that… I’ll keep you posted.

One thing is for sure, artists typically are not driven by money. They are driven by the art and fulfillment of that project. The budget crunchers are only driven by money. What’s the point of investing in something that isn’t going to reap a profit. So here’s the thing about it. Without the artists there is no content, and without content you have no product, and with no product you have nothing to sell, and with nothing to sell you have no income. On the flip side, without the money, you have no tools or way to sustain yourself, so with no tools, there is no art, and if you have no art you are no longer an artist. So at the end of the day… we need each other. There’s no other way around it, and there is no reason to fight it.

If you bring back the music, you bring in the money!

For me personally 3D films have been a double edge sword. I love the concept and I love the experience, but I hate the double images and ensuing headache. There have been a lot of technological advances in our movie experience, and with the progress in home entertainment, theaters have to do some work to keep things on the cutting edge. As I’ve said regarding my skeptic ways, I don’t jump on board with the next big gimmick easily. Laser discs, projection, flat screen projection, HD, digital, blah, blah, blah. Who can keep up?

Now that I’ve actually broken down and jumped into the Avatar frenzy I have to admit that senior Cameron has done it again. There is the impeccable attention to detail and follow through that we all know and love… even if by accident. The visual is crisp and cohesive. I can’t say I ever noticed a difference or variance between live action and CG. What that means to me is less distraction, distraction from the story, from the emotion, and from the enjoyment this film deserves. The computer animation was astounding with the Avatar characters facial expressions, skin tone, and hair. And I have to say that the 3D quality was at a level that I had not experienced.

Mr. James Horner did a great job on the score. It seems like every director has his favorite composer, which I think is great… still looking for mine. Where I thought the score was so well done was not only in the theme, which are hard to find these days, but in the effort made to combine traditional orchestration with modern elements. There is a sound emerging in the score world of harsh mechanical samples that could have easily over run the film. Instead, the sounds of fantasy and mystery utilized with lush strings and classic orchestration was perfectly blended with electronic percussion and synths.

There is something that happens to the majority of artists who use their talents to make a living. The passion that once was, gets lost. After the success comes complacency and the chase for the next big gig. From what I understand, Avatar was written by a young, passionate, Cameron with a clear vision and a massive imagination… and it shows. He takes you on a journey into a complex subject with simple story lines that everyone loves. For the first time in a very long while, I caught myself feeling like I was experiencing something new and exciting. Avatar is a perfect example of a pure vision with professional follow through.

There is a bigger picture to this picture. Avatar has officially changed the film goers experience. James Cameron has upped the anti again. There will be a day when this level of film making will be old news just like Star Wars. Until then, there will be a long road to ho for all the follow up blockbusters trying to match the challenge.

NBC… Who’s NBC? Well NBC, currently NBC Universal has been a giant in media in some form for as long as there’s been broadcast media. It is amazing to me how short of a period it has taken to come from black and white tube T.V.’s to fully digital flat screens that hang on your wall. Along with all that technology has come massive changes in how the media gets to your screen.

We as the general public don’t think much about how things started. We just have strong memories of classic shows that shaped our childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, from the “A Team”, to “Friends”, to “Seinfield”, to “The Biggest Loser”. There is a dichotomy in film and T.V. that is created by the fact that the delivery system for media is driven by business, otherwise known as money, but the content is driven by art. All of the elements that create the media we all love are based in design, performance, creation, and emotion. The problem is that art is expensive, well only if it isn’t successful. So something quite profound is happening in the entertainment industry with the invention of iTunes and Hulu. The system that has worked since the 1930’s, isn’t working.

Only recently did I learn that shows were created by advertisers, not the network. “Guiding Light” was the longest running soap opera that only recently, after 70 years was taken off of the air. Originally this was created by soap manufacturers to catch the attention of housewives listening to the radio, integrating their product into quick intermissions between all the riveting drama. Obviously, other advertisers wanted in on the action, which the broadcasters took full advantage of. This process has flipped a bit. By having a successful show that draws millions of focused viewers, you now have a format for advertising dollars. CHA CHING! Superbowl 2009 cost $3 million dollars for 30 seconds. It just took 30 seconds to write that and I didn’t get a dime. That’s just for the air time, forget about the cost of the content.

So why in the world would GE try to dump NBC? Well this is just a lowly ol’ struggling film composers take, but… PEOPLE DON’T WATCH COMMERCIALS. First it was Tivo, now known mostly as a DVR. Guess what, not only can you watch what you want when you want, you don’t have to watch all those ads!! This revolutionary device was introduced in 1999. That was the start of commercial free T.V. Actually, they are produced, paid for, slotted and shown, it’s just that we don’t watch them. Deciding what and when you want to watch also means deciding what you don’t want to watch. So now the content really has to grab your attention, and for some that hasn’t been happening.

Along with all of that, for the last two decades networks have been able to coast on the momentum of the previous 50 years, but then came the speed, access, and drive space fed by the Internet. More and more people are now watching T.V. online. New DVD players and T.V.’s connect directly to the world wide web, providing access to endless media content without the networks.

So what does this mean for me, and anyone else interested in tapping in to the world of television? To be honest I’m not sure, but what I do know is that technology is changing the way that T.V. works and how we get paid. Because reality T.V. is so much less expensive it has grown to become a behemoth along with it’s general structure has changed how we write music. At least it is getting broadcast and is still traceable.

So here’s the issue. Like any system that has been in place, working seemingly fine untouched for decades, the infrastructure is there to track literally every second of airtime an artist gets. Thankfully there are organizations in place to help with all these tedious details daunting to any artists mind. But how do we track all this business on the web? How do the content providers get back to forcing the viewers to watching the ads… the money? Hulu is in control of what is shown during an episode, not the viewer, so maybe they have that covered. We watch the commercials during the super bowl because it’s an American event. The advertisers put so much into their content it’s like getting ready for a hundred 30 second blockbusters. We WANT to watch them. Maybe that IS worth $3 million bucks?

What is the point to all this information and jib jab? Just like the record companies who have lost millions of dollars on the fat they once earned with CD sales, “forcing” them to crack down on 12 year old girls and their purple lap tops, music in video content is becoming more valuable. Why should some guy who cut together a video of him shooting a potato gun off the back of his dirt bike on You Tube be able to use Thomas Newman’s hard work to broadcast all over the world? How do you track it? Truth is, until now private video production was so personally delivered, who cares… right? I mean, what’s Thomas Newman going to charge for four minutes of crummy footage. The problem is that Billy Bob is now getting exposure, viewer hits, links to his potato gun web site and profiting from Thomas Newman’s hard work. Well, you get the idea.

So, am I the guy that needs to get paid for every little thing I do? Not even a little bit, but I would like to be in control of what I give out for free. More than that, I would like people to realize that the reason creators get paid so well in the entertainment business is because there is a value to the art. The finale of “Family Ties” where everyone cry’s drawing millions of viewers was made by the artists and sold lots of ad space which perpetuates the business, which perpetuates the art. I applaud change, ease, instant access, and all that stuff, but I hope the substance doesn’t get too watered down along the way.

What we do as artists is meant to move people. Move them to cry, laugh, contemplate, forget, change, love, and in order to strive for that depth we need to feel valued.

Here’s the thing, no matter how you are writing, you still need to know how to write. For the moment, much of the music written for film and T.V. is made up of acoustical instruments, familiar sounds that are played by humans in real spaces. If a composer doesn’t have the ability to recreate that sound with a semblance of classical knowledge, then we all begin to lose the knowledge of how real music resonates in the human ear. How the wave forms travel from a vibrating string, wind reed, or skin of a drum, to the drums in our ears. I know that may sound a bit dramatic, but the point is that music equates into emotion, with or without picture. Music can make you feel pensive, happy, melancholy, or angry, you name it the emotion is there. It is my firm belief that a composer’s responsibility is to “service the film“; To support the emotion and vision of a director drawing their audience into a film, series, or commercial. If we lose the fundamentals of what that means, we have lost the art of music in its relationship to film.

There have been many points in history where the face of music has changed. When technology threatened to alter the course of sound that we have been familiar with for centuries. A synthesizer to define an era, or a voice altering generator that defines an entertainment icon, we always end up back with the fundamentals of the “real thing”, incorporating those innovations throughout. What does that mean you ask? It means two things to me. If you are a modern film composer, don’t forget to be a musician. Don’t forget what music is and the instruments and the people that play them (another subject) give to the overall art. At the same time, understanding that we live in a world of orchestras in a box, hip hop beats testing the limits of bass levels, synthetic sounds found only in fiction, and that ignoring these advances only stifles our own inspiration.

Find the balance. Don’t forget the music.

So, with all of these “royalty free” library’s and garage band mix’s, is the value of an original score being diluted? Probably to some degree, but there is a tremendous amount of thought that goes into the creation of a score. There are so many details from the musicality in its inception, to the instruments used in a hit point. For instance, you wouldn’t write the same music for a network drama as you would for a blockbuster film like Pirates of the Caribbean right? Not just because the budget’s different, or the content isn’t the same, but because they are on a completely different quality level. Having a 60 piece orchestra blowing out fat blatty horns is simply too big for a little TV drama. It doesn’t fit. Along with that, there is a rhythm to visual content. The pace in which something is edited and where the audio crosses over transitions all have an impact on what happens with the music and how you work around dialog. Sure there are a lot of things where library music can be cut in, but there is no question that it detracts from the quality of a film. There is a term, “TV Tight”. To be at a professional level, the entire mix should be as seamless as possible. Nothing should distract from what is happening on screen, in fact it should draw you in without you even knowing it.

At times even silence is your friend. Silence is uncomfortable in social situations, in observing something, possibly intimate moments that you may or may not normally be a part of. Silence is very powerful, and especially so when it is just before or just after a leading score. It’s like being dropped off in the desert in the middle of the night after blasting music on your road trip to Vegas only to be left with anxious and slightly disturbing… silence. “Sometimes less is more” is a term I think all storytellers in an age of shaky camera’s and eye blistering fire balls should keep in the front of their minds.

Whatever the call, it should always be about the intent of the film and how the music enhances its process.