Film Scoring ..................................................................................................
One of the most lucrative careers that a music composer can pursue is writ-
ing scores for films. It’s a very difficult arena to get into, though, and if you’re
not able to stomach competition or rejection, it’s probably not for you. If you
do get your moment in the sun, however, just remember that your score has
to fit the film, it has to be evocative emotionally, and you absolutely have to
be able to stick to all deadlines and timetables thrown at you, no matter how
impossible they seem. See Chapter 17 on more about being a film composer.Video Game Scoring.....................................................................................
Video game scoring is another very lucrative career for composers, and also
one of the most challenging. You have to have an intimate knowledge of every
game you’re scoring for, including the sounds needed for every possible sce-
nario in the game. Most video games are wall-to-wall sounds, all the way
through, and therefore require a composer to write a lot of music. An inti-
mate knowledge of how rhythm and changing tempos affects mood is neces-
sary, as is the ability to compose both highly unpleasant, discordant music
and triumphant-sounding music to fit scenes on a very tight deadline. There
is more about video game scoring in Chapter 17.Songwriting ...................................................................................................
Another good career for composers is that of a songwriter. Many big-name
pop stars depend on songwriters to come up with lyrics for them, and if you
can get your foot in the door in this highly competitive field, you’ll have no
trouble finding money to fund your own pet projects.A good place to start finding leads is the book Songwriter’s Market(Ian Bessler,
Writer’s Digest Books). Songwriter’s Marketlists hundreds of agencies, record
labels, publishing companies, and production companies looking for songwrit-
ers to work with, as well as pay rates and basic contract information.Chapter 21: Nine Career Opportunities for Composers 271