5. Is a Score Composer Always a Score Composer?

I’m not asking this question to emphasize how difficult composing for film, TV, or games is. Naturally, I’m well aware that any profession becomes challenging when it’s done properly, and I have deep respect for everyone who practices their craft with care. What I really want to do here is to question the idea that everyone who is called a “score composer” today builds a great career by doing only that, to share some personal thoughts on a few common misconceptions, and to offer a short, practical roadmap for those who might benefit from it.

Lately, through my work as a PhD researcher at the University of West London, especially in the classes I teach to undergraduate film scoring students, as well as in conversations with musician friends around me, I’ve noticed a growing curiosity about what I do and a strong desire to understand how this path can be pursued. Answering these questions has pushed me to think more deeply, organize my experiences and knowledge, and reflect on what I’ve learned along the way. That process is what led me to want to share a general, personal perspective on this subject on my blog.

If you like, before reading any further, you can take a moment to look into the lives and career paths of productive and successful score composers from past to present and form your own general conclusion. But if you’d rather not do that, I’ll say it upfront a score composer most likely does not begin their career as a score composer. Either they never had such a goal to begin with, or, more likely, they reached this point successfully by gaining experience in other parts of the industry. You can understand why things tend to unfold this way, and why the dream of becoming a film composer rarely happens in a direct and “pure” form, simply by looking at the production budgets of an AAA video game, a Netflix or HBO TV series, or a Hollywood film. As you can imagine, in projects that involve such large amounts of money and manpower, handing over the entire musical side of the production to a team led by a single person requires that person to have come a long way, gained experience through various side paths, and developed a level of expertise and skill that clearly sets them apart. So, other than being a score composer, what else is a score composer? I’m not sure how closely you’ve ever looked at the music department of a production, but after reading this, I’d suggest taking two minutes to visit the IMDb page of your favorite film and checking the music department section to see who did what. You’ll quickly notice that during the music creation phase of a project there are many different roles involved, such as additional composer, arranger, orchestrator, score editor, recording engineer, mix and mastering engineer, composer assistant, synth programmer, and MIDI programmer.

Of course, these roles are not always formal stepping stones on the path to becoming a score composer. However, having a solid, even moderate, understanding of some of these areas can open many doors. It can connect you with the right people, allow you to contribute meaningfully to projects you might not yet be able to enter as a lead composer, help you learn a great deal from more experienced professionals, give you first-hand insight into how projects actually run, and ultimately improve your ability to choose and manage collaborators when you are leading your own projects in the future.

I want to make a simple and basic production diagram with you below. I believe it will be especially helpful for those who are new to scoring, don’t know where to start, or are looking for new roadmaps. If you are the person I’m trying to reach, please take the time to learn exactly what these professions involve, and dedicate extra time to studying those you think suit you. This way, instead of being someone whose résumé is still thin yet applies for a CEO role in a general sense, you can become a well-equipped, industry-savvy Swiss Army knife.

In addition to being a project-focused score composer, it is also useful to highlight other very important, specialized composing roles within the same industry.

Speaking from my own experience, thanks to the conservatory where I was trained as a solo pianist, I went through a process of becoming a session musician who approaches their work seriously. While studying, I composed all the music for the theater department’s productions. During these approximately 4–5 years, I gained experience in stage work practices, collaborating with theater directors, and responding to the incredibly fast-changing demands for music durations. Later, by completing a master’s in orchestral conducting, I learned how to communicate with an orchestra and how crucial instrumentation is when composing. Many of the projects I worked on initially faced budget constraints, so for years I focused on learning how to create proper mock-ups and how to mix my own work in the best possible way. I still feel that with every project I continue to build on that foundation; on this path where there is always room for improvement, I refine my ear and pursue quality through constant exploration. Lately, I’ve been specifically focusing on improving myself by practicing hybrid orchestration that blends multiple genres in a single piece, and I make sure to share the pieces I’m satisfied with with the outside world. Additionally, working as a freelance composer for companies like Hans Zimmer's Bleeding Fingers Music and Extreme Music has greatly contributed to my ability to accurately understand briefs, work against tight deadlines, produce high-quality work with minimal revisions, compose across different styles and genres, learn delivery protocols, grasp the standards of global professional practice, and adapt to them. In summary, I strongly recommend approaching other areas without fear, learning them, advancing in the ones you enjoy, integrating them into your workflow, and gaining enough knowledge to have a say, so that you can deliver the necessary work. This will help you better understand what a score composer does, allow you to contribute to alternative productions as a composer, and, with the growing mastery you develop in these fields, cultivate a much more refined ear and sense of taste. Who knows? Perhaps this determination to learn will allow you to observe the subtleties of mixing alongside master Alan Meyerson, witness the craftsmanship of world-standard orchestrations with production powerhouses like Òscar Senén or Adam Price, or see how to get the best performance from an orchestra under maestros like Ben Palmer or Anthony Parnther. It may open new doors for you, change your path, or strengthen it. Next topic: "Transforming Ideas into Music: Exercises That Actually Work"