career in production

[dj acto]

lol i'm in exactly the same position!!! Just never thought to create a thread about it

[thesynthesist]

financing is great, but if you dont have any experience, you arent gonna get any money.

You're gonna at least have to make a demo reel at home, so that you have something to show for yourself.

[John Locke]

financing is great, but if you dont have any experience, you arent gonna get any money.

You're gonna at least have to make a demo reel at home, so that you have something to show for yourself.

yeah, but i think he meant u should be sure the FILM has financial backing, as so many ppl talk about making films long b4 they r anywhere nr getting the money to actually do it.

and even of the films that DO get backing, and DO get made, something like 80 percent of them never even make it to the cinema cos they dont get distribution.

and of those that the public does get to see, not all that many actually make money.

its unlikely u r gonna get paid 4 the first few films u score, even if the film DOES have backing, but u want to b sure that these films actually come out and ppl see them, otherwise u r wasting yr time. so check out the seriousness of the project well b4 takin it on. even a 3 minute short needs funding, sometimes a lot of funding. but if that money is already coming from a TV channel or something then u know the film wìll get seen and yr gonna get exposure.

but if u r really just starting out then i guess u cant b too picky and just need 2b sure its a good project and the ppl r serious enough 2get it made, even if its then only screened in some shit little festivals the crucial thing is u got that all important first film on yr reel...

and even with funding theres no guarantee of this: a friend of mine did wardrobe for a short that had backing of 35,000 euros, but the director was some rich kid clown and after everyone put in 2 weeks of unpaid work shooting 10 hour nights in the rain she decided she didnt like the idea anymore and ditched the whole thing, not even bothering to make a rough edit of the rushes.

and then dispaeared, leaving a lot of angry ppl behind

[thinking]

making money out of this sort of thing is near to impossible, unless you're very very lucky, network and brown-nose with the best of them, and work incredibly hard for not much money for quite a while. Most of the money in underground music is in performance, not record sales, at least in dubstep/DnB etc. Even a career in writing hits for pop music companies/singers is incredibly hard to break into, and poorly paid until you hit the big time - I know people who have worked on this for years and not got very far for their efforts...


film/TV work is also bloody hard to get into, esp if you're talking about being commissioned to write original compositions - if you're serious about this side of things then you're more likely to make money through synchs for existing work. Have a look at these threads:

www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=23759 (esp. page 2)

www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=34223


doing a bit of free work for people is great but it's important to value your work - letting an indy movie/film students have a few existing tracks is cool, but I wouldn't consider scoring a no-budget movie for free unless there was a bloody good reason to.


with all these things esp making money in the commercial side of the music business, it's mainly about breaking into the existing network in order to find paid work - the clients buying/paying for the music already have people they use, so you have to convince them to move their business to someone they don't know, and you have to do the job at least as well as the last person they bought music off. Very very hard indeed, and often just down to who you know.

[John Locke]

doing a bit of free work for people is great but it's important to value your work - letting an indy movie/film students have a few existing tracks is cool, but I wouldn't consider scoring a no-budget movie for free unless there was a bloody good reason to.


with all these things esp making money in the commercial side of the music business, it's mainly about breaking into the existing network in order to find paid work - the clients buying/paying for the music already have people they use, so you have to convince them to move their business to someone they don't know, and you have to do the job at least as well as the last person they bought music off. Very very hard indeed, and often just down to who you know.

agreed, but a good reason might b just that its a seriosuly good looking script and talented director/cast. plenty of ppl who r already established will work for nothing on a no budget film if they think its gonna bring them something new...like getting away from scoring for shit commercial stuf and doing something more arthouse. but yeah, a first student film is unilkely tobe going to cannes...tho its not impossible

and secondly, yeah, it must b really hard to break into the commercial side of things, like anything. and a lot of ppl will just stick with the composers they already know, but there r others - those that r doing their jobs properly - who will search out new talent. so its by no means impossible.

assisting sum1 who is already established (as mentioned above by sum1 else) has got 2b a good way to get a foot in the door with commisioners etc.

and the assistant director on the film u r assisting on might b making their 1st film 6 months later, and u might get the call...

[thinking]

- hence why I said this:

I wouldn't consider scoring a no-budget movie for free unless there was a bloody good reason to.

i know people that have both synched existing music, and composed original material for TV, films, and independent projects - if there is some gain to be made, financial or otherwise, it's usually worth doing. The likelihood that a freebie will somehow garner paid work down the line is not really that great though.

basically, if there's a budget of some kind to make a program/movie, then some of that budget should have been apportioned to the sountrack - if the producer(s) tells you they haven't then they're either a complete amateur/idiot, they're lying/trying to take the piss, or don't and won't value your contribution...


as for people who are already successful doing some free work for a bit of light relief, well they're making money out of music already so there's no harm in the odd freebie to break the monotony if an interesting project comes along. For people trying to break into this industry, that isn't a luxury they're going to have.


Like I say, lots of people may dream of a career in composition but the reality is that 99.5% of them will fail - you need to be a skilled musician, able to write any kind of music at the drop of a hat, a self-sufficient and talented producer, and a good networker with a head for business. Writing dance music on a PC for a couple of years is just nowhere near enough experience to be able to become a professional producer.

Sorry if I seem harsh, but I know lots of people involved in various sides of the industry at all kinds of levels, and I'm trying to explain the realities as best I can.

[John Locke]

Sorry if I seem harsh, but I know lots of people involved in various sides of the industry at all kinds of levels, and I'm trying to explain the realities as best I can.

not overly harsh no. pretty accurate. but i'm not sure tellin ppl to quit b4 they even given it a go is the right advice either...even the 'establishment' had to get a foot in the door in the first place

and although i aint really into talkin about my personal life on the net, nor do i want 2 get into sum kind of "well I know more about this industry than u do" kind of bragging war, but my advice here is based on direct personal experience.

sorry, i really dot mean that 2come accross as arrogant or as some kind of a dis. everything u r saying is accurate, but i just think u r painting such a bleak picture that some might not even bother trying, which would b a shame

[thinking]

of course you're right - anyone CAN make it, but yea I'm just trying to give peeps a realistic idea of what to expect, and the work they need to put in if they want to 'make it'.

I know it seems like such an attractive career, but it's important for people to remember that it's not all just sitting in front of your computer writing beats.

[John Locke]

basically, if there's a budget of some kind to make a program/movie, then some of that budget should have been apportioned to the sountrack - if the producer(s) tells you they haven't then they're either a complete amateur/idiot, they're lying/trying to take the piss, or don't and won't value your contribution...

if its for a feature film or for TV, then yes, i agree

if its for a short, then no, its not like that at all: u might spend 20K just on film and processing for a short, even after calling in favours, and producers/directors almost never have the real amount of money they'd need to do everything properly, its a battle everytime. so u shouldnt expect to get anything out of scoring for short films, no matter what the budget or level of the director...i'd be surprised if anyone gets paid for working on a short ever.

tho u will b due royalties if the short gets aired on tv

sorry, i'll leave u alone now, honest

[djake]

cheers 4 all da info its been an nterestin read! with lots of good points made

was just a curious question really....so dnt expect to be seein the name djake at the end of any films anytime soon.

[dubsteppa]

anyone no how u get into make music for film tv ect. ect. ????

tv producers come 2 record companys and give them the 10 second or so clip of video use 4 the advert etc and the the record company will give it to the producers and they will send back like 5 diffrent versions if one is picked the the record company and the producer splitt the money 50-50

[twitch]

I was suprised to see this topic really. Doesnt everyone know that musicians are doomed to a life of poverty! Nah - i see money and work completly seperate to production. Im not writing beatz to sell records - i do it cause production is my hobby and i enjoy it. If i was into selling records and making profit, i would not be writing Dubstep!! I'd be doing some house/pop shit or whatever appeals to the masses.

As for actual paid work in the Audio industry tho - i just set up PA systems at partys/clubs/functions. Not as glamarous as a studio assistant - but its easy work and is closly related to my hobby.