So You Want To Become A Media Composer

In 'So You Want To Become a Media Composer?', Adonis Aletras provides all the necessary insight for beginners and professionals alike in a very unique way: by interviewing 65 of the BEST composers, performers and industry executives who are currently successful in their respective fields (more than 300 questions and answers). Offering their 'in the trenches' perspective through 5 custom questions, the interviewees (including John Debney, Jeff Beal, Bruce Broughton, Deborah Lurie, Steve Vai, Richard Kraft, Dawn Soler and dozens of esteemed others) provide answers that shed light into: film-TV scoring, composing for media, getting jobs, the business, academia, career, success/pitfalls, the industry, etc. No stone is left unturned in this one of a kind publication making it a must for anyone interested in pursuing a career in media composition.Presented in a clear and easy to navigate format, this book will be useful to aspiring composers, students and professionals who want to get an insider's view of how the best of the best handle their careers towards a path of success.

(Book). Tom Harrison's book How to Become a Film Composer gives up-and-coming composers the inspiration, information and the tools necessary to succeed in today's music for media industry. Harrison has spent years working on the front line in Hollywood, where he has held key positions on music teams for some of the world's most successful television shows. His own music can be heard all over television on projects ranging from Dateline NBC and The Voice to NBC Golf tournaments, WWW Monday Night Raw and beyond. How to Become a Film Composer begins with breaking down how to approach music in a dramatic context and how to cultivate your own unique sound. Next, Harrison covers the technical computer skills needed to work in this digital era of music production and finally provides a thorough guide to building a successful career. Whether you are a young student or a seasoned musician, if you want to learn more about what it takes to become a film composer, this is the book for you.

Avid Media Composer | First: Fundamentals of Video Editing introduces users to the power of Media Composer software and marks the first steps toward developing core skills in video editing. The book covers the basic principles you’ll need to complete a Media Composer | First project, from initial setup to final output, and it is designed for those who are new to professional video editing and also for experienced editors who are unfamiliar with Media Composer software. Each lesson and exercise will focus on a phase of the editing process, starting with organizing media, assembling a sequence, refining a sequence, creating titles and effects, and outputting your program so that others can view it. Although this book is not aimed at teaching the theory behind film and television production, the content provides some background on the craft of editing, making it appropriate for students and others new to the art. For those interested in gaining official Avid certification, this book is also a valuable introduction for further learning and through the Avid Learning Series curriculum.

Written in a Cookbook style, it's packed with logically-sequenced recipes to gain deeper understanding of the software. Each recipe contains step-by-step instructions followed by analysis of what was done in each task and other useful information. The book is designed so that you can read it chapter by chapter, or you can look at the list of recipes and refer to them in no particular order. If you are new to editing with Avid, this book will help you get the most out of Avid Media Composer right from the start. Even if you are intermediately experienced with Avid, you will discover new methods and gain a deeper understanding to take your Avid experience to the next level, with greater confidence.

(Music Pro Guides). Today, musical composition for films is more popular than ever. In professional and academic spheres, media music study and practice are growing; undergraduate and postgraduate programs in media scoring are offered by dozens of major colleges and universities. And increasingly, pop and contemporary classical composers are expanding their reach into cinema and other forms of screen entertainment. Yet a search on Amazon reveals at least 50 titles under the category of film music, and, remarkably, only a meager few actually allow readers to see the music itself, while none of them examine landmark scores like Vertigo , To Kill a Mockingbird , Patton , The Untouchables , or The Matrix in the detail provided by Scoring the Screen: The Secret Language of Film Music . This is the first book since Roy M. Prendergast's 1977 benchmark, Film Music: A Neglected Art , to treat music for motion pictures as a compositional style worthy of serious study. Through extensive and unprecedented analyses of the original concert scores, it is the first to offer both aspiring composers and music educators with a view from the inside of the actual process of scoring-to-picture. The core thesis of Scoring the Screen is that music for motion pictures is indeed a language , developed by the masters of the craft out of a dramatic and commercial necessity to communicate ideas and emotions instantaneously to an audience. Like all languages, it exists primarily to convey meaning . To quote renowned orchestrator Conrad Pope (who has worked with John Williams, Howard Shore, and Alexandre Desplat, among others): "If you have any interest in what music 'means' in film, get this book. Andy Hill is among the handful of penetrating minds and ears engaged in film music today."

THE ULTIMATE BOOK ON HARNESSING THE POWER OF AVID MEDIA COMPOSER . Filled with hundreds of techniques and profusely illustrated in color, it will help you discover new ways to use the system and do things you didn't know were possible. Written by one of the pioneers of the digital editing revolution, this second edition focuses on Media Composer 5.5. SUBJECTS COVERED INCLUDE: Interface Fundamentals; Advanced Editing & Trimming; The Smart Tool; Find & PhraseFind; Visual Effects & Advanced Keyframes; Color Correction; Titles; Mixing, RTAS & Stereo Audio; Multi-camera Editing; Toolsets & Workspaces; AMA & Media Management; Film & 24p Video; and much more. REVIEWS: "The most ambitious and comprehensive book on Avid Media Composer I've read. Like having a seasoned pro sitting next to you, revealing his trade secrets. If you're a Media Composer editor, rookie or old pro, 'Avid Agility' will make you a better editor, guaranteed!" -- Jonathan Moser, Post Magazine "The quickest path to becoming a Media Composer Jedi Master. Editor and teacher Steve Cohen has written a clear, comprehensively-illustrated and easy-to-understand guide -- a bible on advanced editing with Avid Media Composer 5.x. This book is essential reading!" -- Lawrence Jordan, founder, 2-pop.com & HollywoodReinvented.com "A definitive book about the Media Composer environment. May well be the ultimate book on customizing Avid's unique capabilities for individual creative editing." -- Ray Zone, Editors Guild Magazine "An easy read, logically laid out, and useful to novice and experienced editor alike. I highly recommend this book." -- Frank Capria, Consulting Designer, Media Composer, Avid Technology "Cohen's book will guide you to the next exciting level in the art of editing." -- Edgar Burcksen, CinemaEditor Magazine "An amazing work -- for both new and old Media Composer users." -- Norman Hollyn, Head of the Editing Track & Professor, USC School of Cinematic Arts "A very readable, incredibly illustrated book. Consistently delivers magical little tricks that make you say, 'I wish I'd known that yesterday!'" -- Steve Hullfish, Avid Master Editor, colorist, author of four books. EDITIONS: This second edition offers detailed coverage of Media Composer 5.5. You'll find even more information, with a focus on Media Composer 6, in Avid Agility, Third Edition.

A comprehensive, practical guide to composing video game music, from acquiring the necessary skills to finding work in the field. Music in video games is often a sophisticated, complex composition that serves to engage the player, set the pace of play, and aid interactivity. Composers of video game music must master an array of specialized skills not taught in the conservatory, including the creation of linear loops, music chunks for horizontal resequencing, and compositional fragments for use within a generative framework. In A Composer's Guide to Game Music, Winifred Phillips—herself an award-winning composer of video game music—provides a comprehensive, practical guide that leads an aspiring video game composer from acquiring the necessary creative skills to understanding the function of music in games to finding work in the field. Musicians and composers may be drawn to game music composition because the game industry is a multibillion-dollar, employment-generating economic powerhouse, but, Phillips writes, the most important qualification for a musician who wants to become a game music composer is a love of video games. Phillips offers detailed coverage of essential topics, including musicianship and composition experience; immersion; musical themes; music and game genres; workflow; working with a development team; linear music; interactive music, both rendered and generative; audio technology, from mixers and preamps to software; and running a business. A Composer's Guide to Game Music offers indispensable guidance for musicians and composers who want to deploy their creativity in a dynamic and growing industry, protect their musical identities while working in a highly technical field, and create great music within the constraints of a new medium.

This book is a collection of essays written by and interviews with working composers for film and television, and video games, exploring the business side of composing, addressing the lack of understanding about career development and business responsibilities as they relate to composers. Over 30 industry professionals, composers, directors, educators and business agents at all levels dispel myths about the industry and provide practical advice on topics such as how to break into the field; how to develop, nurture, and navigate business relationships; and how to do creative work under pressure. Readers will also learn about the entrepreneurial expectations in relation to marketing, strategies for contending with the emotional highs and lows of composing, and money management whilst pursuing a career in composing. Written for undergraduates and graduates studying composing, sound production, and filmmaking, as well as aspiring composers for film, TV, and games, this book provides readers with a wealth of first-hand information that will help them create their own opportunities and pursue a career in film and television.