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Originally Posted by chrisso  Either the scene is very different in the USA to the UK, the posters are long established film composers, or haven't worked as a film composer. |
Naw, it sounds pretty much the same
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Originally Posted by chrisso fact is, over the last 15 years budgets have radically shrunk, and at the same time scoring has become ultra competitive. |
That is absolutely true. Budgets are getting close to 25% of what they were in the mid-80's,while cost of living has doubled+.
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Originally Posted by chrisso A lot of those musicians and studio types from the pop/rock scene have seen film scoring as a get out of jail option, with the decline of work in their usual scene. |
True here as well.
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Originally Posted by chrisso There are usually a bunch of composers going for each job. |
Always!!!
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Originally Posted by chrisso Experience and a good show reel counts for a helluva lot. |
Not so much. Having personal relationships counts. An agent that can slot you in comes second. Experience?? Who needs that. Worse case, you can get some grad student to write it for you for next to nothing. Happens every single day in LA.
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Originally Posted by chrisso Go for a scoring job with limited experience and the attitude that the budget is too small, and you wont get a foot in the door. |
Again, not true. Check film credits. People showing up all the time that have no IMDb credits or practical experience. Mostly due to being somebody's brother in law or having been in a name band once upon a time.
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Originally Posted by chrisso Fact is, even on major movies the music is often the last thing that gets thought about and often an after thought. |
Sadly, that's true enough.
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Originally Posted by chrisso It's quite usual to be told "well we spent half the music budget on reshooting some scenes that weren't working. Sorry" |
LOL. True here also. Music is so devalued by Napster and the like that the paradigm has eeked it's way over into the film biz and music now (not completely, but in a huge amount of circumstances) has been devalued as well - equalling small to non-budgets.
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Originally Posted by chrisso It's also very normal to build up some skills, experience and examples of your work by working for free or for expenses only on student films or tiny independent films. |
Normal? Yes. Prefered? No. That's a dangerous road to embark on. Once on it, it's difficult to pull off and declare yourself worthy of being paid. Earn while you learn has always been my motto!!