The Composer as Consultant

Being a freelance composer can be challenging at times. In school we're taught how to conduct a great spotting session, or the smoothest way to modulate from Bb Major to E minor, but we're taught little to nothing about running a business. And when you're an independent contractor you're also a business owner.I spend a lot of time reading business books, trying to learn how to do a better job. Unfortunately it's pretty hard to find information that's relevant. Most of the books out there are about running a business with a tangible product, not something as hard to describe and discuss as music.Lately though I've come across an industry that might actually have a lot in common with composing for film: Consulting.

"The real value comes from our expertise on how to give the filmmaker what they need, not just to write down the notes they think they want."

Its not a perfect analogy, but in many ways a composer is like a consultant who specializes in using music to bring out the story and emotions of a film. Just like a consultant may advise a corporation on how to be more efficient, a filmmaker brings us on to recommend the best way to make the heroine's heartache resonate or the action scene thrilling and terrifying.Although we are also like craftsmen, constructing a score like a carpenter builds a beautiful dresser, the actual writing of notes is only a part of what we do. The real value comes from our expertise on how to give the filmmaker what they need, not just to write down the notes they think they want.