Composer's Assistant

Great question! Something I've been wondering myself. The only person I know that does this for a Hollywood composer doesn't get paid, but I have no idea if that is the norm for all composer assistants. You'd think they should get paid something but with some many people dying to get a chance to work with a top film composer on major projects.... I could see them offering little to no payment.

Side note: I know that many of the other internships in Hollywood are unpaid. Suckage.

I had never thought of it until I noticed that Jesper Kyd (Assassin's Creed, Hitman) has an assistant - Carl Vaudrin (also an incredibly talented composer.)

Remember guys,

the hands on experience you get by being a composer's assistant is priceless. You see what the job is like, and are able to get a lot of info from a working composer at the same time. Its like being in school and you are the only one in the class. In a way. There are job openings that are out there. www.filmmusic.net is a site that often will show these positions if there are any. Its a great web site as well.

Quote:

Original post by smerrill79 Remember guys, the hands on experience you get by being a composer's assistant is priceless. You see what the job is like, and are able to get a lot of info from a working composer at the same time. Its like being in school and you are the only one in the class. In a way. There are job openings that are out there. www.filmmusic.net is a site that often will show these positions if there are any. Its a great web site as well.

All very true however I can't even begin to consider this type of position because I'm the sole income earner. While the learning and experiences would be fantastic it wouldn't pay the bills which would outweigh any positives gained from the experience. At least for me.

So I have to try and balance a situation where I can make a living while still learning, growing and advancing my career.

Slightly off topic- you mentioned http://filmmusic.net/ and I checked it out. Looks like you have to pay to join then you also have to pay each time you submit material to a job. Man is that frustrating! I'd much rather have to only pay a membership fee or pay if my work is chosen instead of paying each time I want someone to just consider my work. Do you use this site regularly? Do you get much paid work from it?

[Edited by - nsmadsen on January 27, 2010 2:02:56 PM]

Some of the people with whom I work have assistants. Often the assistants are people who are just out of college. Some are paid, some are not. Some of the paid assistants stay on for years. Other assistants are just hired on freelance when the situation demands it or are unpaid interns for a few months.

Sometimes the assistant may be referred to as a "composer tech" or "tech assistant". These assistants perform various tasks: bounce stems at the end of the day, maintain the composer's sample library, update their software, etc. Some are very knowledgeable and build custom environments in Logic for the composer or redesign whole setups for the composer. Most often these assistants just handle tech stuff and are expected to have a good working knowledge of the current DAWs and other software on the market as well have an understanding of film music editing basics like timecode, basic delivery formats, and the like.

But some composers don't want just a "tech". Every composer who uses an assistant has different needs. Some need a person who has solid notation and orchestration knowledge, others need someone who is capable of deep synth programming. Some need a person who has a little of both. Sometimes a composer's assistant does a few technical/musical tasks but spends most of the time picking up the dry cleaning, getting the car washed, and running errands. There's no set role, it just depends on the composer's situation.

If you're looking for one of these jobs or internships, try tapping your college or university's alumni network. That often seems to be a good start. Besides, a music degree (completed or in progress) shows you'll probably have the knowledge to be useful to the composer. Some college programs will give credit if you intern for a composer. Usually it has to be an approved internship through your school. These types of unpaid opportunities can be great learning experiences.

Outside of a school setting it's usually a case of networking, i.e. who knows you. These jobs are rarely advertised publicly and the ones that are advertised are sometimes not very good. Not good = At best - little learning potential, ridiculous hours. At worst - no pay, no credit, and forced overtime for some unappreciative jerk who burns through assistants every couple months. (There are a few of those out there.)

Edit: Final thought... I do have some colleagues who make their livings as assistants to name composers. Some of these people have moved from one composer to another over the years. These people have done a variety of tasks as assistants from production coordination to music editing to music preparation to standard techie stuff. As an assistant, a breadth of knowledge can be very helpful.

[Edited by - Muzo72 on January 27, 2010 3:02:50 PM]

@smerill

I definitely agree that a position as a composer's assistant would be priceless! Unfortunately I'm in the same bill-paying boat as Nathan. Thanks for sharing that website!

@Muzo72

I have been hearing more and more stories of the car-washing, house cleaning assistant. I think that's pretty humorous. I can just picture the strapping, young, fresh-out-of-college composer ready to learn from the BEST just to do the same errands his mom yelled at him about for years.

Thanks for the explanation! That clears it up for me.

Regards,

Stephen White
http://www.garageband.com/artist/stephenwhite

Quote:

Original post by StephenWhite I have been hearing more and more stories of the car-washing, house cleaning assistant. I think that's pretty humorous. I can just picture the strapping, young, fresh-out-of-college composer ready to learn from the BEST just to do the same errands his mom yelled at him about for years.

Don't laugh too much. I do know some people who started out running errands for a composer and wound up writing cues for network TV shows with that same composer a few years later. It really depends on the composer. Some composers are happy to let someone be a fly on the wall and learn by watching while doing other tasks. If they see potential, they may start giving tasks requiring more responsibility. However, it's rare for someone to come right out of school and start writing cues on a major project. There's just too much that isn't taught in school.

Other composers aren't interested in sharing their knowledge or don't really have a position for an assistant to advance. They may have all the technical and music help they need and only need someone who can handle some menial tasks. You can still learn something by doing these jobs, but you may have to look elsewhere for advancement.

Bottom line: There is no set role.

In my experience, the best assistant opportunities are usually with established film/TV composers. Games don't have the same kind of budgets and the composers don't make as much so they can't offer the same kind of opportunities. But again, it's tough to generalize in this industry. Your mileage may vary.

@ nsmadson

i understand. as a composer, the saying "dont quit your day job" is very true. My suggestion. Find a team and offer your abilities as a composer. The whole goal would be to not show them how talented you are (they will see that themselves) but rather act as a supporter and show them that you want to help their business grow.

Work on communication, develop a good deal of trust. At the end, if they do well, I highly doubt they will toss you to the curb.

Film Music Network is a very good site, but as you say, it does cost money to join as well as submit. So, pick your battles.
Go to forums where you find composers giving their websites out and listen to their stuff. Find the spots that you have that they dont. Eventually, you will find that you may have a certain style that others dont. THAT is what you want to present. I have seen hundreds of sites and many sound the same.

People are waiting for new stuff. Something that provokes emotion, feeling, etc....

John Williams, James Newton Howard, Danny Elfman, etc....all of these composers have their own unique sound. Brian Tyler hits the scene and WOW something different. You could be next. When we think of Elfman or Williams, we probably assume that these guys can sit down and whip something out. Fact is.....they spend hours and hours and hours writing.

This is just something that a creative mind has to do. Just like an athlete spends hours in the gym getting his/her body in shape and keeping it that way, a composer spends hours creating.

Best of luck

steve

Quote:

Original post by Muzo72 Quote: Original post by StephenWhite I have been hearing more and more stories of the car-washing, house cleaning assistant. I think that's pretty humorous. I can just picture the strapping, young, fresh-out-of-college composer ready to learn from the BEST just to do the same errands his mom yelled at him about for years. Don't laugh too much. I do know some people who started out running errands for a composer and wound up writing cues for network TV shows with that same composer a few years later. It really depends on the composer. Some composers are happy to let someone be a fly on the wall and learn by watching while doing other tasks. If they see potential, they may start giving tasks requiring more responsibility. However, it's rare for someone to come right out of school and start writing cues on a major project. There's just too much that isn't taught in school. Other composers aren't interested in sharing their knowledge or don't really have a position for an assistant to advance. They may have all the technical and music help they need and only need someone who can handle some menial tasks. You can still learn something by doing these jobs, but you may have to look elsewhere for advancement. Bottom line: There is no set role. In my experience, the best assistant opportunities are usually with established film/TV composers. Games don't have the same kind of budgets and the composers don't make as much so they can't offer the same kind of opportunities. But again, it's tough to generalize in this industry. Your mileage may vary.

Very well spoken. You are right. There is a ton that is not taught in school. Has anyone been taught how to communicate with a director....someone that may not have the slightest clue about music? Probably not. By the way, it is called the music Business for a very good reason. It is a business. And to get into the business, sometimes you might have to start by pushing a broom in a sense. If you can make a person like you and desire to help you along in your career goals, you are doing a good job. Some people want music, others want to see their helpers succeed. If someone believes in you and sees that you are willing to do anything and everything, putting in the time and effort with no complaints, at that point, they will do all they can to help you out. THIS is priceless. Remember, many composers out there were in the same position as you and remember how they were helped, and many want to return the favor by helping someone else.