The Blog – Page 5 – Shie Rozow – Composer, Music Editor

Quick Tip: Editing Soundtrack CDs

At the end of a film, I often have the pleasure of cutting the soundtrack CD. I find this part of the process to be especially fun because there are no more picture constraints, no hit points, no sound effects to compete with. It’s all about the music. It’s also challenging to pick & choose which pieces to keep, which not to include, where to edit (if at all) and in what order they should play. Here are a few quick tips that I use when cutting soundtracks:

1. Start by building a session with all the cues in show order. Trim any empty space in the fronts and ends of the audio files so they are nice and tidy.

2. Shoot for a soundtrack that’s about 45 minutes long. Less seems short. More can be too much. This isn’t a hard rule, if the soundtrack feels right at 44 minutes or 47 minutes that’s fine. Trust your instincts.

3. Get rid of cues that are repetitive or based on other cues. These make a lot of sense thematically in the film, but if they are very similar there’s typically no need for more than one in the soundtrack album.

4. Trim the fat. Writing for film often means vamping, looping, stretching & holding in order to make a hit. Those types of things can be trimmed or entirely cut out of a track for soundtrack purposes. If there’s a phrase that, for example, is in 4/4 but has a 5/4 bar somewhere which was clearly added to accommodate picture, get rid of the added beat.

5. Pick a cue order. Start with the show order and take a listen. If there’s a lull, move things around. If there are awkward key changes that bother you, move things around. There is no formula or science to this – just play around and use your judgement. When you play through the soundtrack and time flies by, you know you’re in good shape.

6. Establish the spacing between tracks. Now that you have everything in order, adjust the spacing between tracks so it feels just right. Again, there is no magic formula. If you’re going from a big action cue into a quiet emotional cue, you may want a longer space between those cues than you would going from two similar cues. Again, do what feels right.

7. If you have the time, leave the soundtrack along for a day or two, then go back and re-listen. It’s amazing how much perspective you gain by revisiting it after a bit of time.

8. Finally, a technical tip. Work with the highest quality mixes you have, and deliver those to mastering. Never down-sample before delivering to mastering. If the mixes are at 96k, deliver 96k and let the mastering facility down-sample to 44.1kHz/16 Bit.

quickIf you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

D Magazine Reviews Jasmine

D Magazine offers a preview of the 2015 Dallas International Film Festival. Jasmine is one of just two films to earn an A- grade! The film’s US premiere will be at the Dallas International Film Festival on April 14th.

Read the full article from D Magazine here.

Guest Post: Falling In Love With The Temp. Marrying The Temp. Having Kids With The Temp.

Guest Posts

By William Yeh

The Suspect: Me, a picture editor.

The Room: My editing suite.

The Weapon: Big fat temp cues.

Exhibit 1: The soundtrack to The Thin Red Line, by Hans Zimmer. Specifically, track number three, “Journey to the Line.”

Once upon a time, I made liberal use of this cue. It’s gigantic and rich and lush and amplifies the emotion of any big dramatic scene.

Then a composer I worked with said, “We call that track ‘the cue killer.'” Easy to temp with, he told me, but nearly impossible for another composer to match in intensity.

Guilty as charged. Sorry about that.

Exhibit 2: Anything by the likes of John Williams or Ennio Morricone.

A director once told me he wanted “a real Morricone feel” to his movie. Hey, you know who does a really good Morricone? I thought. Ennio Morricone!

Whoops.

The director loved it. One of the producers, not so much. The eye rolls, sighs and “you can’t use that” lecture were daggers to my ego, but provided a valuable lesson.

There are risks with temping music. You can hamstring your composer by using too big a cue. You can take the audience out of the moment by using music that’s distracting. You can put your producers in a bind by using an unaffordable song.

A wise picture editor once told me, “When I first cut a scene, I cut it like I’ll never get to touch it again,” meaning that he made sure to cut temp sound effects and music. Or, if clichés are your thing: You only get one chance to make a first impression, so put your best foot forward.

But at what cost? Picture editors who cut temp music face the eternal dilemma of best versus affordable. With tightened post schedules and dwindling music budgets now the norm, editors must make quick, smart decisions while holding down the musical fort until the music editor and the music supervisor come onboard.

The toughest temp music decisions usually involve needle drops. Unless the director or script calls for a specific cue, you’re starting every scene with a musical blank slate — including the ever-popular choice of “silence,” which is quite often the best option.

When you decide a scene needs music, what’s the best song to use? Keep in mind best doesn’t necessarily mean well-known. A popular song in the wrong scene can be just as damaging as a crappy song.

Here’s a tip: If you need a background music cue (like something coming from a speaker), get thee to a music library and choose something unobtrusive.

However, sometimes you need a cue that resonates with your audience. At a focus group I recently attended, a young woman specified that the recognizable songs in our movie made it more enjoyable for her. A familiar song is like cinematic comfort food.

Exhibit 3: I’ve cut a few scenes that take place in a strip club (work in the industry long enough and you’ll work on a strip-club scene. Trust me). For one such scene I was considering “Brick House” by the Commodores.

“But it’s such a well-known song,” the responsible side of me said.

“But it’s awesome,” the other side said.

The other side won. I cut in “Brick House” and held my breath as we screened for the producer.

“I love it,” the producer said. “Let’s price it out and see if we can afford it.”

(High-fives the Commodores.)

Don’t hesitate to pick the brains of others. On Ride, the forthcoming feature that both Shie and I worked on, assistant editor Ben Baudhuin suggested “Om Nashi Me” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros for a key scene.

The director, Helen Hunt, loved the song — and that temp track made the final cut.

Limitations in the cutting room don’t have to be a liability. After all, most projects can’t afford that perfect Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin song. My experiences have taught me that putting your best foot forward sometimes means looking past obvious choices. Exercise discretion, then figure out which cues are worth taking a risk for, and you’ll hit the right temp balance.

William Yeh

William Yeh has worked in cutting rooms for over 20 years, having edited studio and independent films across many genres, including action (Punisher: War Zone; the cult favorite Equilibrium), horror (Seconds Apart; Quarantine 2: Terminal) and drama (After the Dark). His latest film, the comedy Ride, opens May 1.

Quick Tip: Accepting Criticism Gracefully

Quick Tips

It is inevitable when working in film-music that on occasion (or sometimes quite often) we are subject to critiques and commentary of our work. Whether we’re soliciting input from someone, or the criticism is offered uninvited, it is something we must all deal with.

Being able to take criticism gracefully is a useful skill to have, and one which can be learned. There’s really not much to it. First you must keep in mind that musical taste is entirely subjective, and therefore so is all feedback relating to it. So if someone doesn’t care for your music, or your choice of a temp track, or your choice of how to edit something etc., they are simply expressing their opinion, which in the grand scheme of things matters no more or less than yours.

Second, keeping the first thing in mind, if the comments are coming form your director or producer (or other employer), then it is their opinion that counts for that particular project more than yours. And naturally they will criticize what they don’t like more readily than praise what they do like. They’re there to tell you what’s wrong so you can fix it, not to stroke your ego. So keep in mind that the criticism is not personal, but professional. After all, they hired you in the first place, so they like you enough to have given you the job, and they expect and trust that you can handle their notes and address them.

If you disagree with a note or criticism, ask yourself – do you disagree because your feelings are hurt? Or based on your professional opinion. If it is the latter, by all means discuss your thoughts regarding the criticism. The best way to do it is to ask leading questions – i.e. “so when you say it’s not doing it for you, do you mean it’s not exciting enough? Not energetic enough? Not hitting picture right?” Help them explain the issue in more detail – you’ll be surprised at how often what seems like a huge criticism at first turns out to really be just a request for a minor tweak.

If your feelings are hurt, then you’re not able to be objective at that moment, and it’s best to leave it alone and come back to it after you’ve had some time to think. Just respond gracefully with something like “Thank you for your notes” or “I’ll see what I can do” or “Let me think about it” and move on. The worst thing you can do is confront the person offering their criticism and tell them they’re wrong.

If they are just a friend or colleague or professional critic offering their thoughts about your work, then it really doesn’t matter. If you disagree that’s fine, who cares? It’s just their opinion, remember the first thing I told you – it’s subjective. If they are your employer, or someone you reached out to for input and advice, confronting them will only make you seem stubborn and unwilling to listen. Taking some time to gather your emotions and then revisiting the cue at a later time can do wonders.

Finally, if you reach out and ask for someone’s opinion, you should just accept it and thank them for taking the time to critique your work, even if you think their feedback is completely wrong. It is just their opinion. And if you really can’t handle criticism, then you’re in the wrong business.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

In-Person Networking Strategies

Networking

Some people are naturally good at striking up conversation and are at ease when meeting new people. They seem to glide into a room and take charge effortlessly. I am not one of those people.

Early on, I would go to networking events and either find a relatively quiet corner of the room where I could just people-watch, or find a colleague or friend I know and chat with them. What I didn’t do, was network. And when I was introduced to new people I would often clam up.

I had to learn how to network, and have come up with a few strategies to help.

1. Practice
Every interaction you have with a new person is an opportunity to practice networking. Strike up conversation with the store check-out clerk as they scan your items, with the bank teller, with your mail carrier, your waiter, the nurse at the doctor’s waiting room… Whenever you have one-on-one face time with a new person you have an opportunity to have a brief chat, which will make you more and more comfortable striking up conversations with new people.

If you’re at a casual party, or some event with friends, use that opportunity to practice in a crowded situation. Chatting up one person that’s in front of you is one thing; striking up conversation with multiple people hanging out at a party is another. But casual non-work related events are great low-pressure opportunities to practice.

2. Set a networking goal
When heading into a new event, it’s helpful to set a goal. For example: meet and exchange contact information with 1 person (or 5, whatever you’re comfortable with), or find the keynote speaker at an event and get a photo with him or her, or hand out 10 business cards. Whatever it may be, set a goal beforehand. By setting a realistic goal, you’ll feel more at ease and less pressure as soon as you achieve it. At first, don’t set your sights too high; start with modest goals that are easy to achieve, and work your way up as you become more practiced.

3. Work the room
Walk around casually and try to identify people you want to meet. When you identify your target(s), try to make eye contact. If your eyes meet, you’ve made a connection. Smile, walk over and introduce yourself. If the person is avoiding making eye contact, move on. They’re likely nervous or uncomfortable, too. You’ll likely see them again later. Hopefully they’ll loosen up a bit, and become more comfortable creating an opening for an introduction. Sometimes all you can manage is a smile and a nod. But then when you make eye-contact a second or 3rd time, it somehow becomes easier to approach them. There’s a familiarity that makes it less intimidating as you recognize them and they recognize you.

4. Be compassionate
When meeting new people, be compassionate. Assume they’re just as nervous as you are. Do your best to put them at ease. Mentally, it’ll put you on equal footing with everyone else in the room, and make them more relatable. Focusing on making them comfortable with you rather than the other way around will also help distract you from your own nervousness.

5. Be mindful of your presentation
Dress appropriately, comb your hair, look nice. Don’t dress like a slob. Casual is fine at a casual event, there’s nothing wrong with jeans and t-shirt, but if your jeans sag down half way down your butt and there’s a mustard stain on your t-shirt you won’t be taken seriously. A nice pair of jeans, and a t-shirt with a nice print, or perhaps an over-shirt are still casual, but not sloppy. Keep in mind If you’re at a casual event and you’re the only one wearing a suit & tie, you may be perceived as aloof or pretentious. So dress appropriately, be mindful of how you look, and the impression that look gives. First impressions matter.

6. Be nice
This may seem obvious, but if you’re unpleasant you won’t get far. If you’re nice, you’re more likely to get a positive response. Don’t be loud or obnoxious. Be polite, be courteous and don’t forget to smile. If you look grumpy or sad or intense, that’s a turn-off to new people, so smile. It’s infectious and disarming, it puts people at ease and makes them more likely to want to talk to you. There is also the old adage “be nice to people on your way up because you’ll meet them on your way down.” You never know when your paths will cross again, so don’t burn any bridges.

7. Be generous
Generally speaking, people like to talk about themselves. Rather than focusing on yourself, be generous with your time and let them tell you about themselves. You can lead them on with questions about who they are, what they do and so on. Often once you get them going, they’ll just keep going. If they ask you questions, or want advice, give it freely. If you can offer referrals, do it – though only if you truly believe the person you’re referring is worthwhile. A bad referral reflects badly on you. Focusing on them and sharing your insights and expertise when appropriate will come back to you in spades.

8. Don’t rush
If you offer your business card immediately you may come off as pushy, or worse, desperate. Don’t be in a hurry to give people your card. Engage in conversation, and when it’s run its course hopefully they’ll ask you for your contact info. If they don’t you can say something like “I’d love to continue this conversation another time, do you have a card?” If they say yes and give you their cards, simply offer yours in exchange. If they say they don’t have a card with them, offer to add their info to your phone right away, or if they or you are in a rush, offer your card and say something like “please shoot me an email with your info so we can stay in touch.”

9. Follow-up
Whenever someone exchanges information with you, make sure to follow-up. Send a short email along the lines of “It was great meeting you last night. I enjoyed our conversation and look forward to seeing you again.” If you discussed something specific, include that in the email. If you discussed meeting up again, say something like “I’m available to meet most of next week, when would be a good time for you?” Keep it short, concise & to the point.

10. Build relationships
The goal of networking is to build relationships. Relationships lead to jobs & job-related opportunities.

Say you had a great chat at an event, and sent a follow-up email, that’s not enough. You must nurture the relationship. Check in on occasion. If you know their birthday, make sure to wish them happy birthday. Holidays are a great excuse to send out an email wishing them happy holidays. Just finished a cool project? Send an email letting them know about it.

Always end your emails generously. For example, “if there’s anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask” is better than “I’m currently available and looking for work.” Both statements let them know you’re available and interested, but the former makes it about them and you’re there for them, the latter makes it about you and you’re now asking something of them.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

Quick Tip: Cue Names

Quick Tips

There are no rules when it comes to naming cues. However, here are a few tips I’ve come up with based on my experience over the years.

Make names descriptive.
Try to come up with names that are descriptive of the scene you’re scoring. That way everyone immediately knows what scene a cue is intended for. Here are some good examples from Laurence Rosenthal’s score to Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story. “Bob’s New Gun,” “Losing The Baby,” “Money Troubles,” “Ramon Contacts Russians.” When I worked on 9 there were several action/fight scenes so we used the names of the creatures that were being fought in the cue names – “Winged Beast,” “Slaying The Beast,” “The Seamstress.”
Make names unique.
This expands on my first tip. Often there are common scene types that happen in many films – titles, fights, chases, shootouts, credits, etc. As a music-editor I have an extensive library of soundtracks containing countless tracks named simply “Chase” or “Titles” or “Shootout” and so on. Adding a word or two to generic titles makes them unique. It can be as simple as adding the film’s name like “Hellboy II Titles.” Instead of “Chase” try a unique descriptor like “Chasing Across DC” or “Berlin Foot Chase” or “Studio Chase.” Here are some examples of “Fight” cues with better names “Airplane Fight,” “Alley Fight,” “Bank Fight,” “Bathroom Fight.” By simply adding one descriptive word, you get a unique name.
Keep names short.
When you’re working on a film, you print out spotting notes, master cue lists and various other lists. Keeping names short makes formatting these various lists easier. I try to keep names to no more than 3 words. There are often exceptions, but that’s what I aim for.
Use existing conventions.
Often by the time you join a movie and spot it, the director and editor and others on the team are referring to certain sections of the film by descriptive names they assigned them. If they’re already referring to a scene by a certain name, and you’re going to have a cue for that scene, use that name. This will eliminate any confusion by having different names when referring to the same scene. Instead of their name when talking about the scene and yours when talking about the cue for that scene, just use the same name they’re already using.
Use lines of dialog.
Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out what to name a scene. There’s no simple description that makes itself obvious as a great name. Often in those cases, there is some key line of dialog that everyone working on the film will know and associate with that scene. Using that line (or paraphrasing it into 3-4 words) is an effective way to name cues. Here are some examples from when I worked on Go On, and even though a couple of years have passed, these key lines of dialog still remind me of the episode and scene right away “May I Follow Ryan?“, “Porsche, Ignition On!“, “I Can’t Stand Being Alone“, “I’m Gonna Dump Him“.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

The Importance of Networking

Networking

I’m often asked how one gets work. Based on my own experience and from hearing stories from many of my colleagues and friends, I think I can unequivocally say there is a simple answer to this question: Network!

The reality is that the likelihood someone is going to see your name in the credits of a film or TV show, look you up and hire you is almost no-existent. The chance someone is going to stumble upon your website, fall in love with your music and have you score their movie is about as good as winning the lottery. This is doubly true if you’re an orchestrator or music editor or music supervisor. Before you start sighting examples of something like that happening – yes, on extremely rare occasions it has happened. But hoping someone will find you is not a strategy to building a career. If you want to build a career, you must actively build it.

People hire people they know and like. If they need to fill a position and they don’t know anyone, they ask their friends and colleagues for recommendations. Sometimes they reach out to an agent, and good agents or managers will actively seek out work on their clients’ behalf. But you may not have an agent, and even if you do, you shouldn’t rely on your agent to make things happen. You need to control your own career, and make sure people know you exist.

So how do you do that? Network! Meet as many people as you can. Meet other composers, music editors, music supervisors, directors, producers, music executives, picture editors, post-production supervisors… Develop relationships with them, stay in touch with them, check in with them occasionally. You never know when one of them will be in a position to hire you or recommend you for a job.

Go to industry events, not just music events, but other industry events, too. Last year I joined Film Independent and attended their annual Forum, which is geared entirely towards producers, directors and writers. I spent two days surrounded by filmmakers and most of the time I was the only composer there. There were hundreds of attendees, and as far as I could tell there were only 3 other composers at the event, and they weren’t there the entire time. I introduced myself to new people at every opportunity. Collected cards, handed out cards and most importantly, followed up by email with each and every person that offered me a card.

One of those meetings led to me scoring Nocturne Boy. I’m in talks to compose 3 other upcoming projects right now, all thanks to meetings at networking events. Whether or not any of these movies will materialize remains to be seen, but I’m now in the running for projects that I wouldn’t even know existed had I not gone out and networked. One of them isn’t even with the person I met, that person recommended me to someone else!

Here’s a good way to look at it. If the odds of landing a job are 1 in 100 and you only know 1 person that can drive work your way, there might be 99 projects before you actually get one. If you know 10 people that can funnel work your way, your odds are now 1 in 10, and if you know 100 people there’s a good chance you’ll find work right away. If you know 1,000 people, you’ll likely be turning down work because you’ll be too busy. Of-course real-life isn’t as clear-cut as theoretical statistics, but the underlying concept holds true. The more people you know that can send work your way, the more likely you are to build and maintain a thriving and busy career.

If you’re like me and you’re not a naturally outgoing kind of person, networking is hard. I’ll write more on that in another post…

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

Quick Tip: Remembering Names of People You Meet

Networking, Quick Tips

I have a confession. I’m terrible at remembering names. I suspect if people didn’t call me by it on a daily basis, I would forget my own name. Yet it is important to remember names, not to mention that it impresses people whom you’ve only met once when you know their name when you see them again months later. And in this business we meet people at networking and other events all the time.

Here are a couple of tricks I’ve learned over the years to remember names.

1. When introduced to a new person, repeat their name out loud – “Nice to meet you, John.” That act of saying their name helps commit their name to memory, at least to short term memory. When you part ways do it again – “It was a pleasure speaking with you, John.”

2. If they hand you a business card, take a moment to study the card and identify something unique about it – the color, the font, there’s a photo in the background or on the back, it’s an unusual shape, paper weight, whatever, and think of something about the person you’ve met. Then tell yourself something that connects the two. For example “John’s wearing brown shoes and has a brown business card” or whatever connection you choose to make. Making these little connections helps commit things to memory.

3. As soon as you can, add the person’s contact information to your address book and use the notes field to make a note about them that will help you remember who they are. For example “Met at XYZ, talked about ABC.”

4. Followup with an email within 24 hours of meeting. It can be a short email “Hi John, it was a pleasure meeting you and talking about XYZ lat night.” This email reinforces the above, which helps you remember them.

In my experience, that’s enough to either remember the person’s name, or at the very least remember enough so that when you see them again you can quickly look them up and find them in your contacts even without remembering their name.

Here’s an actual example of these tips from my own experience. I was at a Film Independent members night event, where I met about 20 new people. One was a young director, and after using the above tricks, when I got home a couple of hours later I copied his information from his card to my address book. Here’s the note I made for him “Met at Film Independent members night – recently married, has a film about being engaged.”

I went to his site, and watched his short film. Then I emailed him:

Hi _______,

It was a pleasure meeting you last night. I just wanted to drop you a quick line so you have my info handy. I just watched your short Dinner for Two on your site – such a great concept and well done. I think your idea for doing something exploring being engaged is really smart. Please stay in touch, and hopefully we can work together some time.

And congrats again on your recent marriage!

Best,

Shie

This email triggered a response and we went back and forth a bit, discussing his next film and possibly having me score it. A couple of months later, we were both at another Film Independent members night. When I saw him I couldn’t remember his name, but thanks to all of the above I remembered who he was. I did a quick search on my phone’s address book for “film independent engaged” and his contact came up, allowing me to get his name. A few minutes later I was able to greet him with “Hi ______, how are you?” He recognized me and remembered I was that composer guy he’s been talking to, but didn’t remember my name. He also commented on how impressed he was that I remembered his name.

His next film is currently in pre-production, and we are discussing me scoring it.

When Should You Say “No”?

Last week I wrote about the power for “Yes,” and how I try to say yes whenever I can. In this follow-up piece I look at reasons to say “No.”

My least favorite word is “No.” However, over the years I learned it is much more important than “Yes” when used appropriately. If you’re offered a gig that doesn’t offer sufficient reward and you say yes, you just diminish your value. If you don’t value yourself enough, why should your employer or colleagues? Sufficient reward doesn’t always mean money, it can mean working with someone new that you respect or admire thereby creating new relationships and opportunities. It can be a great credit that would further your career, for example working on a genre which you are not known for. It could mean working on a passion project that makes you happy, a project that satisfies the artist in you. And yes, sometimes it just means getting paid well. Whatever your reason to take a project, it should offer a meaningful reward and if the project doesn’t offer sufficient reward, say no.

I’m also a big believer in taking on new challenges and stepping up to meet them, which might seem contrary to the idea of saying no. Whenever possible, bite off a little more than you can chew, and figure out how to do it anyway. Sometimes that means bringing in more experienced people to help. Sometimes it just means working harder and longer hours to get it done. Whatever the case, do what you have to do to make it happen.

But sometimes you may be offered a gig where you’d be in way over your head. You’re simply not ready. Sometimes you could be coming off a grueling project and burned out, leaving you unable to do your best on another project right away. Sometimes the schedule conflicts with pre-planned family events or a vacation. As tempting as it is, as enticing as the prospect of that project might be – financially, the credit, the opportunity – if you’re not ready you should say no. Taking on something that you are clearly not ready for, or if you are burned out, will most likely end in disaster.

If you take on more than you can handle, you will likely fail and hurt your reputation. I think it’s better to turn down the wrong gig, leaving you open for the right one, than to take the wrong gig and fail.

Early in my career I was offered Six Feet Under. The temptation was enormous, but the challenges were beyond my capacity at the time. Creatively, logistically and in terms of experience, I knew I wasn’t ready for it and politely turned it down sighting the logistic issues. Two weeks later I was hired as assistant music editor on Training Day, which was a much better fit for where I was in my career.

There are times in your career, where saying “no” is the smart move. However, when declining an opportunity, do your best to make it feel like you wish you could say yes, but you just can’t. For example “I’d love to work on this, but I’m afraid I’m already booked on something else so I’ll have to decline. I’d love to work with you on the next one.” It doesn’t matter if you’re booked on something else or not. Something else could be a vacation in Hawaii, spending time with your family, practicing your instrument or your golf swing – it can be anything. It’s nobody’s business why you said no. Just make sure you’re gracious about it and leave the door open for future projects.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

Quick Tip: Software Authorization Codes

Quick Tips

These days all software requires entering a serial number and/or activation or authorization code during installation. We have a lots of codes for different products to keep track of, and if we even need to reinstall anything, finding those codes can be a challenge.

If I have a physical CD or DVD installer, I print the code(s) using my label maker and stick the label on the installer disk. For everything else, and as a backup to the physical labels on physical disks, I created a contact in my address book called “Authorization Codes” and I use the notes field to enter all my codes.

It’s super simple, I can simply copy/paste the codes so there are never any typos. My address book syncs across my computers and are in the cloud so my codes are now available to me anywhere at anytime.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

What MP3 Files Leave Out

Audiophiles argue over the quality of various format, and the merits and faults of compressed formats all the time. MP3s have become the industry standard for audio compression. Most people can’t really tell the difference between an MP3 and a lossless audio file like a WAV file. Or perhaps they could hear the difference if they trained their ears to do so, but they just don’t care.

Ryan Maguire, a Ph.D. student in composition and commuter technologies at the University of Virginia took it upon himself to study the audio that is lost when compression a file into an MP3 format, and created a fascinating track he calls “Ghost in the MP3.”

moDernisT_v2 from Ryan Maguire on Vimeo.

Check out this Q&A with Maguire at the University of Virginia’s website.

If you have any questions, please contact me, or add a comment.

The Power of “Yes”

My favorite word is “Yes.” It has so much promise, it’s positive (by definition), and it feels good to say. To me, saying “Yes” means possibilities, opportunities, work, progress, relationships, the sky is the limit. When you say “Yes” things happen and that’s exciting!

Whenever I’m approached to do a project, participate in a panel, guest lecture, offer advice, whatever it is, I try to say yes and do it. Sometimes there’s an obvious up side to saying yes, like a great paycheck. But that’s not the only reason to say yes. Sometimes the money isn’t that great, but the opportunity to work with new people and build new relationships is worthwhile. Sometimes it’s a project you may be very interested in, dealing with a topic that’s close to your heart. Sometimes it’s a credit that augments your resume in a meaningful way.

Whatever the case, unless there’s a compelling reason to turn an opportunity down, say yes! You never know where it might lead.

When Danny Elfman was tapped to score the Errol Morris documentary Standard Operating Procedure, I was asked if I would be willing to work on it for very little money. I was available at the time and looking forward to a break after a long stretch of non-stop work, but I knew of Errol and wanted to work with him (not to mention I had an ongoing relationship with Danny, which I wanted to nurture) so I said yes. During that project I ended up flying to Boston to work with Errol at his Cambridge offices, which afforded me the opportunity to visit my alma mater Berklee College of Music. We did the final dub in New York, where I spent a couple of weeks and was able to bring my then soon-to-be wife along.

She had never been to New York, so we took an extra couple of days after the project was done to spend together in the city, meet up with friends and be tourists. That experience alone was worth it. Add to that how wonderful it was to work with Errol, and how interesting the project was, creatively, musically, technically and the subject matter, and when I was done I felt I was privileged to have worked on it. Saying yes to that project was also the beginning of a relationship with Errol, who has since used me on Tabloid and again with Elfman on his latest documentary film, The Unknown Known. So perhaps the paycheck wasn’t stellar, but it paid off in many ways that are priceless.

Here’s another example – a few years ago a former intern of mine asked me if I’d be willing to guest lecture at a new film-scoring lab he was helping create in Rome, Italy. The dates weren’t set, the details were vague, nothing was set in stone, and we discussed lecturing via Skype. I said yes. A couple of years later he called again. The International Film Scoring Lab in Italy’s National School of Cinema in Rome, Italy was finally a reality and I was invited to come speak in person. They weren’t offering any pay, but they did offer to cover the cost of the flight there and back and put me up in a hotel. I had never been to Rome, and my brother lives in London, so I accepted and had them book me a flight with a stop-over in London for a couple of days. It was a fantastic trip, which was then repeated twice more for two subsequent labs. I even got to bring my family along one of those times.

I have had plenty more cases where saying yes for reasons other than the paycheck has led to wonderful things. Saying yes to Hustle & Flow earned me a Golden Reel Award Nomination and cemented my relationship with director/producer John Singleton, who has called me on every project he’s directed or produced since. Saying yes to helping Danny Elfman out with his concert work Serenada Schizophrana led to a trip to Toronto to work on IMAX: Deep Sea, a visit to IMAX headquarters, meeting Graeme Ferguson (one of the original inventors of the format), working with Howard Hall with whom I continue to work to this day and a Golden Reel Award. Saying yes to Ray McKinnon on Chrystal lead to him hiring me on Randy & the Mob where I met composer John Swihart who is now a close friend and frequent collaborator. On a personal note, saying yes to a coffee date, even though I don’t drink coffee, led to 7 years of married bliss & 2 wonderful kids.

Taking chances and saying yes for reasons other than a paycheck will often pay off in spades. And at worst, if it doesn’t, you’ll have one more experience under your belt.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.