Is Film Composer John Williams Jewish?
yes
I want to work in LA as a music composer for film and TV. Being from Mexico, how can I get work legally?
There's no formula to become a film composer, but obviously you have to love writing music and specially music for films. Getting a degree in film scoring is probably the first path to follow but you can also expand your network and search for other fellow composers that can lead you into the field.The composer is also responsible not only for writing the score but producing, recording and delivering it. You'll probably spend as much time or even more looking for the job and hunting for the opportunities to write music than actually writing it.Once you've got your skills to a point that you're fairly happy with, getting a job / starting to do it professionally is where the fun (and the challenge) begins. On this front, I'd suggest talking with the people doing it today. This is a good way to get the 'insider' insights that will help you organize your attack plan.I'm an Advisor on Wisewords if you'd like to chat about how to 'make it' in the field. Feel free to reach out: Sebastian Kauderer is on Wisewords
What is the best way to get started composing for movies?
I'm more a part of the James Horner generation, and the path people take seems to change from generation to generation. Horner studied at USC in music (now the Thorton school) which actually has an emphasis in scoring for film. I took some classes there including one taught by David Raksin (famous for the song and score to "Laura.") But anyone can study at some kind of school, the question is how transition into the professional world? Again, it changes. Horner benefited from Roger Corman's studio that gave breaks to people (I worked as a storyboard artist on some of their films for hardly any money) and I think this is where Horner met Cameron (Titanic). So today this low budget exploitation market no longer exists, so composers seem to find other avenues: low budget movies made for festivals, video games, even student films. It also helps greatly (in fact it may be a necessity today) to intern with a composer. All the working composers seemed to have been so and so's assistant at one point. You meet other struggling composers and make contacts. I know some composers who have struggled to make ends meet their whole lives. If you don't transition into the top of the market, either theatrical film or high end TV, it can be tough to make a living.Finally, you need to know that to be successful scoring film or TV you are agreeing that your music is playing a supporting roll. You are working for the director. You want them to be happy. Yes the best directors know how to use music the best but you still need to write music that works for the picture. A lot of composers aren't good at this collaborative process and as a result have trouble finding work.
How do I become a famous composer without going to music school?
LOL, "famous composer." Music school or no music school, there aren't too many famous composers. There are composers who other composers know about, and maybe a few musicians and critics, but if you want to be famous, I would recommend just about any approach other than writing classical music.But to answer your question: there is really no better way for an independent musician to get your name out there than putting your music on the internet and marketing it. If you want your music to be played by orchestras, you either need to pay them to play it, or find someone to pay them on your behalf. This is a lot easier to do if you're an academic -- my music professors get their works performed by student musicians on a regular basis. However, if you want to be an academic, you need to go to music school. Alternatively, you could write music for film, TV or video games. Find some directors and producers on the way up, score their projects, and hope that you all beat the odds and get some recognition and/or money some day. I suppose the other thing you can do is write unbelievably beautiful and compelling music. That works for a very, very few people -- Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt come to mind. Best of luck!
Would you recommend getting a composition degree if you wanted a career composing music for film/TV/video games?
Difficult one because this is really something you should choose based on your circumstances.On one hand, I would highly recommend a degree i you wanted to go into movie, orchestral or academic music because the amount of useful skills and knowledge you will have on once you leave is phenomenal. You will likely leave with some connections to the industry too since universities are normally connected to the industry in some way - there will probably be a whole module on getting a work placement in your course which is handy.The lecturers will really be able to help advance your skills and they will have tons of experience in the industry. University allowed me access to some highly experienced teachers such as Jim Davies Jim Davies (musician), occasionally you'll bump into Charles Hedger who teachers part time between tours. Hollywood composer Jason Frederick. With that kind of knowledge you are going to be learning so much more before entering the industry than just heading straight in - although you might want to not go to university and jump into the industry and still make it as a successful musician.On the other hand, university might not be the right choice if you want to be a pop musician. Going to university certainly won't ruin your chances of being successful however going to university (to study popular music composition) will help massively in teaching you how to mix professionally and have the skills to become a audio engineer and it will give you tons of advice on careers and different options.If you get a degree you can flaunt it to all those lovely employers in the music industry. You could be a music technician/engineer, mixing engineer, publisher, sound designer. I'm pretty sure there's more jobs than this but my mind is a bit cloudy at the moment.So final thoughts: You can go to university, be 55k in debt but have a degree you can show off to potential employers in the industry OR you can not get a degree and jump into the industry and see where it takes you (and get some first hand experience).Tough choice but either one will lead to something greater, each one also has the same failure chance except university is a much more expensive failure.Remember you can always get a degree later on in lie if you so wish.
Is it possible to make money as a beginner composer?
Yes, and then some. Many, many people make full-time income as composers. As a beginner, you will have to build up your portfolio, network, and business chops to grow your income but it's totally possible. Once you have enough finished music to market yourself, go after people who DO have a budget (even a small one).