Becoming an Indie Film Composer3rd (and final) Edition
With a little time on my hands and
a huge amount of career growth and experience behind me, I thought it was time
to give my book one last overhaul. As I
began to make updates from my apartment outside Los Angeles, finishing in my new
place just outside Las Vegas, I began to realize just how far I had come and
how much things had changed since first writing the book. I saw more and more that I had much more to
share, so I carefully went through each chapter, updating as I went, and added
new chapters as well.
The
biggest need for an update, and not surprisingly, was on the tech side. When I first wrote the book, I had never even
heard of a USB MIDI cable. Probably
because they didn’t exist. Time for a
major update but one I know will also be outdated again in a couple years, most
likely. Fortunately, that is for good
reasons as products become more efficient and reliable and expansive, so I am
okay with that. Even still, in recent
years, I have read books discussing the days of scoring to picture using actual
film reels so I think it will be fine.
The new
chapters include stories from more recent experiences and more clearly defined
patch and Cue lists. There may be some
difficulty in the way they appear from version to version and, to accommodate audio book
listeners, I have decided to make them available on my website for free and you
can get those right now at: http://www.scotthaskin.com/?page_id=165
In
addition to the book, I have also recorded an entire new audio book for three
reasons. 1) Because there is so much new information (it is
nearly twice as long as the original) that listeners would be missing out
on. 2)
I had many comments that stated they wished I had read it the first
time. 3)
It comes out differently when you say it as opposed to writing it. When writing, I think we can be honest but a
little focused on how things sound which, at times, can be a bit
unnatural. When I recorded this, I used
the book as a guideline more than reading it directly so it came out to be a
different thing. Both have the same
basic information but each is a different experience.
My
experiences and perceptions of my time in Los Angeles are also included. These are simply my own experiences and how
they work with my personality. 100
people could be exactly where I was in the exact same circumstances and have
100 different results. In any case, it
is certainly an insight that you only get if you have been there.
Overall,
I hope this book continues to help anyone involved or interested in the world
of film score composition. It is really
a very entry level book in many ways but not only entry level. I had a bad review on Audible on the original
audio book because the reader was expecting something more advanced. I thought the title stated it pretty clearly
but, for those who are looking for something more on how to navigate large
studios and record orchestras, this is not the book for you. You might want to read The Emerging Film
Composer by Richard Bellis or a similar book.
There are a lot out there.
Please
feel free to spread the word and let anyone know about this book if you think
they could benefit from it. One of the
greatest joys I have had in life in the letters I get from composers telling me
what helped them feel not so alone or helped them in a process. To make a difference in people’s lives is one
of the greatest human experiences there is, in my opinion.
If you
have read the book, I would greatly appreciate a review on Amazon and, if you
have listened to the new audio book, please leave me a review on iTunes, ACX or
Audible. As of today, the audio book it
still in process at ACX, but will be available very soon.
Currently,
the book is available at Amazon (print version and Kindle) and CreateSpace. I will have a PDF version available shortly
for purchase through my website.
Lastly,
I want to thank everyone for all the encouragement and support. To know that people believe in you and what
you are doing is an amazing thing and makes me find ways to work even harder
and bring more content out to you!
- SKH 7-21-15
