# Hans Zimmer interviewed by his daughter



## H.R. (Aug 27, 2015)

What a great interview by Zoe Zimmer:

http://mag.citizensofhumanity.com/hans-zimmer-zoe-zimmer/?hash=e5995860-d462-4a2b-a8df-90433e92ca9a


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## kclements (Aug 27, 2015)

Nice interview. Thanks for the link.

kc


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## Guy Rowland (Aug 27, 2015)

Excellent!


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## synthpunk (Aug 27, 2015)

What a fun read. You should be proud rctec.


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## InLight-Tone (Aug 27, 2015)

Really good, thanks for the heads up...


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## stonzthro (Aug 27, 2015)

Awesome interview - thanks Zoe and Hans!


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## d.healey (Aug 27, 2015)

Thanks


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## Studio E (Aug 27, 2015)

Loved it! Thanks!


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## AlexandreSafi (Aug 27, 2015)

Hans Zimmer: crazy, obsessed, nerdy, divergent, dark, unpredictable, unstoppable, provocative, persistent, fearless, ambitious, tough, fierce, and he is also soft, down-to-earth, humble, aware, self-aware, fearful, imperfect, wise, idealist, romantic, spiritual, generous, non-judgemental, encouraging, unifying, funny, pragmatic, adaptable, simple, sensible, knowledgeable, practiced, scientific, imaginative, economical, consistent, bold, curious, serious, goofy, artless, German, Austrian, English, American, Italian, Spanish, Egyptian, Slovakian, Japanese, Chinese, Burmese, Vietnamese, Caribbean, African, French, Interstellarian (where's Indian, by the way??)... He is everyone & no one, he's the "Universal Man", he is older, yet younger than all of us, and again he's just crazy! His music tastes like candy that never wears off! -Hz- has also the best initials ever, he is my biggest inspiration, Hans is Hans...


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## RiffWraith (Aug 27, 2015)

Coolness! 

_Do you think Michelangelo painted every square inch of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? Probably not—it would have killed him if he had to do it all by himself!
_
Note to self:_ remember that one!!!_


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## chimuelo (Aug 27, 2015)

Rctec here on VI is the Z Man?
I always thought it was a composer assistant from
Media Ventures....
We are truly blessed here.
Great article. Pops must be proud.


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## AR (Aug 27, 2015)

Awesome interview! Why don't they speak German?


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## NYC Composer (Aug 27, 2015)

I want to know if Barbie failure impacted his life.


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## vicontrolu (Aug 28, 2015)

Great interview!

Can't help to feel offended by this though

all the uninspiring people you don’t want to hang out with are in the middle ground


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## NYC Composer (Aug 28, 2015)

On the other hand, it tells you something about your perception of yourself (speaking only for myself here).


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## Rctec (Aug 28, 2015)

Thank you all for the kind comments. Yes, I still have Barbie fatigue. Try to get off a trans-Atlantic flight after working 'round the clock for weeks and play Barbies while panicking about next day's orchestra session. ...one thing that's not in the interview was a question from her about being a poor musician at the start of my career - something I never thought about. Yes, poverty sucks, but we where playing music and all in it together. We somehow lacked the imagination, wisdom, that it wouldn't work out. Sometimes ignoring the well-ment advice of the establishment helps... Just like you should ignore my advice in the previous sentence...But how I hated people banging on the door wanting to collect the rent and all those musician clichés.... Why is "Spinal Tap" still the best and truest documentary on my time in a band? 
I have realized a few things since then - some more recently: its not always ok to follow your dream as an artist. It's reckless and unkind to those we love. How can we not be lying when we tell them that music will pay off? How do we know? I'm always asked for advice on how to get into this business. It's not a business, its a folly, a passion. There is no career ladder that you can climb after reading up on the rules. (Actually, I wanted to be a fireman, but was more interested in setting fires than putting them out. I suppose being provocative to this day with directors and studios is the same thing...) But how do we ever know if we are any good at what we do?
I've done many successful films and still - the other day a producer totally took the wind out of my sails, so much so that I lost all confidence in my writing. It took talking with the community of my fellow artists to get me back on track. So, if you can, collaborate!
-Hz-


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## Rctec (Aug 28, 2015)

Vicontrolu, I only just saw your post... We can all tell in one second if someone is inspiring - that dreadful word "has the X-factor", or whatever. Lebo M was working at a car wash when I met him. Another one of my team was working for a wall street firm making a truely ridiculous fortune in his early twenties. I offered him ten percent of what he was making. He never looked back. Unfortunately, I was so right about him that he's so overbooked on projects that I can't get him to work with me anymore. When I first met Heitor Pereira, he was a brilliant session guitarist. First time we worked together, I wouldn't let him play guitar...I saw something in him that he didn't even know about himself....today Variety ran a thing on him as a billion-dollar composer.
Uninspired mediocrity is a state of mind.


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## NYC Composer (Aug 28, 2015)

Years ago, I had the privilege of playing synth on a session for the great Elmer Bernstein. It was for a score that he'd been hired to write for a commercial. The youngsters at the advertising agency didn't like the perfectly appropriate, brassy score he'd written. One of them actually said (and I will never forget this): "Why do we need this Elmer Bernfeld anyway??"

Mr. Bernstein was fired. It never ends, I guess.

That must be one super-rich, incredibly accomplished producer, or maybe just an _______ (fill in the blank.)


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## Lex (Aug 28, 2015)

Fantastic read! Hope Zoe does more of these published conversations. Often through HZ's thoughts on creativity and life choices I get better focus on where I am as an artist atm , and more importantly why am I, where I am at whatever stage of my music life. Thank you for sharing Hans.


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## Rctec (Aug 28, 2015)

...actually, super-rich and accomplished is right. ...but the real problem was - he was right. I had to do a 180 (after - in best "Zimmer" fashion pontificating about how the score should be exactly the opposite of what he made me realize). For a very long moment I lost my ability to improvise, the way a good player in the middle of a solo plays the "wrong note" and uses that to inspire them to do something, new, original and appropriate.


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## BGvanRens (Aug 28, 2015)

Thanks for the share and the wake up call!


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## NYC Composer (Aug 28, 2015)

...and isn't that part of the story of most careers in music? It's not that the employers are always right, but we always have to have the versatility and the ability to control our egos, readjust and try something new no matter how married we are to our original ideas.

Good luck-I'm sure it will be excellent.


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## Carles (Aug 28, 2015)

Rctec said:


> but the real problem was - he was right


I'd not see as a problem at all. You've got your vision and his vision was other, you had to readapt your insight to see the thing with his eyes, and surely you've learnt something from it. That sounds like a good experience to me.
To me the problem was only (unexpectedly) on your lack of faith on yourself. After some dialog I'm pretty confident that you can brilliantly produce whatever the client will ask you no matter how weird it might sound in the first moment. You're more than talented and surely very creative so any new path to be discovered could even break your monotony and become instead an exciting journey if seen from the proper perspective.


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## Rctec (Aug 28, 2015)

Actually, I think it's more complicated and simpler than that... Most producers/directors/humans I work with have a natural sense of respect and kindness which makes them feel compelled to offer up solutions to soften the perceived blow of their criticism. It's simpke human nature... Our job as composers is to listen and realize that their instinct might be right that there is something not quite right with the piece (usually in the larger context of the storytelling which I forgot all about while I was micro-managing my midi-velocities or some other tunnel-vision thing...), and just stand back and see that there is a problem, but - in the equally gentlest way - refuse to except their solution. It's our job - and that's the fun part - to invent solutions. My favorite directors have binary conversations with me about cues - short and to the point, without offering up solutions: its shit / it's not shit. The rest is up to me


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## Rctec (Aug 28, 2015)

...I was typing and missed Carles post: exactly!


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## NYC Composer (Aug 28, 2015)

...hmm. On the other hand, there couldn't possibly be one right way to score something. Being told something is shit may be perfectly true from a producer/director's subjective perspective, but that doesn't necessarily make it so. It's good to have a clear picture of, say, a director's opinion, and I'm sure following his/her vision is paramount, but it seems like a little bit of Stockholm syndrome to say that the client/collaborator is always right in a definitive sense.

Of course, coming from the world of music for commercials, I was beaten into submission years ago.  I learned to separate my ego from the monstrous things that were often said (not a lot of gentle in advertising, blunt was the name of the game.)

It's hard to imagine you worrying about these things, though, sought after as you are. It's pretty refreshing to see that you take these things to heart.


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## Guy Rowland (Aug 28, 2015)

Love that, and experienced it at my humble level many times - not just in music. Often in my experience the problem that is highlighted - with or without a right or wrong solution - isn't the the real problem, it's often worse than that and the real problem happened some way earlier - or right at the beginning. I'm still learning (and often failing) on how to see through and navigate round notes. I had one a couple of weeks ago on a theme that is fast, beat driven that it should sound "more like Inception". I freaked out slightly, as I couldn't imagine anything less like Inception than this theme - all he actually meant in that case was strings for a lead line rather than a synth. I could have wasted a month if we'd not had a proper chat rather than an email.

One other fantastic tip I heard recently was if you get the note "it's too slow", don't increase the tempo. It's a sure sign something else about it isn't working.

Thanks Hans - and Zoe.


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## Rctec (Aug 28, 2015)

NYC composer... I forgot to say that I wasn't taking about commercials (I was beaten into the same submission by doing about 150 in my days...). I'm talking about the synergy we all feel when we are trying to make the movie, as purely and devoid of any thoughts of boxoffice or marketing.... That's why I'm really bad at trailers! I worked hard at creating an atmosphere in my studio where we are very aware that we have a responsibility to deliver an experience, to move the audience that is a separate task and goal beyond commerce (in a comercial you're not selling the film - you are selling the thing the film is selling...) and the only way we can be respectful of our audience is to do something that we would love to be entertained or moved or excited by our selves....


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## Rctec (Aug 28, 2015)

...and for the rest, see the "Is it important for film and TV composers to know their history" post....


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## NYC Composer (Aug 28, 2015)

Good points. I've been involved in more purely artistic work as well, but the distinction you draw is an obviously important one.

Thanks, as always, for the illuminating convo. You do us a service. Cheers to you and your daughter, and good luck to her going forward.


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## SymphonicSamples (Aug 28, 2015)

Thanks for sharing the interview H.R . I must say , negating HZ the composer , it was lovely to feel the strong sense of bond between father and daughter . What a wonderful crazy life it must have been for Zoe to grow up in and to still have a father throughout the journey , something I imagine which may not be the norm when people at the top of their fields in the entertainment industry working 25 hours a day , and still the first port of call and of course Daddy


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## InLight-Tone (Aug 28, 2015)

Hans, the fact that you participate on this forum says volumes about how humble you are despite your enormous success. So refreshing and thanks for that. To hear about your insights into your creative process and the behind the scenes glimpses is truly fascinating...


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## chimuelo (Aug 28, 2015)

Sticky this thread ...

I think it's time for a movie called the Z-Man.
An autobiography, and have you score the music too.
It'd be a new concept, I'd go see it at least a few times.
Watched Enter The Dragon 8 times in a row.

I think people love movies of personal struggle followed by success.
Steve Jobs, Ice Cubes' Strait Outta Compton...all inspiring IMHO.


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## kunst91 (Aug 28, 2015)

Rctec said:


> Actually, I think it's more complicated and simpler than that... Most producers/directors/humans I work with have a natural sense of respect and kindness which makes them feel compelled to offer up solutions to soften the perceived blow of their criticism. It's simpke human nature... Our job as composers is to listen and realize that their instinct might be right that there is something not quite right with the piece (usually in the larger context of the storytelling which I forgot all about while I was micro-managing my midi-velocities or some other tunnel-vision thing...), and just stand back and see that there is a problem, but - in the equally gentlest way - refuse to except their solution. It's our job - and that's the fun part - to invent solutions. My favorite directors have binary conversations with me about cues - short and to the point, without offering up solutions: its shit / it's not shit. The rest is up to me



I guess the moral of the story is surround yourself with kind, talented people and watch the magic happen!


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## H.R. (Aug 28, 2015)

I consider myself a Hans Zimmer's crazy fan. I know a lot about his life but I found out something new from this interview.
Now according to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8e1APWgGdc (this video), Mr.Zimmer was borne in a huge mansion and it had 36 rooms, I always thought he grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth but according to this interview and the fact that he migrated to London alone, it's understandable how hard it must have been for him. And when you see him now and the people he helped to reach their dreams and also make huge amount of money, it becomes a really inspiring story, we learn a lot from him by his music but his personality as a human being or a parent is even much more inspiring than his work.


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## synthpunk (Aug 28, 2015)

Thanks to everyone for the inspiration in this thread.


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## Cowtothesky (Aug 28, 2015)

I really appreciate Zimmer's honesty in all of his interviews and advise he gives here at VI-Control. I find that honesty inspiring. I believe that we, as composers, all know how shaky our futures can be. But, it is the passion in which we live. In the end, the only thing that really matters is the connection we make to the audience and there is no denying that Hans has connected with 10s of millions of people all around the world. I met Zimmer at the Golden Globes when he was shuffling away to an after party. He was so nice to let me take a selfie of me and him.  - I wish I would have said more about composing, but I was just so thrilled to meet him and didn't want to bother him on a busy evening. I always look forward to hearing his new compositions. Thanks Hans.


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## MR F (Aug 28, 2015)

Thanks a lot for the link and this thread. Really great and informative read  You guys rock!


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## Jetzer (Aug 28, 2015)

Thanks for sharing + all the additional insights


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## dpasdernick (Aug 28, 2015)

Rctec said:


> Thank you all for the kind comments. Yes, I still have Barbie fatigue. Try to get off a trans-Atlantic flight after working 'round the clock for weeks and play Barbies while panicking about next day's orchestra session. ...one thing that's not in the interview was a question from her about being a poor musician at the start of my career - something I never thought about. Yes, poverty sucks, but we where playing music and all in it together. We somehow lacked the imagination, wisdom, that it wouldn't work out. Sometimes ignoring the well-ment advice of the establishment helps... Just like you should ignore my advice in the previous sentence...But how I hated people banging on the door wanting to collect the rent and all those musician clichés.... Why is "Spinal Tap" still the best and truest documentary on my time in a band?
> I have realized a few things since then - some more recently: its not always ok to follow your dream as an artist. It's reckless and unkind to those we love. How can we not be lying when we tell them that music will pay off? How do we know? I'm always asked for advice on how to get into this business. It's not a business, its a folly, a passion. There is no career ladder that you can climb after reading up on the rules. (Actually, I wanted to be a fireman, but was more interested in setting fires than putting them out. I suppose being provocative to this day with directors and studios is the same thing...) But how do we ever know if we are any good at what we do?
> *I've done many successful films and still - the other day a producer totally took the wind out of my sails, so much so that I lost all confidence in my writing.* It took talking with the community of my fellow artists to get me back on track. So, if you can, collaborate!
> -Hz-



This is why I love this man... he's achieved more than most of us can dream and he always comes across human. God Bless you Hans Zimmer for your music and the example in humility.


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## AR (Aug 28, 2015)

Rctec said:


> Actually, I think it's more complicated and simpler than that... Most producers/directors/humans I work with have a natural sense of respect and kindness which makes them feel compelled to offer up solutions to soften the perceived blow of their criticism. It's simpke human nature... Our job as composers is to listen and realize that their instinct might be right that there is something not quite right with the piece (usually in the larger context of the storytelling which I forgot all about while I was micro-managing my midi-velocities or some other tunnel-vision thing...), and just stand back and see that there is a problem, but - in the equally gentlest way - refuse to except their solution. It's our job - and that's the fun part - to invent solutions. My favorite directors have binary conversations with me about cues - short and to the point, without offering up solutions: its shit / it's not shit. The rest is up to me


Hans, I can totally feel you. Just yesterday I had an 6-hour chat with the director who convinced me to use an instrument in our score which does not appear the whole movie anymore. I was like..."Nah, let's try something alike, but what we already have in our palette." - "That instrument totally transports the subtext." ....well, right, okay. after having already "micro-managed my midi-velocities" (like that term btw  on my take for this scene, I got my shit together, sucked it up, swallowed down my ego, muted my midi-mockup and gave that cue another shot. There is nothing better than a happy director the end of a day  ...And well for my surprise...The music that comes to life when more people are sticking their brains together is original, fresh and a little bit cheeky. I like that.


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## Ivan Mayboroda (Aug 29, 2015)

First of all, sorry for my Englando

@Rctec, it was great to read an interview, where both the interviewer and interviewee (right word? no? sorry) are so close to each other. Guess it makes big difference. 
I know that Zoe is into photography and modeling, but I was wondering, what are your other children up to? In one of your interviews about "Inception" you talked about your son's passion of math. But there is like no other information about them. If you have at least some spare time (which is not likely, but still) to write about them. It would be really great to read about your children and how you help them in their life goals and passion.

Of course, I understand if it is something very personal and you (or your children) don't want the information about them to be revealed or something, then I need to apologize for my questioning.


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## Rctec (Aug 29, 2015)

No need to apologize! ...but I do keep a fairly watchful eye on them having a private, non public, upbringing. But I can't help but brag that my oldest son is interning for NASA right now..."Interstellar", here we come!


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## EastWest Lurker (Aug 29, 2015)

Nicely done by La Famiglia Zimmer.


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## Anders Wall (Aug 29, 2015)

A few years ago I met sir George Martin and we got talking about the industry. I was a studying for a master in writing for film/tv and had millions of questions. if you don't know who he is.... stop what you're doing and dedicate the rest of 2015 to him.
Anyway, one story that really stuck was a short story of a friend of his who once did not have a lot of money and needed a place to record his music. George, who "back then", owned a studio let his friend "borrow" the it "for free". This friend of his was a "nice chap" and he believed this friend was "on the right path". But mostly he thought the music was "so good it needed to be recorded". (the "" is sir George's words).
Anyhow, the studio was Air Lyndhurst and his friend is Hans Zimmer.
Being a human, I for one thinks it's nice that mr. Zimmer,sort of, continues this legacy...

My studio is no Lyndhurst and I'm no sir George or (mr.) Zimmer but my room is always open for projects that I believe in. Most of what I get commissioned goes to pay the musicians that perform the music I write.
I hope this was the "lesson" sir George was teaching.
If not, I live my dream and I'm so fortunate that I'm allowed to dream out loud.

Best,
/Anders


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## ed buller (Aug 29, 2015)

Rctec said:


> No need to apologize! ...but I do keep a fairly watchful eye on them having a private, non public, upbringing. But I can't help but brag that my oldest son is interning for NASA right now..."Interstellar", here we come!



That's wonderful news . He WILL go far......

e


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## Dean (Aug 29, 2015)

I totally agree re 'the sharks in the middle ground' D


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## kunst91 (Aug 29, 2015)

Rctec said:


> That's why I'm really bad at trailers!



Did you work on the Batman v Superman teaser? If so I would have to argue with this point!


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## Rctec (Aug 29, 2015)

I started, But JunkieXL took over when I just couldn't take the noise! ...But I did that rather beautiful 3rd trailer for "Man of Steel", and the very quiet last "Dark Knight Returns" one. More my style...


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## kunst91 (Aug 29, 2015)

Rctec said:


> I started, But JunkieXL took over when I just couldn't take the noise! ...But I did that rather beautiful 3rd trailer for "Man of Steel", and the very quiet last "Dark Knight Returns" one. More my style...



Yes, always great to see trailers that break the traditional mold! Although Junkie has a knack for that big trailer sound (among other things!)


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## Rctec (Aug 30, 2015)

Yes, Wallo Sound, George Martin took me under his wing. (His son, Giles, came to vist in L.A. Last week. And Peter Asher - one of our main producers at Remote Control - tells stories of his mother being George's oboe teacher!

He, Stanley Myers and Maggie Rodford (need a Great agent - she's IT!) where either letting me record for free in 'dead time' or just feed me...
Nick Glennie--Smith was always around, and there is picture of the young Zoë taking her first "Fairlight" lesson!


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## NYC Composer (Aug 30, 2015)

Is that a dreaded 3/4 inch videotape machine behind smiling HZ and baby Zoe??


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## Sebastianmu (Aug 30, 2015)

Rctec said:


> I have realized a few things since then - some more recently: its not always ok to follow your dream as an artist. It's reckless and unkind to those we love. How can we not be lying when we tell them that music will pay off? How do we know?


This might be a little OT: Having a lot of conflicts in my relationship about the amount of time i spend on making music (and the modest amounts of money that result from it), I wonder how you can know if "it's ok" to pursue your "dream" or not? This is something that troubles me greatly, and I see absolutely no way of figuring this out rationally. But I do have the feeling that it causes damage to my relationship as well as to my music! Any Advice, anyone?


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Aug 30, 2015)

What's the problem? The time or the money?


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## Dean (Aug 30, 2015)

Sebastianmu said:


> This might be a little OT: Having a lot of conflicts in my relationship about the amount of time i spend on making music (and the modest amounts of money that result from it), I wonder how you can know if "it's ok" to pursue your "dream" or not? This is something that troubles me greatly, and I see absolutely no way of figuring this out rationally. But I do have the feeling that it causes damage to my relationship as well as to my music! Any Advice, anyone?



Hey Sebastian, I think you should talk to your partner and see what they say,how they feel?,..maybe they really admire your passion and are vey supportive even if they feel neglected sometimes.I'm lucky enough to work full time as a composer doing exactly what I want to do but it was a very,very long and hard road,my wife totally supported me all the way even when she felt so lonely but to be honest my wife would prefer to be with the man who persues/lives his dream (even at a cost) than the man who gave up his dream just to make someone else happy,(that miserable,tortured guy would be impossible to live with,believe me,..I did that once a long time ago and I was like an empty shell most of time.)

I think anything that impacts negatively on your life or relationship needs to be looked at if it goes on too long.Chasing any dream always comes at a cost,(film composition can be all consuming,..my wife refers to herself as a`music widow' and I feel terrible about it but I also feel Im possessed by music its almost impossible to switch it off.
But there is a crazy balance you can try where you work crazy hours fro a long time then you switch to giving them some real attention and pulling out all the stops,..then you do the crazy work again and so on. D


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## AlexandreSafi (Aug 30, 2015)

Sebastianmu said:


> I wonder how you can know if "it's ok" to pursue your "dream" or not?


 You know it's ok when you think daily, weekly, monthly & yearly that this is something you "have to do", regardless of who's in it with you! My life immediately changed when I knew exactly what & where the meaning of mine was! Look Inwards, not outwards, find your meaning, and you'll be ok, the big clue that you're on the right path is when you start loving and forgiving yourself better, as I did! The irony and the most important is do your very best in each present & privileged moment you have, become a man of ideas, and let go of the outcome! Eyes on the page, not on the mountain! 
Best Sebastian!
-A.s.-


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Aug 30, 2015)

AlexandreSafi said:


> You know it's ok when you think daily, weekly, monthly & yearly that this is something you "have to do", regardless of who's in it with you! My life immediately changed when I knew exactly what & where the meaning of mine was! Look Inwards, not outwards, find your meaning, and you'll be ok, the big clue that you're on the right path is when you start loving and forgiving yourself better, as I did! The irony and the most important is do your very best in each present & privileged moment you have, become a man of ideas, and let go of the outcome! Eyes on the page, not on the mountain!



Not to diminish the magical moment, but doesn't this kind of miss the actual question, as well as Hans' initial remark? I mean yeah, follow your dreams and everything, but the interesting flipside of it, and the one thing that usually ends up being left out of the equation is: what about the loved ones, family, etc. What about the sacrifice. That's the question. To what point is following your dreams and doing what you have to do "OK", or "worth it", or whatever? It _is_ a highly self-centered endeavor.


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## d.healey (Aug 30, 2015)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> Not to diminish the magical moment, but doesn't this kind of miss the actual question, as well as Hans' initial remark? I mean yeah, follow your dreams and everything, but the interesting flipside of it, and the one thing that usually ends up being left out of the equation is: what about the loved ones, family, etc. What about the sacrifice. That's the question. To what point is following your dreams and doing what you have to do "OK", or "worth it", or whatever? It _is_ a highly self-centered endeavor.


I agree, follow your dreams, it's your life, but if your taking someone else along for the ride too then they have to have some say in the matter.


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## AlexandreSafi (Aug 30, 2015)

You are absolutely right, I think ultimately you have to do what you can live with, and avoid doing what you couldn't live with, and then there's always the question, are the people around you the ones you want and think should be around you?


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## kunst91 (Aug 30, 2015)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> It _is_ a highly self-centered endeavor.



This. I find that as I slowly transition into full-time professional music making (from the life of a student), this issue becomes ever more paramount.


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## EastWest Lurker (Aug 30, 2015)

To achieve what Mr. Zimmer has requires incredible amounts of time and sure, something has to give. I spent probably thousands of hours more with my wife and daughter as my main focus when my daughter was growing up and i don't regret it. But that means that even assuming I had the talent, intellect, and people skills that Hans has (none of which I think I do) I could not become a Hans Zimmer because I was not willing to make that trade off. I am not putting any value judgement on that btw, it is a very personal decision and a lot has to do with knowing who your wife is and what she needs from you.


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## sleepy hollow (Aug 30, 2015)

Some assorted thoughts and observations:

I think one should not think of life as a long list of tasks that need to be accomplished. It's a process.

Stop trying things, start doing things. Even if it's an experiment - do it.

If you really think that you have to "follow your dreams" or that you have to "show the world that you can make it", well, then do what you gotta do. Just don't take others with you, when you fall of the cliff. Other people have dreams too.

Don't seal yourself off in an airconditioned control room with countless computer screens staring at you. You'll miss out on a lot of great things. Look for inspiration outside of your studio (see the point below).

Write music anytime, anywhere. An example: I created some of my own favorite musical ideas while I was shopping groceries. The feet become the drums, beat, percussion or whatever you need. Then start humming a bassline and develop some interesting patterns. Watch people and try to figure out who they are. Then write a theme for them. Pro tip: Long aisles are great for epic sounds

Don't let foolish a**holery get in the way of great things that are about to happen. That goes for everybody! Yourself and the people you work/live with.


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## Dean (Aug 30, 2015)

sleepy hollow said:


> Write music anytime, anywhere. An example: I created some of my own favorite musical ideas while I was shopping groceries. The feet become the drums, beat, percussion or whatever you need. Then start humming a bassline and develop some interesting patterns. Watch people and try to figure out who they are. Then write a theme for them. Pro tip: Long aisles are great for epic sounds



I agree with this but to address the issue,..this can still leave you in another place/space to your partner/family,.Im sure all the folks here,in relationships,have heard their partners say,.'you're here but you're somewhere else',..most partners would prefer one hour of undevided attention than a whole day spent with someone whos 'elsewhere' in their head composing away.

Ive made big changes recently and I recently turned down 3 big projects,.(including a feature with an epic score for 100+ piece orchestra and choir),..usually this would be the chance of a lifetime,..agent went nuts!...but taking on these projects would have meant 2 years of non stop work and total neglect,theres no way I was going to inflict that on my wife,..sure the resume grows but life stands still while all others are busy living life,being present!

I dont regret turning the work down for a second,..saying no felt so good! Something better always comes along,..and it did! D


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## sleepy hollow (Aug 30, 2015)

Dean said:


> I agree with this but to address the issue,..this can still leave you in another place/space to your partner/family


Yes, that's how I see it. I do the groceries/music thing on my own. It's fun and saves time, and I'm relaxed and attentive, when I get back home (or when I go anywhere else). That wasn't always the case, but nowadays this works very well.


Dean said:


> Ive made big changes recently and I recently turned down 3 big projects


This sounds very interesting. Those changes, were those about organisational things/scheduling or was it more like "getting into a different mindset" or "changing your outlook on life"? Sounds like you're reducing your workload in general, which is what I do at the moment - that's why I'm asking.


Dean said:


> agent went nuts!


Nuts or bonkers? See my important poll: http://vi-control.net/community/threads/nuts-or-bonkers.48203/


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## synthpunk (Aug 30, 2015)

I recently moved to be closer to my son (split custody). We have had a great summer, been honest with each other about the past, shown remorse, and my mind has been very clear for creativity. Best decision ever. Balance is the key but is never easy, just follow your heart and have no regrets if your lucky to live to be old.

rctec: thank you for sharing the photo's. The Martin's are great hero's in my life.
Is that your Rainman rig in the other photo ?


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## AlexandreSafi (Aug 30, 2015)

aesthete said:


> rctec: thank you for sharing the photo's. The Martin's are great hero's in my life.
> Is that your Rainman rig in the other photo ?


Yes, a big thank you to Hans for those photos!
This thread actually couldn't be more humbling!
As dem homies be sayin': Keepin' it real!
All of our 90's photos look alike, don't they! 
Btw, Zoe looks as adorable as she looks "almost" as malicious here...


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## rpaillot (Aug 30, 2015)

I think you can have a family , and work a lot on music. It's not that contradictory.


Look at all the successful composers, they're not all single men without any kids.

It's "just" a question of organizing your life. 
Look , how much are we procrastinating ?? How much time we can waste , every week ? doing
nothing than watching youtube videos , reading , facebook-ing ?

Having a family wont take up your composing time, ideally, but a bit of your procrastination time :D
So thats O.K.


The fact people like Hans Zimmer can have a big family and do so much work aside, really conforts me . 
Everything is possible


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## kunst91 (Aug 30, 2015)

Dean said:


> I agree with this but to address the issue,..this can still leave you in another place/space to your partner/family,.Im sure all the folks here,in relationships,have heard their partners say,.'you're here but you're somewhere else',..most partners would prefer one hour of undevided attention than a whole day spent with someone whos 'elsewhere' in their head composing away.



Thanks for pointing this out, absolutely one of my biggest struggles.


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## Dean (Aug 30, 2015)

sleepy hollow said:


> Yes, that's how I see it. I do the groceries/music thing on my own. It's fun and saves time, and I'm relaxed and attentive, when I get back home (or when I go anywhere else). That wasn't always the case, but nowadays this works very well.



That sounds like a pretty good arrangement,good man!



sleepy hollow said:


> This sounds very interesting. Those changes, were those about organisational things/scheduling or was it more like "getting into a different mindset" or "changing your outlook on life"? Sounds like you're reducing your workload in general, which is what I do at the moment - that's why I'm asking.



Definitely a 'mindset ' and 'changing your outlook on life' deal,..I worked on endless animation series for about ten years and one day I looked at my website and thought 'who the hell is this guy?' so I did a total 180,took down my websites and I decided to kill the money drive and only compose music I loved no matter what,..within months everything started to change,..I landed an agent,stumbled into trailers that also led to feature films,..things took off over the following year or two!
Re workload: I suppose Im talking about the spaces between the projects rather than the projects themselves,.thats where Ive really changed things,..when Im on a film or whatever its all consuming,full on! But theres no way Im going to keep that up as an excuse for a life style.This year for example I scored a feature (6 months full on with overlapping projects) and then some trailers here and there too but then I turned all that other stuff down and have'nt really done anything major since June.(it was a gamble,I could have been left broke,..but it turned out really well all around.


sleepy hollow said:


> Nuts or bonkers? See my important poll: http://vi-control.net/community/threads/nuts-or-bonkers.48203/


 will do!


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## Sebastianmu (Aug 30, 2015)

Dean said:


> ..maybe they really admire your passion and are vey supportive even if they feel neglected sometimes.


Quite the opposite, I'm afraid. At home I'm confronted with serious doubts about _having a career in music _in general and me having sufficient musical and people-skills in particular. If you take into account the confidence/insecurity issues that most composers seem to suffer from, this renders the whole endeavor into quite an uphill battle most of the time...


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## AlexandreSafi (Aug 30, 2015)

Sebastianmu said:


> Quite the opposite, I'm afraid. At home I'm confronted with serious doubts about _having a career in music _in general and me having sufficient musical and people-skills in particular. If you take into account the confidence/insecurity issues that most composers seem to suffer from, this renders the whole endeavor into quite an uphill battle most of the time...



Whatever happens Sebastian, just remember we're with you, 'cause we're almost all probably facing this very issue at one point, so you're not alone!

Now about those musical skills of yours, here's one anecdote: I started writing music at 20, purely not knowing what the heck i was doing, i still don't , and i thought then I was really special, i still do ... I have the great fortune of having a very musical mother, and so once, she listened to an early composition of mine i was so proud of, she said "Look, it's interesting, but i don't know where this is going, what's the rhythm, where's the structure, its TOO complex, simplify!..." I remember then being so hurt of having failed to please someone with my self-proclaimed talent, that i thought "oh no, looks like i'm one of those who will never ever get it, i will always fail now", and i could even see the look in her eyes like "hmm, i'm not so sure about you and your dreams anymore, but then i pretentiously thought, "never again" will I disappoint, I will start again, better! I then precisely realized that there's great value sometimes in seeing yourself as others see you, the trick is to know when they are right!

Since then, I've used this experience to remind me that putting yourself in someone else's shoes is key, and knowing what you want to communicate in your music and how you communicate it is also key to having people listen to you, respect you, and even build self-confidence! I realized whatever you want to communicate usually has always translated best, throughout history, through writing a "tune", and how that is usually handled is through the structure of "Pop Music"...

I'm intentionally not a working composer either yet, but i can tell you that putting all my energy on writing melodies has been the best & most enduring, magical, positive thing that I've ever offered not only to my own "ego" (which whether you like it or not is important...), but to my family & audience as to how they feel about what it is that I'm doing everyday, maybe also because that's personally all I feel i can give, and so, maybe like you, I have zero interest in "networking", that's just not "me" somehow.. (But those tunes definitely got me jobs i unfortunately couldn't accept at the time...)

Hence maybe in a few years, I'll prove myself wrong, but i firmly believe a tune, or the combination of several, is what saves a musician from poverty and self-doubt until you have to write the next one... And that melody has a power that far extends our understanding but that it precisely needs us in order to exist out in the real world... They need us and you need them!

Be that guy on Soundcloud, Youtube or whatever who writes tunes, a real tune, not something that you think sounds like a tune, but something that you've reflected upon, and where your audience or family can unmistakably tell all your sincerity and that you've thought hard about it (and isn't that the power of great music in the first place...), because just look at it, there aren't that many tunes around today! A tune is usually the reflect of how musically persistent one composer is, and everyone will love you for it...

Now how do you find those great tunes, well as Hz said about Life, you have to suffer for it a bit, they usually take time, inject your own life, fear, & feelings in it, that's how you subconsciously get from not-knowing-anything-to-getting-something-valuable, and ultimately trust me as i use this idea everytime i write: if you're able to be as critical and passionate of the work from the composers that you love out there, as to your own subjectivity, you'll reach a higher objective quality about your work, even if you can surely always find someone better than you, it's sticking with aspiring to that objectivity in your work that's precious to your commercial sensibilities and will give you the edge!

John Williams once said: _*"Writing a tune is like sculpting,"--"You get four or five notes, you take one out and move one around, and you do a bit more and eventually, as the sculptor says, "In that rock there is a statue, we have to go find it." *_

There will be a time after all my training is done, where i'll be exactly in your shoes, and the only thing I'll be naively sure about is writing great tunes, connecting my own life to them, and that i better repeatedly come up with those precious notes and craft them in best Zeitgeist mode, or I will die trying!
Also, do not shy away with the secret personal idea that each piece you write is your art!
My enthusiastic attempt at cheering you up, mate!
Again, good luck & my very best to your situation Sebastian!
-A.s.-


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## Sebastianmu (Aug 30, 2015)

Thanks! 
Maybe I'm just together with the wrong person, really.


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## AlexRuger (Aug 31, 2015)

rpaillot said:


> Look at all the successful composers, they're not all single men without any kids.



Most of them have been through at least one divorce, though. This career path puts an enormous strain on relationships, no doubt about it.


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## rpaillot (Aug 31, 2015)

AlexRuger said:


> Most of them have been through at least one divorce, though.



Like around 50 % of married couple, as some studies say...


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## AlexRuger (Aug 31, 2015)

rpaillot said:


> Like around 50 % of married couple, as some studies say...


Totally, you're not wrong. But I think your post was painting it as, "just don't procrastinate ever and you'll be fine," which in my experience is misleading. It's not just the long hours (which are there whether you make them worse with procrastination or not), but the unpredictability of the hours (last-minute cut changes requiring a lot of cue conforms, stuff like that) and the long stints of extreme busyness followed by big chunks of time without work. Not being able to plan far in to the future because you _might_ have a gig coming up. That sort of stuff.

Sure, loads of people get divorced, but all I'm saying is that one can probably guess with a decent amount of accuracy as to what the big contributing factor is for composers.


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## sleepy hollow (Aug 31, 2015)

Dean said:


> Definitely a 'mindset ' and 'changing your outlook on life' deal,..


I see! Thanks for the insight, it's always interesting for me to hear other people's opinions on this. Been through some changes myself lately, and now I'm about to take up on a few new projects. Some music, some engineering-related. Very few projects actually, which brings me to this...


Dean said:


> ...and I decided to kill the money drive


Interesting thing I observed: Working on very few long-term projects which bring in money a lot later (than I'm used to) changed something - I don't really think about money anymore while I'm working. So good!
Money's a topic only when I'm talking with the people I collaborate with/work for. I'll see how this will work out in the long run, but I like it a lot so far.


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## Jetzer (Aug 31, 2015)

That picture made me google Fairlight, came across this:


Gold


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Aug 31, 2015)

JH said:


> That picture made me google Fairlight, came across this:
> 
> 
> Gold




isn't it fascinating? We're basically still doing the same thing today, essentially. Only the resoultions and libraries have grown and there's more scripting.

It must have been such a fascinating time to live in as a musician, for guys like Hans. Seeing this stuff first emerge, finally getting your hands on one of these things, and later stacking up on the EMUs and all ... we have it so easy today. You get on Paypal and give someone a few hundred bucks and after an hour or two you got all this incredible stuff on your hard drive. It's great, but it's also kind of lame in a way, if you know what I mean.


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## sleepy hollow (Aug 31, 2015)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> isn't it fascinating? We're basically still doing the same thing today, essentially. Only the resoultions and libraries have grown and there's more scripting.


Dude, who cares about resolution and big libraries...

It's the 'stache! 
I'm telling ya - the guy with the black hair is sporting such a 'stache... they don't make'em like that anymore! 



Jimmy Hellfire said:


> It's great, but it's also kind of lame in a way, if you know what I mean.


I hear ya! When I started out, we... wait! I'm not gonna go on an old-man-yelling-at-a-cloud rampage. I'm not that old, though I miss the days when we actually created sounds on our own. I still do that, even if it takes me a lot longer. I bet Hans is doing that too. Hm, maybe it's not that bad after all...


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## JacquesMathias (Aug 31, 2015)

To OP, thanks for the link. 
@Rctec I only write for music libraries, not for films, not sure if my opinion has any value. Anyway, I call these my "blue screen of death" moments. I loose confidence, inspiration, desire and just can't move on. If time allows, I have to reset, completely disconnecting myself from that situation, usually by taking one night off, listening to a completely different music style, and sleeping. It's interesting how much get solved in one good night of sleep. Thanks a lot for sharing this, very inspiring and informative.


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## NYC Composer (Sep 1, 2015)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> isn't it fascinating? We're basically still doing the same thing today, essentially. Only the resoultions and libraries have grown and there's more scripting.
> 
> It must have been such a fascinating time to live in as a musician, for guys like Hans. Seeing this stuff first emerge, finally getting your hands on one of these things, and later stacking up on the EMUs and all ... we have it so easy today. You get on Paypal and give someone a few hundred bucks and after an hour or two you got all this incredible stuff on your hard drive. It's great, but it's also kind of lame in a way, if you know what I mean.



I believe that like myself, Hans ended up stacks of the Roland 700 series samplers (of course, his stack was quite a bit larger than mine, I'm sure ). They were amazing for the time- mouse driven with a video output! 32 megs each- yowsah! (except my wonderful old beast of an S-770 at 16 meg). At one point I had over 200 meg to work with. Them were the days.


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Sep 1, 2015)

NYC Composer said:


> I believe that like myself, Hans ended up stacks of the Roland 700 series samplers (of course, his stack was quite a bit larger than mine, I'm sure ). They were amazing for the time- mouse driven with a video output! 32 megs each- yowsah! (except my wonderful old beast of an S-770 at 16 meg). At one point I had over 200 meg to work with. Them were the days.



And this is what the setup looked like:







Sorry, I have a background in print and just couldn't resist


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## NYC Composer (Sep 1, 2015)

Hahaha! Excellent!


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