# It's probably about time I did this....



## JJP (Aug 28, 2013)

Hi, my name is Jason Poss. I've been posting here for a few years without ever publicly giving out my name unless people PM me, and I thought I should at least say a formal hello.

I've been working for the last 15 years or so in the film, TV, videogame and record industries as an orchestrator, arranger, contractor, and general music prep person (copying parts, proofreader, librarian, and transcriptionist). I've been pretty fortunate to land on a few Oscar-winning film projects and hit TV shows, but really I'm just a musician like anybody else here.

I started out as a classically-trained jazz vibraphonist when I got out of college, but these days do more writing than playing aside from a few rare live gigs and studio sessions on various percussion.

I do more lurking than posting, but I do post if I think I have something helpful (or just silly) to add. This is a wonderful forum for trading ideas and helping each other out. I try to keep my posts in that spirit because it makes me happy.

So if you see me roaming around on the board, feel free to say, "Hello!"

And now I'll end this silly little post because as a child I was taught that it's rude to talk too much about yourself. :wink:


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## Jdiggity1 (Aug 28, 2013)

Hi Jason. I for one have really appreciated your posts, I specifically have found your industry insights very informative and interesting. So thanks for that.


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## bryla (Aug 29, 2013)

Formal hello, Jason 

I also find your insightful AND silly posts valuable!


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## Rob (Aug 29, 2013)

Hi jason, nice to know your real name! From the tone of your posts it was easy to spot a real musician behind the acronym, so I have always read your comments with attention...


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## Lex (Aug 29, 2013)

Hello


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## Farkle (Aug 29, 2013)

Hello to you, Jason! I always like your contributions to the forum, they are in that spirit of fun and happiness.

Keep on rocking!

Mike


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 29, 2013)

Hi Jason! Did my earlier PM spur this? Either way, great to read the post.


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## JJP (Aug 29, 2013)

Per Lichtman @ Thu Aug 29 said:


> Hi Jason! Did my earlier PM spur this? Either way, great to read the post.



No, this was something I've been meaning to do for a while. Last night I just said, "Why not now?"


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 29, 2013)

Good plan. 

While you're here, would you mind taking a short moment to talk about the differences/similarities between orchestrating for video games vs films?


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## JJP (Aug 29, 2013)

Per Lichtman @ Thu Aug 29 said:


> While you're here, would you mind taking a short moment to talk about the differences/similarities between orchestrating for video games vs films?



Hmm... It really depends on the project. Perhaps we need to get away from this idea that there is one way things are done "in Hollywood". There are many similarities between projects, but whether it's a film or videogame, it often depends on the composer's way of working and what needs to be achieved. That's why often I like to spend a lot of time talking with composers and sometimes other people on the team before I put notes on a page. When the time comes to orchestrate, I am already familiar with how they work and I can be deeper inside their heads to better anticipate how they want things work and sound.

In my experience, there has been more lead-time on videogames because of the development cycle, but that's not a rule. Sometimes you get developers who don't want to approve cues or composers who can't finish writing cues until the last minute. Then it becomes a mad dash just as if we were waiting for an edit on a film.

Regardless of the project, I find it can sometimes impact the overall quality of the music to try to slam all the orchestration into one small window. As an orchestrator I can end up thinking more about just getting it done in time than, "What's the most musical solution here, and how can I write it to make the session go more smoothly?" I think those two questions are very important to my job.

Sometimes with games you have to think about how tracks are implemented when orchestrating. This was more of an issue when everything was about layering within the game engine. I think the trend is moving away from that nowadays because of greater system resources, better implementation tools, and a general sense that just triggering different layers isn't the most musical way to implement. Simply removing or adding elements isn't as musically effective as a clever transition to a different track that perfectly matches the game action.

Yet thinking about implementation from an orchestration standpoint usually isn't all that different than orchestrating for projects where the ensemble is broken across different recording sessions. A particular combination of horns and winds won't work as effectively if the horns aren't going to be on the same session as the winds. Likewise, that combination isn't going to work at all if the brass is on a stem that is muted by the game engine.

Most people would say that the big difference between film and games is that with games you don't have to sync to picture. However, I think a lot of people don't realize how tight timings are in many games. With complex implementation developers need to know exactly what is going on at every second in case of cross-fades or dynamic EQing in the game or whatever. That can mean the difference between me using a fermata and having something conducted or writing it out to the beat so that there is no room for the timing to vary. Though, you can still do things like have a conducted tempo off click that hits a timing with a streamer or some other visual timing aid. Once again, that sounds like typical film work, doesn't it?

So I guess overall, I don't see a huge difference orchestrating for video games versus film. The differences really depend on the project. At the end of the day, it's about putting the notes on the page in the way that best realizes the composer's vision with the resources available. I look good when the composer sounds good.

Whew! I got a little long-winded there. o=<


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## Per Lichtman (Aug 29, 2013)

No, that was great - from my simple question you intuited pretty much every aspect that I wanted but didn't get into specifying. Thanks.


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