# How much time do you usually get to score films?



## Imzadi (Nov 17, 2013)

I'm curious about what the average is for other composers.

Also, what's the average of music you have to write to keep up with these deadlines?

I usually ask for 2 months to get everything done, but lately I've only got about 4 weeks. I'm beginning to wonder if this is the new average and I'm complaining to producers when other people get the same time.


----------



## germancomponist (Nov 17, 2013)

Ha ha,

the directors know that there are now many loop libraries, "action-libraries" on the market and that composers now do not need more time to score a film.... . 

But seriously, if a director thinks a composer needs only 4 weeks, he has not learned his craft properly!


----------



## Imzadi (Nov 17, 2013)

In my experience that's usually not the director wish, but the producers. Either they have a release date (when the movie has distribution) or they want to send the film for festivals, etc. The directors are usually pushing for more time.


----------



## TimJohnson (Nov 18, 2013)

Anything from two weeks to two months in my experience. Best director I have the pleasure of working with has a "It's done when it's done" attitude, which is incredibly refreshing, although rarely possible.

I think there are so many variables, and more and more directors and producers are beginning to understand this. Is there a budget for live musicians? If so, more time is needed to prepare the scores, arrange the musicians, find and book a studio (which may not be available for a couple of weeks), record it, mix it etc. This all means that the process is a lot longer.
If there is no budget then less time is needed for just samples, although one could argue all of the time spent doing the above could be equally well spent making sure sample libraries sound as good as they can. 

I also TRUELY believe, and have seen first hand, that the amount of contingency planning some producers do is frankly ludicrous. 9/10 there is easily another 2 weeks to be had out of them. You just need to convince them that you WILL deliver on the date you say you will and they do not need that much contingency built in.

I'm a big believer in the project management triangle. It's often handy in explaining things to producers 

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9 ... CzYBtxUwXQ


----------



## Ciaran Birch (Nov 18, 2013)

TimJohnson @ Mon Nov 18 said:


> I'm a big believer in the project management triangle. It's often handy in explaining things to producers
> 
> http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9 ... CzYBtxUwXQ



Ha. That's brilliant. I really like that triangle. Simple and true.


----------



## Imzadi (Nov 18, 2013)

TimJohnson @ Mon Nov 18 said:


> Anything from two weeks to two months in my experience. Best director I have the pleasure of working with has a "It's done when it's done" attitude, which is incredibly refreshing, although rarely possible.
> 
> I think there are so many variables, and more and more directors and producers are beginning to understand this. Is there a budget for live musicians? If so, more time is needed to prepare the scores, arrange the musicians, find and book a studio (which may not be available for a couple of weeks), record it, mix it etc. This all means that the process is a lot longer.
> If there is no budget then less time is needed for just samples, although one could argue all of the time spent doing the above could be equally well spent making sure sample libraries sound as good as they can.
> ...



That's true. You can also use some of the pre-dub days to mix the music since they already have your mockups (assuming they sound close to the final product).


----------



## reddognoyz (Nov 18, 2013)

re: triangle. see that tiny spot in the middle between the three colors? that is where I am asked to perform. Every time : )


----------



## reddognoyz (Nov 18, 2013)

I'm doing 5 minutes a day on my cartoons, and have done ten on simpler shows. too much.


----------



## cc64 (Nov 18, 2013)

Hey Stuart,

never been good at math but wouldn't the little triangle in the middle mean:

Expensive, bad and slow = Not cheap, not good and not fast? o=?


----------



## reddognoyz (Nov 18, 2013)

ha ha ha! I guess you're right! you know what I mean...

I am typically between two forces, 

The production company, and producers who could really give a crap about how it comes out, they just want it on time, and they keep the production schedule ridiculously tight. 

The creative team, who could give a crap about my schedule, they just want what they want.

True Story:

I was hired to score a 56 episode season of a show, 52x11 and 2 22 minute "specials". I kept begging to see the schedule and I was put off until the middle of the international conf. call with EVERYBODY on the call and I asked again... "so what's the schedule like?" and the production company emailed me a spreadsheet of the schedule mid call. It called for 44 minutes of scoring a week, including revisions, with a three month period with zero break at the end of the schedule. I said that was flat out not going to happen, they said, "oh absolutely it has to" 

did not happen. 


There is the sense I guess that if you can put it in an excel spreadsheet that it must be true.


----------



## Brobdingnagian (Nov 18, 2013)

reddognoyz @ Mon Nov 18 said:


> There is the sense I guess that if you can put it in an excel spreadsheet that it must be true.




....or that it becomes someone else's problem - unless they speak up. Good for you.


----------



## cc64 (Nov 18, 2013)

reddognoyz @ Mon Nov 18 said:


> ha ha ha! I guess you're right! you know what I mean...
> 
> I am typically between two forces,
> 
> ...



Ha! So true about the Excel sheet, usually all tidy with neat colours.

When you say "Did not happen" , did they keep you and change the schedule?

Best,

Claude


----------



## reddognoyz (Nov 18, 2013)

They did keep me, and I was pissed at the time that they tried to submarine me the way they did. It was bs and I called 'em on it. But I wasn't saying it just because I was being belligerent I just didn't see it happening on that show. Not just me, the animation as well wasn't going to happen that fast, and it didn't. Still it was a monstrous pace.


----------

