Is Film Scoring the Wrong Career Choice For You?

Let's answer the question: is film scoring the right path for you?
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[@DirettoIZM]

I love the feeling of discovery composing provides. When I design/stumble on something I really like I find it very rewarding. I've made and scored several indie films over the years, but my goal isn't to make scoring a career. I just want to get better at it for my own creative pursuits. So, that's why I'm here! Keep up the great work!

[@ChristopherSiu]

Great points Thomas!

[@memorablemusicformedia1337]

Nice video, Chris! I personally composed chamber music that was performed live in lots of concerts, over a period of 20 years. It is quite thrilling to hear your music performed live! However, the audiences are small, and it's been difficult getting professional-quality performances. Recently I've been scoring music for a number of films, just for the fun of it. I listen carefully to the director's preferences and vision for the films. Sometimes, it is disheartening when (a musically naiive) director replaces some of my best efforts with what I would call "less than ideal" music tracks. On the other hand, when a director gives a freer range to my creativity, the results have been spectacular. That really makes it worthwhile!

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks for sharing!

[@StevenMelin]

Wow, it’s wild how similar our paths are!! I also started with piano + violin -> piano won -> Bachelor in Piano Performance -> Composition Career 🤘

[@ChristopherSiu]

Yes sir!

[@dbmusicproductions9181]

Nice entry. Honesty and truth. I started exploring the idea of writing for visual media like movies, video, etc. several years ago and the exploration helped me to learn that I really just like having the opportunity and freedom to write and be inspired more freely. I still have a full time job as a music teacher, which is definitely a luxury. I don't have a day job that requires something different of me. Music as a day job has been awesome! However, I no longer think I have to become a film composer to be satisfied. Writing for film (and all the other moving pictures) is a great craft. It can force you to learn to compose with a clear target in mind, force you to write on a very tight schedule, which has its benefits and can definitely sharpen and refine composing skills in a hurry if you make the cut. But as you said here, it is very nice to be able to compose freely and openly, to follow inspiration without always having a tight deadline, without having to cater to others (also has its lessons and benefits) and without having to stick to somebody else's vision. Ideally film music is a collaboration, but how many who are in the business actually get to the stage where they feel like equal collaborators? Great subject.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Love it, thanks for sharing!

[@vikremsheker]

One of the most honest and concise perspectives ever shared. Thank you for the video !

[@ChristopherSiu]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching:)

[@BF-up5xw]

This is a great topic, and your personal approach was very helpful. I hope you continue to find joy in sharing your music for very many years to come.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks my friend!

[@skippertv5158]

I'm a few years into a music education degree and I had a similar experience to what you described. I started composing more when I got into college and I've really fell in love with it. I'm going to swap majors to composition and I was looking for composition job things on youtube and came across your channel. This video has been really inspirational for me and this decision to switch paths. Thank you and keep up the great content!

[@ChristopherSiu]

Love hearing this. Thank you for sharing, and best of luck!

[@Zunfei]

Nice video Chris! This is a really important video that I think everybody should see. I am in the visual media side of music, although I am a beginner I am in college for it and can’t wait to explore this profession more in depth. I have always been inspired by VGM Music, film music and especially anime music, so that’s why I chose this profession. Sometimes I do doubt myself and say my music sucks, why do I think they would want my music for a project but that’s the thing I would be too worried about my music being bad and not trying to find the problem of why I don’t like it… Either way I accept the challenge of this profession because this is want I want!

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks my friend! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@aidanflynncarey7950]

Hi Chris, Great video! I am not sure what path I want to go down but it is amazing that you can make money with both film scoring or music for fun (pop songs, concert music, etc)...I sometimes like the later because you have more creative contro

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks Aidan! And yes absolutely!

[@aidanflynncarey7950]

Do you have Instagram if so, I would be happy to connect and discuss further! I have been feeling kind of stuck@@ChristopherSiu

[@yango8778]

It's pleasantly refreshing to hear someone saying, "Writing music is my hobby." For at least one decade, everybody was about 'you have to becoming a professional'. Pro-Level this, Etsy-shop that. Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting to start a professional career in the arts, but you don't have to in order to make art.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thank you :)

[@mycar4321]

I just started my journey but I find myself motivated more than anything I've done before. So I feel I'm in the right career. I think I need to experience what you experienced to know where specifically I fit in the music world. For now I'm learning a lot and having a blast doing it. I'm shooting for film/Video game composer.

[@ChristopherSiu]

That's awesome. Congrats!

[@NoiserToo]

Thank you Chris, I enjoyed your insights as always. I have found that when money enters the equation then pressure and expectations of others will also be there. I found that I can handle this in small doses, however like you, I compose to express myself and communicate with others. Thank you for addressing this important subject.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Well said Ian; thanks for sharing!

[@dbzfreak2]

I have to say, this video put a lot of things in perspective for me and it helped me remember why I started in the first place. Thank you Chris for this

[@ChristopherSiu]

My pleasure, thank you for watching!

[@cocoruby__]

This video has helped me so much choosing what I want to do. I graduated Bachelor in Piano Performance and building a career in composition and film. Hopefully I could find what I love to do in few months. Thanks for the video! :)

[@ChristopherSiu]

You got this!

[@patzumbrunn]

Hey Christopher. Very well explained. Thanx a lot . I respect all the students who study and study music. I didn't have a degree. I've only been doing music since I was a child. But I think there's a lot of experience that also plays a part. You can learn a lot today. Also the skills etc. But I think there is one thing that cannot be learned: the feeling of what is happening in the picture. I think that you get a gift. You either have it or you don't.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Pat!

[@AsukaAmaneHeavenlyMusic]

Thank you sooo much for sharing This!!! I also feel the same but feel very relaxed hearing it from you ☺️

[@ChristopherSiu]

You are so welcome!

[@ronnyb5890]

i only make music for fun Chris,i play by ear,never could play reading written notes,altough,i know what a note is when i see the icon so, i could program via notation,but its more rewarding playing it in,cheers mate

[@omartinmusic]

I would have thought that composing music for itself is the ultimate pleasure, but having practiced just with Spitfire competitions, I realized that matching music and image can also bring a lot of fun and bring out a different energy. Maybe a real professional job with a director’s edits would reveal other feelings, frustrations or, on the contrary, new creative opportunities… John Williams has indeed shown that it is possible to compose perfect music to enjoy both on its own or in context :)

[@ChristopherSiu]

Indeed!

[@ericleiter6179]

I write music for my own enjoyment, but I wish I could get commissions for it too...my goal is to have my orchestral music played in a concert hall or chamber music in a more intimate venue, but I love the content you put out Chris, this business of composing is an ongoing process of learning...even Beethoven was studying Handel and Bach when he died...so you can be a BEETHOVEN and still feel you have more to learn!!! To me it is all I want to do, whether I profit from it or not, I just love doing it. Thank you Chris for all you share

[@ChristopherSiu]

Never say never!

[@ericleiter6179]

I won't, I intend to involve myself with the musicians in my local community orchestra and try to help arrange some concerts, on a small level at first, and work my way up gradually...thanks for the encouragement!

[@Doty6String]

I want to learn to compose to push my musical productions. As well as a craft.

[@dracosolis7956]

Lots of really good insight into the industry! While I personally compose to express myself and my emotions and imagination, I would love to try composing to games at some point as well. Film scoring doesn't interest me as much, especially since it involves a lot of time syncing and relying on what's shown to get the emotion across, but I'd love to do video game music in the future. Especially for indie games and smaller titles since that's where, in my opinion, a lot of the creativity lies nowadays. More than that, though, I would love to learn the techniques of games composition so that if I get into game dev myself, I'd have the proper tools and knowledge to score my own games.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Love it, thanks for sharing!

[@avivshuker]

Very interesting video chris. I'm starting to get into the video game music production. I can definitely confirm what you said that it requires a different skill set. You need to know how to work with other softwares (Middleware) as well and to think and compose very different but it also creative and challenging. Me personally love to do both, to be restricted to the project requirements to some point and on the other end to make music for me and for the love of making music.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Great to hear Aviv!

[@mysterybro100]

Stravinsky wrote and collaborated for ballet. He welcomed the "limitations" and earned the approval of his collaborator(s). Having limitations and learning to deal with them is key and quite advantageous. Interesting, however Igor did not succeed in the film world the way Copland or Prokofiev (to a lesser extent) did. I imaging music editors also helped quite a bit. When working to picture there are different guide posts than songwriting. But they too can be learned.....Making music for someone else to "approve" is not easy. However giving up too soon is not advised IMHO. Just my opinion of course. Thanks for the share Christopher

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thank you for watching and sharing!

[@KrystofDreamJourney]

Composers like J.W. wrote memorable themes and melodies to specific types of movies, that would ALLOW this kind of musical fit and match. Usually mega-big budgets, that would allow big audiences to see, and to hear. Epic Movies like "Star Wars", "E.T.", "Jaws", "Jurassic Park" or "Close Encounters" don't happen often. Perhaps few times in a decade, at best, and usually come only from the first-rate film directors. That's why, after being watched by millions worldwide (if not billions), these melodies are KNOWN to everybody, because they have been played over and over again. Of course the shape of these melodies themselves has certain properties, and qualities (think of Beethoven's 5th or For Elise) but again : it only fits certain types of visual expressions. There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of wonderful melodies in less popular movies around, that will never gain any popularity, because... the market is now saturated, and getting your stuff out to the masses is a thing of the past. Same exact thing happened with the bands, with pop artists etc. (Paul McCartney even said, that if The Beatles started their careers these days, instead of in the 1960s, they would probably never make it). Writing music for the sake of itself it's still a great thing, so keep doing it 🙂 Film industry is a very tough business, and reserved only to the most persistent and goal-oriented individuals, in just few certain locations in the world (L.A. being a primary example in the USA).

[@ChristopherSiu]

Great thoughts Krystof, thanks for sharing with us!

[@KrystofDreamJourney]

@@ChristopherSiu You're welcome. I can say all of that after 25 + years of experience as a professional musician at Disney :-)

[@ShaharHarshuv]

I actually prefer to have some context to write for so I'm a situation when I have a specific goal to accomplish and not just "write anything" which often feels pointless and demotivated. Even though you do have a point that resonated with me: about you not having the right experience and vocabulary to write for movies and video games. My main goal right now is to become a musical theatre composer as musicals are one of the art forms I find most fascinating and admirable, but as a film music enthusiastic, and an occasional video gamer I have considered going into that direction to (and I have composed some music to some of my friend's game). However, if you compare the amount of my knowledge and proficiency and musical theatre repertoire against video games or movies - it's unparallel. So yeah, I guess I'll just keep working on musicals 😆

[@ChristopherSiu]

Definitely!

[@reflekshun]

Love the insight and perspective on this one Chris! I've composed sporadically for video games and each time I loved it, however I disliked having to do sound FX once haha. I also Produce and Mix artists. I've had to shift away from mixing lately as I realized it wasn't making me happy, same story with sound effects. I found it really important to set boundaries around things you really dislike doing and chase the things you're truly passionate about. Things you would go the extra mile for just because you must in your heart, and you are excited to do it. Since starting to make those changes I've felt a lot better about my music career. I've also found that opening up to unpaid collaborations with other artists you love can be a better long term situation - surrounding yourself with exceptional artists is more important than making sure you're paid for everything when you're establishing yourself. You can also find ways to share income if you find ways towards success together as a team. Thanks very much for the thoughtful video on an underrated topic!

[@ChristopherSiu]

Love these insights. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@aniket-biswas]

Harsh truth ❤

[@andrewhoven7393]

ummm if I do not compose for films or games or youtube videos how I will get money ? (I am kinda scared of not finding a jop as a musician or composer cuz that is all what I studied and love in my life )

[@ChristopherSiu]

I'll do a video covering my income streams soon!

[@PinkCrocodile]

@@ChristopherSiu can't wait for that

[@soundtreks]

Aside from existing relationships I have with filmmakers, I don't take on new projects for media. Too much of a hassle

[@ChristopherSiu]

I feel you!

[@soundtreks]

@@ChristopherSiu I’ve been providing music for media since the early 90s. While I can’t claim to have any major productions under my belt I’ve seen the industry change. Even in the game scoring sector which I did a little bit of actively a couple years back. Everyone wants million dollar music to their project but expect to pay Pennie’s for it…. The world don’t work that way. Or, it shouldn’t.

[@mercerfamilyadventures4613]

After 25 years of making music with no direction. Its time to get it on some media.

[@ChristopherSiu]

Absolutely! You got this.

[@amou95]

What i know is, SIUUUUUUUUUUU

[@cliffordharrison9894]

𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙢