Career Perspective

  • If we compare the work of composers for film, theatre and media with that before the digital revolution, we can see how much the demands have increased: in addition to the previously required skills in music notation (composition, orchestration, instrumentation, arrangement), skills are now also needed in media technology and studio equipment, a rapidly growing specialist field.

    Composers for film, theatre and media are “decathletes”. They have to have skills in the following disciplines:

    • Compositional individuality and stylistic copies (soundalikes)
    • Knowledge and analysis of music theory
    • Instrumentation and orchestration
    • Dramaturgy
    • Functional music
    • Connections between image and sound (“eyes & ears”)
    • Instrumental-vocal skills/conducting
    • Media technology, production and studio equipment
    • Professional expertise (about film/media, the music business, the culture sector and much more)
    • General education (psychology, fine art, literature, history, politics, natural sciences, entertainment and much more)

    “There’s a certain element of schizophrenia about the job of composing for film, theatre and media: on the one hand, you have to be very analytical, intellectual, process-oriented, financially savvy (rational) in dealing with the technology, time management and production stages, but on the other hand you also have to be able to be emotional, intuitive, all-embracing, original, authentic and direct (irrational) in your work.” (N.J. Schneider, film composer)

    The profession essentially divides itself into three areas of work:

    Creativity

    As a composer, songwriter, copywriter, arranger, singer and instrumentalist, that is to say, composing, improvising, interpreting and arranging in different styles and situations (developing your own style and adapting others).

    Production

    As a producer, musician, conductor, recording manager, sound engineer and sound designer, that is to say, organizing and implementing projects, working on contracts under great time pressure, producing, programming, recording and mixing music and sound, evaluating and overseeing musicians.  

    Business

    As an entrepreneur, employee (contract work, production contracts, contract composing) and, on larger productions, also as an employer, that is to say making new contacts (acquisition), networking, engaging other people in the work process, team skills, observing, analysing and creating new trends, evaluating and classifying music and creating new music formats. Students on the Composition for Film, Theatre and Media course have the opportunity during their studies to build their profile in their future area of work and – with a little luck – learn more about professional everyday life during an in-house placement.

    • Composer: A composer writes music for a particular purpose. Composers for film, theatre and media also enjoy writing for conventional concert situations but their focus is on composing so-called “utility music” under contract for film, theatre and media projects.
    • Performer: A composer for film, theatre and media often also interprets their own music, either as an instrumentalist or vocalist at a live performance or in a studio session.
    • Songwriter: Songwriters compose songs, lieder, chansons. Usually songwriters have settled on a particular genre (pop/rock, chanson, melodrama, musicals, opera etc.). Since the link between music and words can be very important in creating the atmosphere for a particular scene of a film or play, songwriters for film, theatre and media are very much in demand. Songwriters sometimes also work with lyricists if they do not write the words themselves.
    • Arranger: Arrangers edit compositions, songs or simple tunes to create a usually self-contained piece of music with particular orchestration. They select the tempo, key, instrumentation, harmonic structure, melodic phrasing and rhythm in accordance with the specific instructions and wishes of composers or producers. Being an arranger increasingly also means being a composer, just as composing also always means arranging.
    • Adaptor: Film or theatre arrangers adapt existing pieces of music for a particular scene in a film or play. This skill is very much in demand, especially in musical films or musical theatre.
    • Music programmer: A programmer uses the computer to sequence MIDI and AUDIO tracks. The composer uses this “layout” as a demo (mockup) which must be approved by the director or producer before the expensive studio session. In music that is entirely electronic, the demo is later perfected to such an extent that the result can be used 1:1.
    • Orchestrator: An orchestrator writes the score for an orchestra, choir or band, for individual instrumentalists or vocalists. Orchestrators make the work of the composer easier in the expensive music production process when an end result normally has to be produced in a very short time. Often orchestrators also act as the conductors or recording managers during the studio session.
    • Copyist: In the music industry, the work of the copyist, who produces the voice parts for the session musicians, is called music preparation. Copyists have to be very reliable and able to work without making mistakes. They are responsible for ensuring that no mistakes creep into the sheet music. Often they compare the score and the voice parts several times before the studio session (proofreading).
    • Contractor: A contractor is responsible for organizing the studio session. That means finding and employing the best possible musicians within the financial and creative constraints (the terms of employment for session musicians are based on the Swiss Musicians' Union (SMV) rates).
    • Session conductor: A session conductor helps the musicians at the studio session to produce the best possible performance within the normally very limited time allowed (“Time is money”). Session conductors are responsible for the musical management of the studio session. Often there have to be rehearsals or briefings in advance. A session conductor is capable of sight-reading complex scores and communicating any necessary changes to the score to the orchestra in a short time. During a studio session, the session conductor can communicate with the recording manager or producer in the control room at all times. Session conductors are people with very strong leadership qualities. They are on the front line between the studio musicians, composers, orchestrators, sound engineers, music editors, contractors and copyists.
    • Sound engineer: Sound engineers are responsible for recording music at a studio session and deal with the microphones, recording equipment, storage devices, cutting, sampling, montage, signal processing and mixing. That is to say, they organize what goes on in the studio before and during the recording and are often also responsible for mixing the music. Sound engineers often have to work under great time pressure and must therefore not make mistakes: the worst thing that can happen to a sound engineer is to lose a good recording through his or her own fault. Thanks to modern technology, it is now possible for film, theatre and media composers on smaller productions to perform the role of sound engineer themselves, including recording and mixing the music.
    • Sound designer: A sound designer creates a soundtrack by adding sounds and noises, so-called sound effects, to music, dialogue and voice-overs. In plays or silent films, the sound design is sometimes also played live. However, with soundtracks for a film or theatre production, the sound designer is normally only involved at the post-production stage. Sound designers, like composers for film, theatre and media, must abide by the dramaturgical requirements and are able to manipulate the audience's listening experience significantly. The term sound design has appeared on film credits since the late 1960s. Originally, sound design encompassed all work on the film soundtrack (ADR recording, ADR editing, Foley artist, Foley recording, Foley editing, field recording, re-recording, dubbing, sound editing, sound supervising etc.).
    • Music supervisor: Film or theatre producers engage music supervisors, especially on lavish music productions, to keep control of the budget and production plan and coordinate the complex teamwork. The work of the music supervisor includes, among other things, getting licences for popular songs and coordinating processes between everyone involved in the music production (composers, arrangers, interpreters, sound engineers etc.). Sometimes music supervisors also take on the role of A&R scout (Artists and Repertoire), keeping a lookout for new talent and for new and unused music.
    • Producer: A music producer is responsible for the technical and, especially, the artistic, organization and execution of a music recording (studio) session. The role of the producer is not always clearly defined and varies from one production to another. The areas of responsibility for music producer may include motivating and guiding the artists, smoothing over any disputes and mixing individual tracks to make a finished musical production (working with the sound engineer). The music producer is responsible in particular for balancing the commercial and artistic interests of the employer (record company, film studio etc.) and the employee (artist).
    • Agent: An agent arranges artistic engagements. An agent is paid either a contractually agreed salary or, usually, a percentage of the royalties and other remuneration received by the artist (e.g. 10–20%).
    • Manager: A manager represents artists in their administrative, business and legal concerns (e.g. contractual matters) so that they can concentrate fully on their primary work. A manager is paid either a contractually agreed salary or, usually, a percentage of the royalties and other remuneration received by the artist.  
    • Music editor: Music editors are employed by the media (magazines, TV and radio stations). They are responsible for publishing music of all kinds. Their work includes, for example, writing and publishing reviews, critiques, programme previews and so on.
    [Translate to English:] ©ZHdK
    • Film composer: A film composer writes the music, what is called the “underscore”, for a particular film for cinema or TV. In popular sound tracks, the traditional role of the film composer – composing the dramatic underscore – is being increasingly extended to include songwriting and sound design.
    • Music editor/music illustrator: The work of a music editor is the process of adding the music to the film: the “temp track” (temporary soundtrack made up of existing music), the “mockup” (model or sketch of music produced on a computer) and finally the “soundtrack” (final version, finished film music). The music editor normally works closely with the film composers, editors (“cutters”) and director. Music editors normally have to have an overview of all the fragments of music occurring in the film (film cues), have great musical sensitivity and a good sense of balance, and can feel exactly how the music in a particular scene will contribute to its dramatic effect. Especially on smaller productions, the work of the music editor is often performed by the film composers themselves for budget reasons. TV channels employ music illustrators to add existing music (illustrative music or what is called library music) as a background to the image.
    • Film sound people: Film sound people include: sound engineers for the set or film, mixing sound engineers, voice-over engineers or synchronizers, and they are also called sound editors, sound designers, Foley artists, Foley recorders, Foley editors, set sound engineers, location sound mixers, field recorders, voice-over cutters, dialogue designers, ADR recorders, ADR editors, sound supervisors, audio designers, audio engineers (rerecording, dubbing), sound assistants, etc. ADR (ADR taking/ADR editing) means Automatic Dialogue Replacement or Automated Dialogue Recording and describes the process of post-synchronizing the voice and the image and adding it to the finished film with lip synchronization. Especially in smaller productions, this work is occasionally also done by film composers.
    • Silent film composer: Silent film composers write the score for a particular silent film, for an orchestra or a specific ensemble. Occasionally silent film composers also appear themselves as (improvising) musicians in a silent film concert (e.g. as a pianist).
    [Translate to English:] ©ZHdK
    • Musical theatre composer: Musical theatre composers write music for a specific type of musical theatre such as opera, operetta, musicals etc.
    • Dance theatre composer: Dance theatre composers write music for a specific type of dance theatre, such as ballet, modern dance performance, musical dance shows etc.
    • Theatre or stage musician: Theatre music composers write music for the spoken theatre. Often theatre music composers appear themselves as theatre musicians in plays for which they have composed the music themselves.
    • Correpetiteur: Theatre music composers often rehearse the music with the singers or the singing actors and actresses themselves and take on the role of a correpetiteur. Theatre music composers are sometimes also used as correpetiteurs in dance theatre.
    • Chorus director: Theatre music composers usually rehearse the music with the actors themselves and take on the role of chorus director.
    • Radio play composer: Radio play composers write music for a particular radio play (audio book etc.).
    [Translate to English:] ©ZHdK
    • Media artist: Media artists create and produce multimedia works of art. These are normally installations planned for museums or exhibitions with which the audience, musicians or presenters can engage interactively.
    • Media composer: The media composer writes music for a particular form of media (TV, radio, Internet, social media etc.).
    • TV composer: A TV composer writes music for:
      • Documentaries and reports
      • News broadcasts
      • TV magazine shows
      • Feature films
      • Television plays
      • Series / sitcoms / soap operas / telenovelas
      • Shows
      • Talk shows
      • Sports broadcasts
      • Culture shows and much more
    • Advertising musician: Advertising musicians work in the advertising industry and write trailers, jingles, advertising spots, corporate sounds for radio and television or advertising campaigns for large companies.
    • Video games composer: Video games composers work on the production of software audio elements for computer games or other online products (multimedia products, online media etc.).
    • Music illustrator: TV channels employ music illustrators (music editors/musical advisers) to add music that already exists (illustrative music, stock or library music) as a background to the images.