Jeff Rona, the Reel World: Scoring for Pictures Richard Bellis, The

Journal of Film Music 3.1 (2010) 98-101 ISSN (print) 1087-7142 doi:10.1558/jfm.v3i1.98 ISSN (online) 1758-860X

Jeff Rona, The Reel World: Scoring for Pictures

San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 2000. [xi, 272 pp. ISBN: 0879305916. $24.95 (trade paper)] Illustrations, music examples, tables, figures, appendices, list of resources, index.1

Richard Bellis, The Emerging Film Composer: An Introduction to the People, Problems, and Psychology of the Film Music Business

Los Angeles: Richard Bellis, 2006. [xix, 158 pp. ISBN: 0615136230. $24.95 (trade paper)] Illustrations, tables, appendix (list of selected resources).

Patrick Wood Princeton University [email protected]

hese days, it is likely that many people have1 expertise, but no formal musical training. Stepping experienced the sound of a symphony orchestra up to fill in this disparity of knowledge are numerous T in a movie theater rather than in a concert hall; “how-to” guides and manuals, on everything likewise, many would instantly recognize musical from MIDI to notation and orchestration. passages not from Wagner or Beethoven, but from the Although neither book purports to be one of those film scores of John Williams (Star Wars, Raiders of the guides, both target that audience of newcomers to film, Lost Ark, Catch Me If You Can) and Howard Shore (Lord video, and television composition, offering advice and of the Rings). But aside from big budget films, most guidance to composers at the very beginning of their commissioned music accompanies video games, movies careers. For the scholar these books provide valuable and series for cable and satellite television, and the perspectives on the practical aspects of media music advertisements associated with them. In addition to from two practicing, professional composers’ points the explosive growth of these music markets, advances of view. While neither author ventures deeply into in digital technology have enabled more people than their creative processes, both offer approaches to film ever before to create elaborate electronic scores scoring procedures such as spotting sessions, demos, without lengthy musical education, apprenticeship, getting cues approved, and budgets. It soon becomes or training. The doors of film, video, and television clear how inseparable these are from the music composition have been opened, and today’s field composed: a small and limited music budget may not includes many composers with technological allow for more than a handful of live musicians, which could increase the presence of sampled instruments in 1 The appendices “Thinking in Reel Time” and “Orchestral Instrument the score; stylistic choices today are most often made Ranges and Transpositions of Popular Instruments” are reproduced from not by the composer, but by an executive group made Inside the Music ©1999 Dave Stewart.

© Equinox Publishing Ltd 2010, 1 Chelsea Manor Studios, Flood Street, London SW3 5SR. REVIEWS 99 up of director, producer, music supervisor, and music barely two pages of text and a diagram which is by no editor. While these film score and music sound track means self-explanatory. Practical recommendations details may be well known to some film music scholars on budgeting time and money, or on collaborating and those interested in composing and performing with filmmakers and musicians, are imparted in a film music, the vast extent to which they affect a sentence or two only, an evident remainder of the score—and consequently any study of it—is brought magazine’s original punch lines. It is a shame that very much into the foreground by these authors. an opportunity was missed here to expand on these Jeff Rona is an accomplished film and television ideas, and share them with a different audience, composer, with numerous credits, including the without the magazine column’s constraints. As a television series Homicide: Life on the Street, Chicago result, Rona fails to present the most useful lessons Hope and Ridley Scott’s White Squall (all originating in a clear, direct, format; thus these lessons lose the in the 1990s in the U.S.). He is also the columnist of prominence (and readers’ attention) they deserve. “The Reel World,” which appears monthly in Keyboard Occasional marginal notes provide the URL of the magazine. Rona’s book is mainly a retrospective book’s website. Sometimes this is in order to provide compilation of these articles. Each of its three audio examples, such as Rona’s reworking of his theme sections (“The Creative Process,” “Technology,” for LA Doctors, or his beautiful cues for Chicago Hope. and “Career”) has broad chapter headings that are Also online is a list of resources on orchestration divided into shorter topics. For example, “House and music notation (curiously, with links to retailers, of Style: Cultivating a Unique, Identifiable Sound” but no annotations as to their content or use), and or “ ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’: Working with Exotic sample music budgets of varying sizes. Naturally, one Musicians.” It is not difficult to reconstruct the original wonders why, if these resources don’t call specifically context of these sections as magazine articles. The for non-print media, they weren’t printed in the first parts of these titles, retained from Keyboard book’s pages. It appears that they weren’t printed magazine and entirely in keeping with its style, are in the magazine column for lack of space, and the catchy references to pop culture: House of Style was format was retained when formatted as a book. a television show about the fashion industry which Nearly all of the book’s shortcomings are a result ran through the 1990s on MTV; “Walk Like an of the author’s retrospective compilation approach: Egyptian” is a song from The Bangles’ 1986 album, in other words, it includes one article after another Different Light. Each of the three larger sections of the with very little if any editorial changes that would book closes with a set of interviews, primarily with have improved the original, added explanation and composers (including John Williams, Carter Burwell, clarification, and addressed specifically the readers Hans Zimmer, and Basil Poledouris), but also with of this book. Readers who are knowledgeable of others in the film industry: a music editor, a music Rona’s columns in Keyboard magazine would be the executive, a composers’ agent, and a music contractor. only ones initially aware that this book is mainly a Some of these interviews were spread out over several compilation. Nowhere else but in the epilogue—not installments in consecutive issues of Keyboard. in the contents, introduction, or front and back Rona’s style is personable and informal, and covers—does Rona show his hand. Had this been since there are many anecdotes in the book, he gives mentioned early on, readers might have been better readers the impression that he is a generous, kind, equipped to follow and understand the book’s content and encouraging adviser. But the episodic structure and organization. Whatever value each segment may of consecutive anecdotes, as suited for a magazine have, the experience of consulting or reading the column, and which often conclude with a moral akin same material gathered into a whole book presents a to a punch line, is precisely a point of weakness in number of problems. Ideas are often repeated, which the book: those brief morals often constitute each testifies to their importance when they appear in article’s most valuable advice, and the information more than one issue of a periodical. But when they of most interest both to budding composers and are separated by only a few pages, that importance to scholars. Those ideas could have been more is diminished by a sense of editorial carelessness, fully and systematically developed in book format, which is compounded here by the alarming number of but instead they are either overshadowed by the spelling and grammatical mistakes (“Aaron Copeland,” surrounding anecdotes, or dealt with in too short twice, for “Copland,” “undo attention” for “undue,” a space to do them justice. The set-up of an entire “independant” for “independent,” and “Wimbleton” studio, entitled “Plugging It All In,” is covered by for “Wimbledon”). More specific technical terms

might have replaced descriptive phraseology such Bellis’ detailed recommendations for the as, “from the pre-shoe box-sized ‘Megaplex’ theatre emerging film composer are equally instructive for days” [sic] (p. 141), or “analogue-esque arpeggios, and film music scholars, outlining clearly the standard the occasional odd tension and angst-filled weirdo practices and expectations that form the procedural sound” (p. 28). While there are a handful of changes background of a finished score. Also very revealing from the original of each article that is reprinted, is his assessment of the composer’s priorities: in either Rona or an editor would have presented the a section on allocating time for composing, Bellis book’s material much more effectively through defines “the Meat” as “writing the cues that are the more vigorous editing, not only for terminology most important—to the filmmaker (first) and to the and spelling, but especially for a streamlined, film (second)” (p. 83). On a similarly political note, concise, and systematic presentation of content. he points out that film music is a craft, not an art. For those looking to this book for instruction, “Art is a form of self-expression and the last thing Rona serves as a capable mentor who obviously a director wants is some composer coming in and enjoys sharing his experience composing for film, expressing himself all over the director’s film” (p. 68). video, and television. Although it falls short of Bellis has had considerable experience as a teacher, being the “practical guide,” as its cover claims, having served on the faculty of the University of The Reel World provides novices with a broad Southern California’s prestigious Scoring for Motion sense of the industry, and Rona’s approachable Pictures and Television program, and holding writing style is engaging. Readers may have the annual “ASCAP Television and Film Scoring to do some keyword searching to find exactly Workshop.” He communicates his ideas with the what they want to know from these articles, conciseness and directness that comes from such although the limited index makes this difficult. experience. The book’s eight chapters are laid Richard Bellis’ The Emerging Film Composer, by out clearly, and flow logically and elegantly, from contrast, frames its audience in a more specific and preparation and pricing to writing, recording, and pragmatic way at the outset. In his introduction, delivering the music. The final chapter consists of Bellis points out that A-list movies and films stories drawn from Bellis’ experience and those of his with modest budgets “utilize about eight to ten colleagues, including film composer Bruce Broughton percent of the media composers worldwide” (Silverado, released in 1985, Tombstone, 1993), and whereas “composers in the remaining 90 percent television composers Alf Clausen (The Simpsons), work on games, movies for television, television and Adam Fields (Dawson’s Creek, Buffy the Vampire series, theme parks, independent features (low Slayer). While Bellis’ style is informal and frequently budget), documentaries, industrial films and conversational, there is never a wasted word. The commercials” (p. xviii). Assuming that the emerging writing is both congenial and extremely informative. film composer will fall under one classification Although both books address the same audience of or the other, Bellis addresses this readership. novice composers and offer some of the same advice, He also limits the scope of his book to the Bellis’ suggestions are more oriented towards methods “people, problems, and psychology involved with and strategies and would continue to be of some being a film composer” (p. xvii). Bellis aims to deal value to composers at every stage in their careers. with extramusical and non-musical topics such as His ideas for avoiding distractions while writing are interpersonal relationships, how to foster an image useful even for non-composers, and his breakdown of competence, or negotiate fees. Assuming that of a music budget is methodical and comprehensive. readers are motivated and have sufficient musical Overall, the book is an outstanding combination knowledge, the author mostly refrains from imparting of the pleasant, the pragmatic, and the edifying. any musical or technological advice, leaving discussion For scholars, each book offers different rewards. of writing techniques, orchestration, and technology Bellis’ volume, finely aimed at professionally-minded to other sources specifically dedicated to these student composers, articulates not only the processes subjects. As a consequence, the book is admirably involved in being a film composer, but also some concise, dealing only with the subject matter the of its anxieties, such as writing on a schedule or author intends to cover. The book’s appendix provides dealing with aspects of the business that are just information about film scoring courses as well as blind luck. One of Bellis’ evident gifts as a teacher the performing rights organizations ASCAP and is the soundness of his advice: “When you realize BMI, but gives no suggestions for further reading. that everything good comes ‘out of left field,’ your

© Equinox Publishing Ltd 2010. REVIEWS 101 job is to go to the ballpark everyday” (p. 54). Rona’s writing lacks Bellis’ keen sense of audience, as well as his lucidity, and tends to be diffuse by comparison. At the same time, Rona’s candidness about his own experience and compositional process provides a helpful resource for thinking about how media music is conceived, composed, and produced.

Patrick Wood is the Roy D. Welch Graduate Fellow in Musicology at Princeton University. His areas of scholarly interest include 19th-century chamber music and 20th-century American music. Also an accomplished violinist, he performs regularly with pianist Holly Chatham in The Chatham–Wood Duo. His debut album of the unaccompanied violin works of German virtuoso Thomas Baltzar (d. 1663) was released earlier this year to critical acclaim.