Advice for a Musician?

NewSlang

NewSlang

Hi all,

I have been a musician for a long time and I am interested in getting some music into films. I mainly write folky type acoustic songs, but I am willing to take a crack at writing a song for a specific scene or movie. I really don't care about profiting from my work at this point, it is more for the enjoyment. Any advice in some good contacts to make about this? I only have a couple of basement recordings uploaded at this point, but I have some older material that is not representitive of my skillset these days :).

Thanks,
Brian
 
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If you stay relatively active (check in and post a thing or two, at least a couple times a week), I feel confident that you will find a director looking for a musician.

I'm a big fan of the 48 Hour Film Fest. They usually don't happen until the Summer time, or close to it, but that's a great way to network with local filmmakers.

Maybe you post an ad on a bulletin board, at your local college? I'd have to assume that Detroit has many student filmmakers.

Best of luck!
 
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First step, get some new recordings! Push yourself, and show people what you can do! When I started scoring, I took scenes from old movies and re-scored them, while reading every book I could find on film scoring. I'm sure there are local film schools, make sure you put a flyer up in every one. You'll find a student looking for a score, and then you not only get practice, but some more material for your portfolio. Again, hang out here, opportunities will come up. Like Cracker says, 48 hour is usually an opportunity; I've done it the past 3 years in a row. It's a crazy challenge, and you WILL learn a lot from it...and learn exactly how much more you have to learn!

But, again, first things first, get some recordings done, representative of your skills now. And then post here so we can hear them!
 
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Going in to the studio for a couple tracks including the one I posted above. Should be able to post them within a couple weeks. Any feedback on the basement recording above?
 
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Not bad. I won't bother you with my critique as a producer. :D

The recording is very right-heavy. I don't know if that was at your end or a result of the YT compression process (it's happened to me).

The problem with basement recordings is that they sound like, well, basement recordings. I know how tight money can be, but some more education, attention to detail and a little more investment can make a huge difference. Probably the best thing you can do is find a producer/collaborator, someone to give you honest critique. We get so wrapped up in our little box that we lose our objectivity about our own work. And this doesn't have to be a long-term arrangement. Working with a few different professionals is a great way to find out your weaknesses - and strengths.
 
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Thanks for the positive feedback!

Sin, I haven't played live shows in a few years, but definitely played around Metro Detroit quite a bit with different bands!

Nick, Let me know if you know of any opportunities you here about.

Alcove, Thank you for the feedback...it obviously was lacking in the studio side of things. The right-heavy recording was completely unintentional, sadly, lol.
 
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