Customer Reviews

Advanced Techniques for Film Scoring (Book and CD)

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I was excited by the description of this book but disappointed by it's contents. The techniques are totally outdated. It goes on at length about analog recording technique which is nearly inapplicable to the beginning composer. Not recommended except as a minor resource for your library. Buy "The Guide to MIDI Orchestration" by Gilreath or the Jeff Rona Film Scoring book and the general orchestraion books by Adler and Blatter first.

This is the follow up, or second volume to "scoring for films" As the first book, this one is full of diagrams, recording techniques and scores. The technical view is like updated now with the advent of computers and the new digital technology, but the score analysis and inter relations with scripts is great. It has, also, a couple of writtened cues from Mephisto Vals (Goldsmith) and The Clan Of The Cave Bear (Silvestry) in musical notation. It comes with a CD that include cues from the TV series "I Spy" which are the highlight of the Book. Don't be confused, this is not a history book or biography book. Is on the technical side of the industry.

Although the production techniques (multi-reel, reverse track) may be outdated, this book is a great guide on the interplay between the visual and audible components of films (or TV series). Written by recording mastermind Earle H. Hagen with his half-a-century-old history of scoring TV series and the big picture, Advanced Techniques should be seen as a toolbox that can even tell an experienced composer some tricks about how to treat musically difficult film effects.