Complete Guide to Film Scoring: The Art and Business of Writing Music for Movies and TV [Kindle Edition]

Richard Davis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An essential resource for both students and professionals, offering shrewd insight into the business, process, and art of writing music for film and TV. Interviews with top film scoring professionals add the priceless insight of the wisdom that comes with experience.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 5782 KB
• Publisher: Berklee Press (February 1, 2000)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001L1SF0E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,712 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #47 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Arts & Entertainment > Movies & Video > Reference

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad book, but not what I expected, January 11, 2007

By 

Vlad AGACHI (Bucharest, ROMANIA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Guide to Film Scoring: The Art and Business of Writing Music for Movies and TV (Paperback)

When I bought "The Complete Guide to Film Scoring", i wasn't expecting it to be so... complete.

Actually, being a music major i was expecting a much more musical approach to this subject. I was interested in examples and more detailed information about how to write music for a film. The book includes this subject in a chapter, but it is treated pretty generaly.

What I found, and in really detailed way, were the means of making money with your score, full of examples, different approaches and all the necessary data to take full advantage of your score. However, it didn't satisfy me too much.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect book for getting the big Picture..., March 23, 2001

By 

Jerome Salyers (Brugg Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Guide to Film Scoring: The Art and Business of Writing Music for Movies and TV (Paperback)

My partner and I are just starting to get into this business, but here in Switzerland, getting information on this industry is not so easy. Richard Davis' book was just what the doctor ordered for giving us a view into the different facets of the business; from who does what and when to what to be aware of when it comes to getting your pay.

Be warned that the book is about the business and not about getting into the business. Although the author is very postive, and very constructive, there is no discussion about managers, or agents, or any specifics about where one might begin to make calls, send demos or knock on doors. But that wasn't what the author was aiming for, and the book does not lack because of it.

The interviews with producing composers are fabulous, as well as the plethora of quotes from varied professionals in the business. If you're only going to get one book to find out about the film scoring business, this is the one to get.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuble Gem for the Aspiring Film Composer, December 25, 2001

By 

Robert Pollock (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Guide to Film Scoring: The Art and Business of Writing Music for Movies and TV (Paperback)

Film composer Richard Davis's Complete Guide to Film Scoring is indeed complete. It is the only book I know that has all the fundamentals of composing the music for a film, from the spotting to the recording session and mix, giving fascinating facts and detail along the way. It even includes the financial part of the composing process and the agents, royalties copyrights, and contracts involved. As I first found my love for film composing, I knew nothing much of it and had many questions with no one to answer them. This book not only answered them but shed more light on vague parts of composing and even inspired me. The interviews of the various and rising new composers were delightful and the beginning chapter describing the development of early film music and its various developing styles and composers was very insightful and delighting to read. Richard Davis's book is a must-have for any aspiring film composer. Such knowledge that this book has comes only with experience but Richard Davis easily explains it so we don't have to learn it the hard way.