This was great! Wonderful insight and the threads are woven together really well. Thanks for making it!

Great film, and very important one! Thank you for doing this.

Thank you. I needed this.

To me there‘s a very simple answer. I dont like when people (or i) do something only to get something. That’s not sustainable, that’s hunting for illusions, that is even being driven by illusions, a fantasy world. The illusion of an outcome will become bigger than the outcome itself. So focus on what you put into something and give, to reach it. That‘s where you spend all the time and where you live in the moment! In my opinion the journey will always be the reward. I enjoy exploring and writing music, figure everything out. Feel the emotions, damn that (harmony and creation) is such a unique and incredible feeling. So there is only a very small value for me in finished pieces/projects, but a high value in how i get there. If this isn‘t your focus, you do it for something else, like fame, recognition, money - and that‘s all an illusion and influence by the outside to fill your empty inside. Find your passion from the inside, it‘s always untouchable, unbreakable and unreachable! When you deeply love to compose and are really touched by the process itself, you are a composer. Noone has the right to entitle or deny that. 🖤🪡

When I started my composing journey nearly 3 years ago, I knew there would be doubt about whether I'm fooling myself thinking I'm actually a composer so I wrote the phrase "I am a composer" in 6 or 7 languages on a white board as a sort of mantra / reminder that I get to decide who I want to be, not a set of unwritten rules that determine whether I am a composer or not. Nowadays the doubt does not come from the act of composing but rather from how to turn of my perception of it being just a hobby to one of being a career, albeit one that has yet to be profitable in any way. I think we all suffer from this in one form or another, the trick is figuring out who are the people who will help you get where you need to be for it to be a fulfilling career.

Good work! I also have a different aproach, I compose and do music I love and maybe one day I'll get that call! If not, we'll ill keep doing the music I love...!

What a great video! I can see myself totally in here. Really interesting questions and answers!

Great video! Thank you making it. Some great and thought provoking questions and topics you explore.

Big inspiration!!! Thank you for creating this documentary.

Doubting yourself, whatever your goal may be, is a waste of time. It is wiser to just get on with it, experiment, search for your boundaries or obstacles (to get over), and not ask yourself what others may think of you or your achievements. If you alone are satisfied with your compositions, you are a composer... the "real" adjective is totally counterproductive.

Brilliant! Thank you for your work and thanks to all the composers for their wonderful words in this. Beautiful music playing all along too.

Great film! Thanks for making it. The music in the film is really cool too!

Brilliant!

This is superb, well done Heikki. We can all relate and empathise with this Doc.

Well done. Great Film and detailed insights. Thanks for that film!! 🤩

Kudos! Great Video.

The secret of Modern Film Music: You don't have to know anything about music or scoring. Just make some sound-design noise and win an Oscar or two.

Thank you. I think this is a very important and inspiring film, not just for beginner composers but for everyone who, sometimes more or sometimes less, struggles with their artistic profession!

Is sound design my friend!

This was fantastic!

Thank you for this film. Amazing!

Congrats. Beautiful film and positive attitude !

This was just a fantastic piece to happen upon. Thank you for putting this out in the world. It speaks volumes to MANY of the thoughts, aspirations and personal roadblocks all composers come up against. Really appreciate this being out there.

Thanks for sharing 🙏🙏❤

This was such a necessary watch for me, just right now.

Thank you for this❤

Great video! Congratulations.

This is a invaluable video. Thank you for putting this together. I liked how did you structured the chapters and how the message get into the soul of the composer.

Very interesting! Thank you!

What a beautiful production - erinomaista työtä, hyvin mielenkiintoinen aihe, selvästi paljon vaivaa takana, ja lopulta vielä täysin yhtenäinen ja punaisen lankansa kauttaaltaan niin säilyttävä kuin suoristavakin - kiitos!

For the purists in the comments (with love ♥️) Michael Jackson didn't read music, and didn't know how to play any instruments. I don't think he's less "composer", "artist" or "musician". I just met an amazing guitar player with an incredible technique and ear but doesn't know any music theory. Not even the chord names! Music is about expressing feelings. The theory is just a bunch of names we came up with to label what we hear. I love music theory, and I nerd a lot about it. But I don't think it's necessary at all! If you want to check out the guitar play I was talking search "Nick Protonarios Metalizing Power Rangers".

Amazing documentary, very inspiring!!! ❤🎉🤩 👏 ✨

I think i can call myself almost real composer xD I wasn't in music school, but i do study theory by myself and i use it. I didn't work in movie industry yet :P Today people complain, but 100 years later you are genius xD As i understand how to define composer is restricted by how you organize music and style. But in the end you can not limit music.

Very Awesome! ❤

Thank you very much , really needed this as a beginner with great passion. The music in the film is so so good .

Nice, thank you!

Great job on the film.

Great, great, great. It motivates me, to simply move on. Thank you!

I always wanted to be a film composer. It was always a passion as I loved and still love how music and sound complement cinematography and story telling. I didn't get to do it (well not yet anyway) but I have written for theatre, write songs and music for myself as a passionate musician singer and guitarist. I write using notation as it is one of my preferred ways to 'record' my ideas but that in itself is not music theory, it is simply a skill, like being able to write your thoughts in a diary. Knowing how to write words does not make you a linguist. Being a linguist does not make you a poet. The grammar of both language and music is not how we explain how those two skills work, grammar is, the sounds and shapes of the communication tool and knowing that, is implicit and purely based on the ability to produce and communicate an idea, not on knowing why it works or how it has broken 'rules'. It is purely the sound. So no, knowing what established rules are, does not make you creative or in control of the process. Hearing the ideas in your head and knowing the power of their ability to communicate your ideas is the true grammar and 'theory' of language and music. If you record that on tape, or digital or a piece of paper, is irrelevant. Music starts in the brain or the inner ear, not in a theory or grammar book. I link music and language because the point of origin in the brain and their purpose and how we acquire both abilities are inextricably linked.

Nice one! 👍

thanks for this, so well said...let´s keep up being music

7:19 and why not? The quality of your skills define the quality and dignity of your art. If you have less skills you are less professional. You have to find another way to compensate this. And this way is most of the time exaggerated, unless you are among the blessed native speakers of music who are at high level of skill and professionalism without a systematic study. With less music theory you are LESS useful as a composer. And who gets triggered and consumed TIME with this question are the ignorants, while the educated ones are concerned with their subjects. You are not forced to study music, no composer is, but you deserve what you can give. The problem starts when one thinks he deserves the same as the guy who can give more, measured by a pure and similar professional paramater: with more skill, you are more useful and the money is better spend. The less music theory, the more pure artistic geniality (or technology…)is needed . So here comes the answer about who is the arrogant in the matter .

A very very interesting Documentation !

Everything has its place. I do think modern film music is too sound designy. I don't like watching a film and thinking, "Is this part of the sound design department's work or the score?". I think Zimmer started a lot of the trend where it blurred the lines. An abstract score can be really good in the right context, but what I'm sick of is it permeating almost every freaking score nowadays. It's been 10+ years since I've come out of a theater thinking, "Wow, that score was really good.". People don't go home remembering sound design. You don't have to be a musical genius or expert to understand and create motifs. A great example is Daft Punk's score to Tron Legacy. They're great musicians and producers, but they're remedial when it comes to composition when compared to John Williams, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith etc. They still grasped the concept of motifs and in spades. When I think Tron, I can hear the music. They did a fantastic job. There used to be a clear division between a film score composer and sound designer. Take Graeme Revell for example in the score for The Crow. Lustmord did some amazing work in that film as Revell's sound designer. He's a good composer in his own way, but the melding of those two talents elevated the film. It's about the FILM. It's not about the composer, the sound designer, or egos. What are you making? Revell's score to The Crow would be severely lacking without Lustmord's input. It would totally fall apart without Revell's orchestrations as well. Synergy. Another good score with a balance of motif, compositions, and sound design was "Let the Right One In". I don't know how many movies I've seen in the last decade or maybe two decades that have the most boring scores. I don't think it's composer's fault in a lot of cases. I think a big part of it is the directors. They almost seem like they don't want the music to distract from the film. I've worked with directors that were like that. It's like they were overbearing and directing me not to create motifs to distract from the visuals. I ended up creating sound designy BS and was not happy. That's not how I look at it. I think of how I'm going to enhance the visuals, marry them with music. Not be a necessary evil, or minor accessory. In this another case I scored a short film and said eff it, I'm doing exactly what I want. Turned it in and the director hated it. He used it for the score anyway, as a test, at a festival. He messaged me a week later after it was shown and he said, "Everyone loved the score!". lol.

Great documentary

I loved this very much! Still dreaming... ❤

I’m a guitarist who forced himself to learn to create music on piano (i’m still a bad piano performer) using my musical culture and imagination to help me overcome the limits of my self thought musical knowledge. Am i a good composer? I don’t care. I’m only interested in arouse emotions in the listeners

Great Video. I also can't play any instrument, nor am I an expert in music theory. Thank you so much for sharing!

Networking skills and the right opportunities at the right time does it besides being a great musician….

Tribal music does not know music theory, nor did Django Reinhardt; music is what sounds good, knowing why it does is not that important. The 'death' of melody might be an issue in the short term, but soundscapping is a fantastic tool in your arsenal. Melody will never die, anyway. You can make music with plastic buckets and absolutely anything, so, digital instrument are no less interesting than the 'real' ones. Of course you do lose the invaluable input from the real player playing a real instrument, no argument there. Everything is a compromise, not one way to make music is ideal and perfect. Just create the music you like, that is within your means and reach, and enjoy it. As a creator, as an artist, one has to shut him/herself to the world and its concerns in order to find your true self and only speak from that place... An artist should not be concerned with what other think. Do not seek to conform, free yourself and do YOUR thing.

Very nice report what I remember is to make music and enjoy and love what we do😍

I watched this 3 times already. I love this documentary so much. We don't have to question ourselves, we have to just trust our instincts and do what our gut tell us. Feel, don't think!

I feel you Man !!!

Very useful

I sincerely appreciate this documentary. It really speaks to me. 7:30 nails it for me.

NIce documentary...I just would invite some "more classical" (meaning someone who use pencil and paper) film composers, cause this is highlight of "same kind" modern film composers. For example...Christian Henson..trying to convince that you should express yourself without any limitations ..I agree with that...but also there is an other side of the coin which is knowing what you doing and making things as good as possible. For ex. if you are doing something for orchestra (practically every modern film composer makes something for orchestra), you should know capabilities of this people and not relay on sound from your computer...for ex. Christian is talking about hating a musical theory...yes, cause he did not understand that this theory helps music being more diverse (specially if he writes for orchestra it is kind of cue-like and not so much interesting pieces)..so I would be careful with this opinion.

What reverb(s) did you use? Your soundtrack was great!

I like that this video was provocative! I need provoking. I am a good composer, but am pulled so many directions, I feel like an abstract painting. Relativity is always leaving me in a state of confusion. In saying that, I am going to see what next idea flows from my fingers and mind. I hate that making money always gets stuck in the middle of it all.

Here's my honest but unfiltered opinion. I think people miss the melodic era of film scores. That being the John Williams era. Because John Williams went through the whole music theory things, it doesn't mean that everyone else has to take music theory. Keep in mind this "genius" is one who technically plagiarized other composers from the classical era. (I really don't like John Williams, sorry.) Everything Christian Henson says in this documentary is absolutely right. Now, I don't know much music theory. Do I class myself "a composer"? Yes, I do, because the melody comes out of MY head which means it was composed by ME. I read a comment on this video comparing music composing to writing a book, which is utter bullshit if you ask me. Music as a whole is a very controversial topic. You say one wrong thing in this industry, and you get scolded for having your opinion. To close off my opinions on this topic, I think that you shouldn't listen to those music theorists and those who think that melody is dying, the ones who try to tell you what you can and can't do, in this industry there's no "rules". Everyone seems to think there's rules to film music, there isn't. Make the music YOU want to make. Also to whoever reads through this whole comment, good on you.

You're either a composer or a decomposer... i.e. a composter. Is an imposter the opposite of a composter? If it's all about confidence, does that mean it's a con? Music theory is descriptive, for communication. You can compose theoretically, if you want to, but in 2024 you just play what you want to hear, and record it as MIDI in your DAW. Snap everything to the grid. Then, convert it into and publish it as guitar tablature... and also publish a "MIDI piano" video version, and a sped up version for titkok and gram. Then, assuming your track goes viral, hire someone to transcribe the best cover version that one of your followers performs, so you can have good sheet music notation for your composition. A

I'm sure John Williams doesn't get imposter syndrome, look at how many other peoples musical pieces he has used, from The Planets to Bernstein, he's "borrowed" it all.

all answers questioned ... what tango wrong?

💪🏻

Pro tip: If you're making a documentary on being a "real" composer, don't include clips of you playing a midi controller that is clearly not plugged into anything lmao

Digital tools are the tools available. Use what you have. Walk through doubt.

The composers in this documentary are, to me being just a hobbyist musician, placeholders for basically everyone, every human questioning oneself. What you do, how you do it and how you act, interact in life. One step is acceptance, not in the sense of ignorance but in a way to have the ability to move on without doubting at least too much.

Lovely documentary, and a great reminder to everyone that you don't have to be dependent of what the huge plugin-makers sends out of pre-packaged expensive sounds. Use what you have, express yourself with what is available at your fingertips. I did this one from stock in a DAW except from some of Chris's free strings after a stroke (blood clot in brain) : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/nsmRdJRhmtLJmYk.html 🙂

I love how Christian Henson warns us about the dangers of dogma...while other composers demonstrated dogmatic thinking.

Almost all those “film music” sounds all the same.

Ok as a composer I had to stop at 220- because it was clear then it was the usual nonsense and lack of understanding. First a film composer is more sound designer composer hybrid- a monetary activity , a composer writes for themselves because it MUST be done and doesn’t consider opinions, it is a spiritual and existential activity. I am also a film composer so don’t get me wrong just a “painter” who paints buildings and a “painter” who creates a movement are different things. Same thing. Second killing blow is MY GOD WHY WONT THAT OLAF TOOL JUST GO AWAY?! His music is acoustic pablum he makes using so many software gadgets he only has to press one button and “music” comes out and he’s hailed as a genius like freaking CONTINUALLY! Am I just jealous? No. Am I bothered by seeing the same nihilistic consumerism and mob-thinking guiding peoples concept of what a composer is? YES!!!!! Does it bother me that freaking glorious OLAF presses a button or two and the computer does the rest and legions fall to their knees in worship while I write out the entire freaking symphony one after another and a pin drops? YES ABSOLUTELY! But not in the catapult to assumption reasons but for THE SAME REASONS THAT THE 1% ECONOMIC DISPARITY IS WRONG. I know 100 BRILLIANT composers and would be completely happy if any one of them took the place of these never ending soulless drones. It doesn’t have to be me, just the LEAST talented composers are the most famous and rewarded and the MOST talented are absolutely ignored. Mozarts across the world dying unheard while FREAKING OLAF’S computer barfs out another “ambient ostinato” or however he sells his musical Diet Pepsi. You likely think I’m wrong and LOVE the people in this video. Um everyone loves the same people is an instant red flag that consumer brainwashing may be close to home… Reality is these are shitty composers period. There are countless brilliant composers who NEVER EVEN GET A HOPE OF A CHANCE BECAUSE ASSHATS LIKE OLAF ARE IN EVERY DAMN VIDEO BLATHERING ABOUT THEIR GENIUS METHOD (he presses pads that play full tracks for him like a 13 year old DJ that’s his method. His music is WRITTEN BY A COMPUTER how do you not see this is fd up? HOW?!

15:39 There is nothing more consensual than claiming that you have to break the rules, find your own voice, blah blah blah. And there is nothing more pathetic than asserting it as if it was a revolutionary thought.

Doctor: goes to med school. Driver: goes to driving school. Writer: learns how to write at school. Composer: nah, I'll write music in my own terms it'll be fine 😂😂😂

"Am I a real composer? I don't know music theory or how to play any instruments." No you're not a real composer. That would be like calling yourself a real author without knowing the alphabet, grammar or how to use a pen and paper.