How to Get Your First Job Composing for Video Games
How to Get Your First Job Composing for Video Games
A lot of people have asked me how I got into composing for games (and especially how to land that first paying gig). While my career is very short so far I do think I can share a couple of pointers for people hoping to get their foot in the door. I think the plan I followed when I got started is doable by anyone, and a fantastic way of getting that first gig in the video game industry.
The focus here is not just getting hired on a project no matter what. The focus here is on getting hired on a really great project that's right for you.
Step 1: Know Your Forte
When I decided I wanted to score a video game, I realized my endeavors would be all the more successful (but more importantly: enjoyable!) if I focused on finding a project that needed music in a genre I truly loved.
This may seem rather obvious written out like that, but I think many people looking for their first gig forget this. With first-time pro composers, there is sometimes an "I'll do anything!" mentality, that could land you a job that's not a great match for your strengths, resulting in less enjoyment, less musical quality and a less satisfied game developer.
In my particular case, I wanted to find a game that was:
- story-driven like a film
- produced in a cinematic style
- adventurous and larger-than-life, requiring a symphonic score
- character-driven, hopefully requiring themes for the characters
So what kind of game you would do a really great job scoring? What kind of style would you really love writing in? What's your forte?
Step 2: Detective Work; Finding a Game that's Ripe
Having decided on the kind of game you'd like to score, it's time to do some detective work. Not only do you have to track down projects that are a stylistic match for you; you have to track down projects that are "ripe".
A project that's "ripe" is a project that's in the right stage of the game's development process. You want to hit them when they are actually looking for a composer, or (even better) should be looking but haven't started yet.
Typically, the entire first year (or more) of a game's development is spent coding. There are no graphics yet, no animations, etc. These are the embryonic stages of a game's development and they are not even remotely interested in you yet.
At some point during the second or third year, the game starts looking good (but unfinished and buggy). This is when they generally either hire or get their in-house sound designer involved. Very often, this same person will be in charge of outsourcing the music for the game. Obviously this is where you come in -- just at the right time!
An exception to the second/third-year ripeness guideline, is when a developer that has licensed an engine. What this means is that they have bought the technology they might have spent their first year-or-so coding, and are ready to get straight in there and start fleshing out the content. This means the game will be "ripe" for you much earlier.
So how on earth does one actually find out what projects are cooking, and how ripe they are?
I did my detective work at the following websites:
Adventure Gamers release calendar
When I was looking for my first gig, I built myself a shortlist of games that fit my idea of a great project. In my particular case that meant going through the RPG (Role Playing Game) and Adventure sections, making a note of games that looked character-driven, filmy and that just basically seemed like interesting projects.
I realized that the projected release date of the game is a great clue as to how ripe the projects are, and of course I found I could filter the results so I was only looking at games to be released a year or so from now. If a game is three years away from release, they are still just coding. If a game is four months away from release, the composer is already hired -- forget about it!
Once you have some promising titles, google is your friend. What projects already have a composer attached? Discard those. What projects are begging for you to step in? Google will help you build up all kinds of valuable information on the games you are tracking.
Step 3: Find the Gatekeeper
After spending quite a few days researching about two or three hundred games, I was left with a shortlist of three titles. These were titles that absolutely fit my own stylistic preferences, were definitely ripe, and had no composer attached that I was aware of.
Time to find out who's in charge of hiring the composer. Personally I just called the front desk of the three developers (two European and one in San Francisco) and politely asked if I could speak to the Audio Director.
I guess this was a little forward because in two of the cases they worked out that I was cold calling and weren't really too keen on putting my call through. So I asked if I could email the front desk, and if they would be kind enough to forward my email to the Audio Director. They were fine with that. Perhaps you could go straight for that approach.
The reception at the third developer was happy to put my call through to the Audio Director, but he didn't pick up! Since I was going to be writing two other emails, I just asked the reception to be ready to forward my email on to the Audio Director, and they were very happy to do that. Incidentally, the more open and friendly developer was the one I ended up working with.
In any case -- your mission at this point is to simply find out exactly who you're going to be applying to.
Step 4: Making Contact
My decision in my first contact with the Audio Directors of my three chosen games was to present an mp3 showreel link directly in the email. I felt it was important to make an immediate impression musically, and I'd recommend this approach to you. I got email replies from all three Audio Directors!
I also felt it was very important for the showreel to be specifically-prepared for the game I was applying to. The game based in San Francisco was set in a Lord of the Rings-inspired world, so obviously the showreel I sent them was completely different from the urban thriller the French guys were making, which was still different from the showreel I prepared for the Norwegian guys making a sci-fi/fantasy adventure game.
I can't say this for sure, but I'd say sending a very generic showreel with a very broad range of styles isn't likely to inspire a response.
It's important to show a keen interest in the game they are currently developing, showing that you're up to scratch with all the insider's info you've gathered, without being too forward.
Another important thing to do is to show you know about their company. Stuff like "I've been looking at the titles you've released in the past and was very impressed with your sound work on ................ . I'd love to participate in that kind of a production!". If you're genuine in your remarks it comes across, and there's nothing like a keen applicant in the eyes of an Audio Director.
Step 5: You Got a Response... Now What?
My reaction to getting email responses was to immediately offer to score a short (1 minute) example of my work for free. I offered for them to send a short cinematic or some in-game footage for me to score. That way they could make a very informed decision on weather they might want to work with me, or not.
I was very open about this, and not at all pushy. I just expressed that I would find it fun, and I was perfectly willing to make a small sample.
Two of them accepted, and one declined, saying they were very impressed with the showreel as it was, and that they didn't think it was necessary. But I did it anyway, even for the ones that declined! I did some detective work and found a cinematic for an older game they had done, and re-scored it, just so they got a taste of what I could offer their productions.
I heartily recommend this kind of enthusiastic approach when you are communicating with your possible future Audio Director. Going above and beyond at this stage is what puts on top of that pile of showreels they have.
So what happened with my three developers? The San Francisco guys offered me a gig for $200 per minute of music (mixed and mastered), and I declined because I thought such a low budget would be difficult to sustain for me, and the quality would suffer. I also found it odd that they were willing to work with someone they had only just met through a handful of emails. French guys decided I was too classical for their urban thriller and declined. But they were very graceful and paid me for my sample.
At this stage, remember not to be disheartened when you are rejected on stylistic grounds. In my case, I wouldn't have wanted to spend months working on an electronic thriller score if that's not what I loved doing -- and the same goes for you!
The Norwegian guys were very enthusiastic, and offered to pay me to come over and meet them.
It's important here to note that this was the project that best matched my style of symphonic scoring. At the time I viewed the situation as a fantastic stroke of luck -- but in retrospect I don't think it was. If you truly focus on finding a project in a genre you're very good at, it will be a very natural result for the developer to be enthusiastic. This is the best situation for everyone involved, so go ahead and home-in on your favorite candidates.
Step 6: Meeting the Developer
My personal experiences aside, you will find most serious developers (i.e., the kind of developers you want to work with) are happy to put you up in a hotel and pay your travel costs to meet you in person.
Now's the time to prepare for your meeting. I decided it was important to have some fresh music to show them when I got there, so I gathered up cues I knew I hadn't sent them yet, and I even composed a new cue for their game, inspired by some early screenshots and artwork I found on IGN.
I also prepared a small presentation about my approach to film or game scoring, where I took a little scene from StarWars and re-scored it. That way I could show them my approach to scoring a scene bar-by-bar, in a fun and interesting little presentation for them, which broke the ice and gave way to good conversation.
In any case, I'd say your mission at this stage is to turn up with some fresh music, a very keen interest in their company and perhaps some kind of presentation on your approach to scoring to picture.
Step 7: Negotiating the Contract
I admit this part was a little uncomfortable for me, especially since it was my first time. I was ideally looking for a composing budget plus a recording budget, so I could record my score with a live orchestra (or at least live instruments to sweeten the MIDI production). I was looking for €500 composing plus €275 recording budget per minute of music.
In my meeting with the producer and the audio director it became clear that they were not prepared to commit that kind of a budget to the music, which I found reasonable since they had not commissioned live orchestra recordings before, and I was a first-timer.
Their first offer was €300 per minute, and I was very reluctant to give up my recording budget at the beginning, but after about an hour of chatting we settled on €500 per minute of music, all inclusive (that's roughly 700 US dollars). I had a good think about whether I could come up with a long symphonic score on that budget, and I felt confident that I could.
At this point I asked them very clearly: "Are you sure you're comfortable with this amount? I don't want you to regret it down the line and feel ripped off."
I think it was a very important thing to ask at that point, because if you are asking for more money than they were thinking of spending, you need to make sure your relationship is not going to be bitter when deadlines loom and the chaos of game development kicks in.
Case in point: while working on this title I made a blunder of the main title the developer wanted when they were making their big Game Developer's Conference presentation, so I spent all night rewriting the cue so they would have it in time, and handed it in a 5 a.m. Despite the stress everyone was under, the general atmosphere was great, and that's something I really treasured at the time.
So when you are at the negotiating table, make sure everyone's happy, or walk away! Having your first gig but being miserable for months on end will not be worth it.
How did Things Turn Out?
Things turned out fantastic. In writing my score for the game Dreamfall (Funcom/Aspyr) I had the opportunity to write a feature-length symphonic score for a game with an amazing story and great characters. I built up a great relationship with the developer. I was able to release the soundtrack album on CD and iTunes. Reviewers loved the score, and it was awarded and nominated for several industry awards, including IGN, gamespot, gamespy, GANG, and even MTV.
But I'm not telling you this to impress you. I'm telling you this for you to feel impressed with the opportunities you might have if you really apply yourself to finding the right project. You can do so much better than "I'll take anything and go from there!".
By seeking the right project you will be afforded the opportunity to write the music you are best at (and most love writing), forge a great relationship with those you work with, and gain credit on a project that establishes you in the genre of your choosing.
Happy composing!
Saturday, 9 May 2009
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