This was the parade of desperate thoughts that addled my nerve wrecked brain as I politely sat in the waiting room of a big New York City advertising company circa 1999. It was my first meeting as a "lead composer" with their creative team after a few years of being a remote, boiler room, staff composer for a boutique production company. I felt like I was about to skydive while my psyche kept trying on different personalities, in hopes one might be calm, engaging and visibly talented.

"Mr. Finnegan… come on in"

That meeting went "ok" at best but to my credit, I didn't run out of the room in a panic, I didn't throw up on any one's freshly shined Berlutis and although I certainly didn't dazzle anyone, I got the job and continued to work with them on various campaigns. I learned a valuable lesson that day, one that I have continued to put into practice in every discussion, meeting, spotting session and mix I've had with employers: Listen and comprehend when others are talking and giving direction. Be decisive and articulate when its your turn to speak.

I suppose the euphoria and surreality of actually working in this business takes longer to wear off then say, selling insurance. Eventually the self congratulatory "this is sooooo cool" cheers get replaced with long days and nights racing against the clock, and often technology, in the mad dash to get done before the deadline.

Working as a composer is a job like any other. Scheduling, communication and producing under pressure are paramount. Sure it's a gig for "creatives" but you are providing a service for a team of people that are working under intense deadlines of their own. You aren't a rock star and you won't be treated like one. For this reason I'd like to outline a few guidelines that have served me well over the years when working as a hired composer. I hope they can help some of you on your way into this bizarre, chaotic yet wonderfully rewarding world.

BE ON TIME, ALL THE TIME.

This should go without saying but it has to be repeated again and again. Whether it's a meeting at 11am on a Monday, or a cue that needs to be done and delivered by 7pm Thursday. No matter what you have to do, make sure you and your work is there on time and preferably a little early. Nobody wants to hear that you hit the worst traffic jam in the last century or that your software kept crashing. Even if it's true, it's your problem, not theirs. If I have a meeting at 11am, I schedule to make sure I'm early for 10am. Sure it means I've spent countless hours in nearby coffee shops or bookstores, reviewing my notes or flipping through the latest issue of Electronic Musician magazine but I'm in the lobby at quarter to 11 and mentally prepared.

Musical deadlines aren't cut and dry and there will always be unforeseen technical issues. It's for this reason that you make sure your "workbench" is as prepared as possible. Computers crash and new software and plug ins won't always integrate seamlessly into your system. Having a redundant setup is crucial for this reason. If Logic 9 keeps crashing and none of your samples are loading properly, you better have Logic 8 or Digital Performer 7 on a second machine that, although may not be cutting edge, it should be functional and ready to go. Use templates for projects, know your sample library like the back of your hand and try and keep the experimental aspects of a score to the days that you aren't under deadline. If you finish cues early, its never a bad idea to send them to whoever is requesting them ahead of schedule. they might have some revisions which would have delayed things in the future.

BE POSITIVE, BE FLEXIBLE

In a meeting I had with a producer for a cable news channel discussing what he wanted for a show's new theme, he said something that stuck with me. After we arrived at a concept he smiled and said "I love working with freelancers, its always "Yes, we can do it!". Everyone here always tells me what we can't do." Seems simple enough but it spoke volumes. This guy probably had to deal with different departments and network executives that constantly change, critique, or dismantle his vision. When dealing with an outside composer he could be very specific about what he wanted, however fragmented his description, and it was my job to smile and go make it happen. People like to hire people who can not only deliver a great product but are also pleasant to be around. This isn't to say you should be a door mat or a yes man, but don't unload your frustrations on an individual that has their own problems to worry about.

One of the mistakes I've had made in the past was to wait until I got back to my studio to start "the process". By waiting I'd be left with questions and vagaries. "Hmmmm she said she wanted this scene to sound like Bjork meets The Who" or "He said he wanted it to pop when the little girl looks up and smiles". When you get direction and there is some doubt as to exactly what it is they want, politely speak up. Ask your questions when its time to ask the questions. Start constructing an outline score immediately in your head so your creative process is already "in gear" as you discuss.

I go into meetings or spotting session with a well defined concept of what it is I'm going to do musically. I realize that I'm hired to write music that supports a scene or product, and it is not the Pat Finnegan solo album that will be the outlet for all my artistic frustration. It's a job and if the person who hired me doesn't agree with my initial musical sketches then I change or I show them some of the other ideas I have prepared. Flexibility is an asset that any good composer should possess. The ability to trash something that you spent hours on and feel emotionally connected to is a survival skill which makes media composers different from songwriters. Songwriters write for themselves and hope that others will enjoy what they do. Media composers write music for the picture at hand. This is why great songwriters sometimes make the worst film composers. If you are attempting to do both, ask yourself if you are prepared to have your work treated like a tool and not necessarily a work of art.

DON'T BE A STRANGER

Let me be clear that I'm by no means telling you to become your new found employer's best friend and call them every hour on the hour. Their plate is full as well and too much contact is distracting. However, it's good form to stay in touch with some member of the creative team on a fairly steady basis. This can be as simple as dropping them an email every few days, or sending some rough mixes or ideas to get their input. It also reminds them of your role and helps you get any changes or revisions that might have been held till the next scheduled meeting. Communication is vital for a composer and the production they are hired for, since to a degree, you are one of the few "off site" members of the team. There are a certain interpersonal skills that you develop over time and repeat work with people in the entertainment business. You have to be a decent judge of character and be able to pick up on their signals. No two situations or jobs are the same. You may get a a director who is somewhat distant and doesn't really want to deal with music until the filming is done, or one that is constantly asking for progress and demos on almost a daily basis. Once you figure out what category your new boss(es) fall into, adapt your process.

While on the topic of communication, its important to touch on one of the more difficult aspects, disagreement and confusion. Working on jingles or ads can be a fertile ground for the "too many chefs" syndrome. You have a creative team that individually might all have their own vision and version of what the music supporting the product should be. I've heard some of the most outlandish and disparate musical requests in creative meetings (Can you make the music more "red"?), as well as two or more people asking me to do entirely different things. These are delicate situations that need to be handled with kid gloves. It's terrible form to correct someone in terms of their creative requests, just as it is to tattle to one member of the team about another. This is where a good composers acknowledge all requests and direction and then assimilate them into their own vision. Often when playing potential music for a creative team, I'll preface it with "Ellen, you mentioned that a "Trip-Hop" vibe like 'Portishead' might work, so I incorporated that style into the rhythm. Steve, you thought a smokey jazz trumpet might be cool. Well, that muted "Miles Like" trumpet came from your suggestion". For better or worse, everyone loves attention. They feel validated when they know their ideas are heard and accepted. By explicitly recognizing some of those original suggestions when presenting your work, you immediately get them invested in the results. This doesn't mean you have to turn into Eddie Haskell! Subtle acknowledgement goes a long way.

YOU'RE DONE… WELL, YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE DONE

So you demo your score to picture and everything is working for you. You tweak your mix and send it off to the powers that be! As you wait for final approval, you start to think about the next job or project. Wait, your iPhone just chimed… new email! It's the director, he…. he doesn't like how the music sits and is starting to change his mind about the overall "synth" vibe you had agreed upon. He tells you that maybe a "cello here and there might be more organic". "Oh and less percussion at :53 and 1:12", "How about a industrial machine shop type rhythm in the office scene?". Unfortunately this happens and can only be chalked up to the fickle creative process and at times the inability of some to express their vision. Danny Elfman or Thomas Newman have the clout and resume to sit down with a director and explain why their music works and why it should stay. I'm sure any number of "A list" composers have been able to fight for their music and convince others to trust their judgment. For most of us though, we have no where else to go but the drawing board. Back to our collective DAWs to see what's salvageable and what just needs to be forgotten or used for future jobs in some form or another. Many times the changes requested are small, like replacing a guitar line with a synth, editing a reverb tail or changing the tempo slightly. For this reason, I urge all of you to be as diligent as possible using MIDI tracks, early and often. This is vital in the jingle world where tempos and instruments get changed on a moments notice. If a track or cue has a MIDI blueprint, making adjustments like the above take minutes not hours or days. Archiving your work can only help you down the line. I've had clients contact me years later asking me to update work I had done for them previously. By simply dragging that project off a hard drive I find all my original MIDI tracks which I can slightly alter, assign new instruments too, maybe swap drum loops or samples and an hour later I can send a demo to the client for feedback. Of course having your studio & software working is crucial. Take a day or two to investigate what could be streamlined or rearranged to garner a more efficient process. It is the technology and psychology that resides in your head that needs to be attended to as well. When we meet with potential clients or employers we are putting not only our music out there for review, but also our persona. The whole package gets factored in no matter how poignant and evocative your underscore is for a scene.

Just as a good composer will look to others for opinion and critique on their music, listening carefully to what others may suggest about our personalities or demeanor is necessary medicine. Its hard to hear some of the things that might get thrown back at us but if it's from someone you trust, it's most likely an area to repair. Don't worry, I'm not getting into "self help" territory here, I wouldn't know where to start. I simply think that many view this business as based on talent alone. Talent is a given in the entertainment business, that's a reality that you've hopefully accepted ages ago. Our personalities and ability to work with others both creatively and personally, have to be as effective as the notes we write, if we want to continue to work. Seizing opportunities when they arise is the operative and by being mentally ready and prepared for whatever curve balls get thrown at you, you stand a better chance to capitalize. So go out there and capitalize and incorporate the fitting mantra of Benjamin Franklin, "By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail".

Pat Finnegan is a composer & partner with Fliktrax Music and can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.