During our seventh Happy Hour livestream event, we welcomed famed director and producer Jon Turteltaub, whose especially well-known projects include Cool Runnings, The Meg, and the National Treasure franchise. The event was moderated, as usual, by Songtradr CXO Victoria Wiltshire. Besides delighting viewers – and keeping Wiltshire on the edge of her seat – by showcasing his engaging conversational skills and robust sense of humor, Jon Turteltaub afforded artists and composers invaluable insight about music’s role in the world of film and television. And in doing so, the Hans Zimmer, Randy Edelman, and Danny Elfman collaborator drew from the wealth of knowledge that comes with more than three decades of industry experience and prominence.
“Getting good music is easy,” said Turteltaub. “Getting the right music is hard.”
Early in the one-on-one interview, Turteltaub emphasized just how many individuals and factors determine which music will make its way into films and television shows. Rather than resulting solely from the director’s preferences, composition and song selections reflect the nuanced, behind-the-scenes workings of several experts involved with visual media production. In this way, good music isn’t necessarily the right music for film and television, and composers and artists needn’t take professional setbacks to heart.
To be sure, studio-mandated budget limitations nearly prevented Turteltaub from featuring “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” in the opening credits of his 1995 smash hit While You Were Sleeping, starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman.
“I knew the opening title music to While You Were Sleeping about 10 years before I made that movie, knowing one day I’ll do a romantic comedy and this would be the opening song. … And then someone told me it’s too expensive, and then all your dreams go away.”
“Sounds like Hollywood,” joked Turteltaub – though the Natalie Cole track did in fact complement the film’s initial credits and footage of Chicago.
Ultimately, however, it’s not the director’s preferences, input from studio higher-ups, or even the propensities of composers that mainly guide final cuts’ music. According to Turteltaub, editors, with their ability to choose exactly what directors see and hear, wield the greatest amount of sway in the song-selection sphere.
“The truth is the person who has the most influence over the music in the movie is not the director or the composer. It’s the editor,” specified Jon Turteltaub.
“When the editor is putting stuff together and they send you [the director] a scene to look at while you’re shooting, or a bunch of stuff, or an action sequence, they’re gonna put music on. And you’re gonna get used to that music quickly.”
Directors, editors, composers, studio execs, and others jointly select the music used in film and television. But that doesn’t undermine the important part it plays within the final product, Turteltaub noted. On the contrary, the two-time Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist director voiced the belief that a movie’s music is on par with its script and actors in determining quality.
“Music matters so much,” said Turteltaub. “I feel like the top three things that matter in making a movie good are the script, the actors, and the music.”
Despite the decidedly solid union between music and visual media, composers and sync-minded artists can certainly vouch for the potential difficulties and pitfalls associated with pitching to execs and closing deals. Accordingly, Turteltaub offered an abundance of useful advice for musicians who’re eager to score high-profile placements on film and television soundtracks.
After receiving an early cut of a film (with or without a temp score), composers shouldn’t hesitate to deliver enthusiastic compliments and set forth their vision for its final score, per the Disney’s The Kid director. This praise – not unlike that which artists strive for – will serve to quell directors’ vulnerabilities and lay the foundation for a mutually beneficial working relationship.
“The first thing a composer should do is tell you how fucking great your movie was,” said Turteltaub. “’Oh my God, I can’t wait to get started, it was so good,’ and then give you specifics. … Don’t be shy with the compliments. It doesn’t matter – everybody is insecure and wants to be loved and appreciated. It’s a vulnerable thing.”
Even so, Turteltaub indicated that composers and artists should be aware of – and take steps to curb – their own reactions to constructive criticism from directors and others in visual media, as part of a longer-term effort to develop a strong professional reputation. This type of critique stems not from music’s quality, but its suitability for the project at hand. The distinction is decidedly meaningful.
“The director’s sensitivity you’re aware of, but more so, be aware of your own sensitivity. Your own ability to hear that criticism is rarely about the music. It’s about the kind of music. … My big thing always is, does the music accent the important moments, the changes.”
Lastly, Turteltaub provided up-and-coming composers (and sync-minded artists, once again) with key recommendations about how they can break into visual media. What may appear to be their weakness – a lack of formal experience and contacts – is actually a positive.
“If you’re young and new, impress people with your youngness and newness,” he said. “Most people doing the hiring aren’t young and new, and that’s what they need from you. … If you’re writing something fresh and new and interesting, that’s great.”
And far from being a disqualifier for one’s eventual involvement with huge, world-renowned projects, crafting music for innovative, smaller-scale visual media is simply part of the journey towards nabbing jobs on blockbuster films like Turteltaub’s upcoming National Treasure 3.
“Work comes from work. The more you work, the more you get other work. It could be in anything. Whatever you’re writing music for, write it. The people who say ‘yes’ do much better in life than the people who say ‘no.’”
Fans can catch the full replay of the Songtradr Happy Hour on YouTube. The next session – scheduled for Thursday, August 20th – will explore the ins and outs of power songwriting for placement.
Watch the full panel discussion:
Watch other Songtradr Happy Hour Sessions in full:
- Pitching Yourself to the Industry
- Music for Gaming: What’s Working + What’s Ahead
- Balancing Branding with Artistry
- Music Through the Ages: Soundtrack or Catalyst for Change?
- How to Make Money with Your Music: Monetization Tips for Indie Artists
- Music Supervisor Roundtable: How the Music & Media Business Has Been Impacted by COVID-19
The content of this post was adapted from an article written by Paul Resnikoff and Dylan Smith, originally published in Digital Music News, as a broader partnership with Songtradr.
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