Every project requires a different vision and varying skills. We understand that the songwriter or composer you choose to work with will have a direct influence on the emotional impact your project has on your target audience. Let us help you find the right songwriter and composer for you - saving you time without impacting on the bigger picture.
As part of our music composer for hire services, we can have bespoke music compositions and music productions made to your exact requirements. After an initial discussion with you about your brief, we can dive into our varying music composers, songwriters and arrangers and work closely with you to get you what you’re looking for. Whether it’s for TV, Advertising or Feature Films, we’re able to cater for a range of needs whether it’s songs, sound design or composition with our talented roster of film composers and musicians.
Fees for composition work can vary depending on the requirements of the project and timelines. With a large roster of talented individuals worldwide, we’re able to tailor your budget to get you what you need. Tell us about what you’re looking for and we’ll help match you to the best songwriters and composers across the globe to bring your vision to life.
If you’re in need of more than just a composer for bespoke score & soundtracks, we also represent a number of experienced Music Supervisors from the UK & US available for full music project management-from creative to commercial license negotiations and on-camera performances. If your budget isn’t suitable for a full music supervisor role, our in-house team are able to provide similar services for productions globally.
Get in touch today to discuss your needs and potential composer pairings.
Have you been working on a project and are now ready to add music? You may have even reached that crucial moment where you are undecided about which film composer you should hire. We have put a guide together to ensure you have all the information you need to choose the best film score composer for you.
Film score composers are responsible for recording the film music, otherwise known as ‘underscore’. One of the main reasons every filmmaker or music supervisor should hire a film score composer is because you want to be able to have perfect synergy between the images and music. This will only be achieved when there is a close collaboration between a director and composer.
Hiring the right film score composer will mean they are able to see exactly what you wish to convey and express through your images. Composers are good at figuring out the emotional music needed for a scene as well as building suspense for the viewer. Film composers will compose a bespoke and exclusive piece which adjusts exactly to your film, producing in the viewer the feeling of perfect synchronicity.
When sourcing a composer for your project, the first thing to consider is the style of music you want accompanying your visuals. This allows you to choose a suitable composer based on their own unique qualities. It’s similar to casting an acting role – an actor’s skills and abilities can completely change the tone of a character and the same applies to the music. The choice of composer affects the style of music which, in turn, colours the mood of the visual.
Think about the style of music that fits your narrative – do you want a traditional orchestral underscore along the lines of John Williams who composed the scores for Jurassic Park, and Star Wars; or something a little more experimental like Junkie XL (Mad Max: Fury Road and Justice League); or maybe you’d prefer an artist-led soundtrack where the music comes from a commercial artist’s perspective rather than a conventional composer – think Daft Punk (Tron: Legacy), Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails (The Social Network), and Grizzle Bear (Blue Valentine).
How much music you will need is also an important factor. Consider whether you’ll require a full bespoke score or just a select few themes that will repeat occasionally. If your project will make use of licensed commercial music, you may not need as much bespoke music composition. All composers offer something different and you want to make sure you get the perfect fit for your project.
When looking for film music composers to write bespoke music for film, games, TV shows or adverts, you can either find a bespoke music company offering composer representation or a freelance composer via a music composer agency or website. Film scoring companies or a composer agent can also help pair you with the right composer for your project.
When considering how to find a composer for your film, the internet is a good place to start. A quick search will return plenty of talented composers and most of them are eager to work. The hardest part is narrowing your choices to the most appropriate composer from such a wide selection. If you’re looking for composer agents Los Angeles, you won’t want to be searching in a list of European composers.
It’s a good idea to shortlist a couple of composers and discuss your project in detail with each of them to see if they understand your vision – these discussions are as much for them to decide if they are interested in what you want to achieve as they are for you!
This, of course, takes time and can steer you away from the other elements of your workload. A film score composer agency is Music Gateway’s Composer Agency provides a network of composers all keen to jump on a new project. Our creative team discusses your project details with you and sources the most suitable composer/s speeding up the search process. Once confirmed, you have complete creative control over what they deliver from initial spotting sessions and mock-ups to the final locked audio/visual underscore.
Composers are frequently paid on a per-minute basis, for example, if you are working on a professionally developed, large-scale video game it could require anywhere from 20 to over 200 minutes of music. Per-minute fees usually range from £500 to £2500 and this may or may not include musician/recording fees – with famous film score composers commanding into the millions for a film. On average the commission fee for composers in the UK is £918.
With that being said, you should be realistic. As a director or music supervisor, you need to set aside a budget but, unfortunately, many productions consider music an afterthought. So, whether you are working on a budget of £500,000 or £500 make sure you set aside some for bespoke music.
Music sometimes has a fixed cost and musicians no doubt like to get paid, even if it’s just expenses, and recording engineers will also need to be paid. Even when a composer has their own home studio they will still require money for their materials.
When you have been in touch with a couple of film score composers, let them see your film. Set up a meeting and ask for some samples which they think fit. They will most likely be the first audience to see your film so you will need to have an open conversation and hear their ideas.
Ultimately, you should go with your gut when picking the film score composer, you want to hire. Think about your budget and the type of bespoke music production and solutions you require. Music Gateway is here to help with hiring a film score composer, get in touch today.
