On Dec 31, 2004, at 1:13 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Hi Christopher,
Sorry for the delay....I have been travelling and I wanted to be able to spend a bit of time on my reply to you!
And a wonderful reply it is, too! So detailed, and it answers a lot of my questions about current practice and how to bill for it.
Contrary to what might be said by some, I believe one can follow union guidelines for what to charge without being abusive or overcharging. If you are good at what you do, if you are conscientious and if you can be trusted to deliver a viable accurate product, people will pay you a for your services.
That is very well-said, and indeed it is a big part of the subtext in all these arguments I have with clients. I suppose convincing the client is one of the sales jobs I have to do.
I consider midi transcription to be any or all of these things:
--Deleting redundant and/or empty tracks from a midi file
--Quantizing each remaining track within my sequencer so that it will come into Finale nicely after export.
--Exporting cleaned up and quantized midi file and then importing it into Finale.
--Taking down any other loop or sample information that is part of the piece but may not be fully indicated as notes in the file (I ask the composer to provide an audio file along with the midi file to make sure my work is accurate and has everything included.)
--Setting up a completed sketch from the imported file in Finale which is an accurate representation of what is going on in the midi file complete with brief indications of where horns are muted, stopped etc. and strings are pizz, arco etc. and what notes are in harp glisses for example. Also if articulations are part of a patch name, I'll include a note about that in my sketch (i.e. stacc. horns) This final sketch should be similar to what a composer might normally hand his/her orchestrator.
Your work method is good to see. I wonder, though, whether the usual six-staff sketch is viable in Finale, as there are so many fussy details that are easy to sketch in by hand with a pencil that are a pain (or more to the point, not time-effective) to do in Finale. What I am thinking of here are things like multiple sets of stems on one staff, instruments that only play a few notes like harp and percussion, or very dense passages with overlapping parts. Does your sketch vary in numbers of staves, and do you keep dissimilar parts always on different staves? Do you mix Finale and pencil on the same sketch? How do you deal with synth effects? I usually am asked to leave them out of the score, but I always feel that the conductor should know that there is a missing element, and the orchestrator DEFINITELY needs to know (which is usually me in my jobs!)
So when I think about what the difference between Midi Transcription and Orchestration is, I'd say Midi Transcription is the doing whatever it takes to create a complete sketch from a midi file. From there, orchestration can be looked at in the same way that it always has been traditionally when receiving a sketch from a composer.
That is very clear. Thank you.
You are right here.... both are credited as orchestrator. And, yes, John Williams' sketches are very detailed already.
Hmm, there seems to be some difference of opinion on that point. Bruce has weighed in recently with info to the contrary...
To me, composing and orchestrating are one in the same from a creative standpoint. But there isn't enough time in the day to write out everything every time given the amount of music in a film, the fact that A list composers sometimes have more than one film going at a time, and the time constraints of deadlines. Hence the need for midi transcriptionists and/or orchestrators.
Nor would I begrudge a busy composer the help he needs (I've had to subcontract at times myself.) I just believe in calling the work by the correct name, so everyone is clear on who did what exactly.
.....and arranging?
In my mind, arranging is more about a chart for a pop/show tune or a jazz composition. I charge a flat rate for the whole arrangement if I am writing the arrangement. Fees will vary based on instrumentation and how long the chart is and of course, again, how well established the arranger is. Copying is a separate charge. Any takedown/transcription that is necessary as part of this processes is also charged separately. Takedowns in this situation would be charged at an hourly rate. Copying at the usual page rate. Again, I would again follow Brad's suggestion here...be very specific about what you are charging for and break it out for the client.
Of course, there are gray areas here too. When dealing with Film and Television, even "Tunes" are often treated as orchestrations rather than arrangements depending on their context and whether or not they are falling under the category of underscore (including source music)
Could you elaborate here? What do you mean by a "tune" as opposed to other kinds of music? What difference would it make if it was underscore, source music, or the wailing ballad over the closing credits?
I think you are talking about those cases where you get very little from the "composer" and you do the brunt of the work. If I take a job like this, it is my job to make him/her look good and make it sound as good as I possibly can. But yes, your rates should reflect the amount of work you put into a situation like this and the fact that you have the skills to be able to do this sort of work. You need to feel like the job is worth your while.
Which I suppose is the underlying basis for any price chart I would give. Thanks so much for the incredible detail and complete response to my questions. Happy new year!
Christopher
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