This special series is all about helping you succeed as a composer – from offering inspiration, advice on getting started and advancing your career, to creative tips and tricks, helpful resources and lessons learned, from some of the industry’s most successful composers for film, games and beyond.
In this interview, you’ll hear what it takes to get started and succeed in the game industry from Emmy award-winning and three-time BAFTA-nominated game composer Inon Zur, who recently released the score for Square Enix’s Outriders. Zur also scored blockbuster game franchises including Fallout, Dragon Age, Prince Of Persia, and The Elder Scrolls.
New ReleaseNOVA by Mattia CellottoWATCH VIDEO →How did you get started in the composing industry? What was your first game score and what was that experience like for you?
After I relocated to the United States from Israel and finished my music studies at the Dick Grove School of Music and UCLA, I had a few opportunities to compose music for student films; one of them was featured at the Sundance Film Festival.
Professionally, I started my career in television and film, composing hundreds of TV episodes for Power Rangers, Digimon, and Escaflowne on the Fox Family channel. In 1997, I got my first invitation to score for video games which was for Star Trek: Klingon Academy. It was a great experience that opened up a whole new world to me as I was always passionate about recording with live orchestras and games provided this opportunity. So for my first game, I composed a Klingon opera!
Any advice you’d share on how to land a composing job in the game industry?
In today’s industry, you need to diversify your efforts in many directions in order to land a gig. First off, you need to be trained and capable in composing, since the competition is fierce.
Then, you need to concentrate on 3 main areas:
1. Develop personal relationships with people in the industry that trust you and can give you an opportunity. Usually, if you form a successful working relationship, this will lead to more jobs with the same people, and can launch your career.
2. Be creative in connecting your social media to your job search. You have to be very active, but not in posting meaningless info. Rather, you should try to show your capability and your experience, as well as showcase your music as much as possible. Obviously, you need to think about ways to expand your outreach to people.
3. Be very active at conventions, conferences, societies and other industry events that can give you visibility and start endorsing you in the industry. Don’t miss a chance to introduce yourself to the industry and be prepared to have an impressive presentation of your music when the opportunity arises. That includes the best demo reel you can create, a smart and simple website that shows everything about you and your abilities, IMDB page and any other online presence that can support you and your quest.
Special feature on the music of Outriders with Inon Zur
What were some essential lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?
1. Never say no to a gig.
2. Always deliver on time and on budget.
3. Be a team player with the studio, understand that the production is the most important thing, and your music is just there to support it.
4. Learn to accept criticism, don’t argue when the producer calls for changes, just do what they want because usually they really know what they need for their project.
5. Always try to come up with new and interesting materials, don’t fall into the usual “go-to” musical schemes and solutions. Remember that your team expects you to create something which will be unique to their project, so you need to work hard to develop a special music signature and soundscape for every project you are working on.
6. Make sure that your contract is well-negotiated, and your legal rights are being respected. Never give up your music credit and make sure you can always collect at least the writer’s shares for your music.
7. Be fun to work with. Producers really like to have a good personal relationship with their composer, so make sure you respect that.
8. Try as much as you can not to complain, even when things are not exactly going in the direction you imagine they should go. Always look at the big picture when it comes to your working relationship with the company.
9. Last but definitely not least: enjoy what you do. This will be reflected in your music.
Any favorite tricks and workflows tips that help when composing for games?
The most important step is to have for yourself the best technically-equipped studio you can afford. Don’t save on assets, since they will make your job easier. Make sure you have a ready-to-go midi template for many musical styles to call upon so you can just pull up the appropriate midi palette and get going. It will save you time.
Learn to understand the musical world in gaming. There is specific terminology employed within the industry, and you need to know all about that and how it works.
If you want to be even more proactive you can learn programs like Wwise which is an implementation program. This way you can present yourself as a composer and an audio director. For smaller games, this could come in very handy.
Be sure you are familiar with the game including all the related information to the story, so you can compose music that will be appropriate and enhance the game.
What are your favorite sites and resources for composers?
Anything that can enrich your knowledge and boost your inspiration. Usually, YouTube will do the job. You can also go on composer and industry forums. It never hurts to read what’s new and what issues other composers are dealing with.
What’s one special thing you did to become a successful composer?
I would have to say it was not one single thing. It is a combination of all that which I mentioned that helped me pave my way in the industry. Above all, it is important to just be a decent human being. Be kind to others, even if they are your direct competition. Hard work and dedication are a must 100% of the time!
A big thanks to Inon Zur for sharing his valuable insights with us!
