Composing Music for Film Scoring Competitions

By Jeffrey Weeks Harrison

  For the past several years I’ve been involved in composing music for film scoring competitions. I’ve submitted music to two competitions, the Oticons International Film Music Competition and the Marvin Hamlisch Film Scoring Competition. While I have not won either competition, I did advance last year in the Oticons. Out of 174 applicants, I made it into the top 30. The three compositions that got me into the top-30 are Envision The Notes, From Here To Eternity, and Battle of the Bows. They can be heard here. There were a total of two rounds. In round one, there were three assignments to complete, each composition requiring a different set of skills.   From the Oticons site the assignments are described as follows: Assignment #1 From Here To Eternity–“You are requested to compose a great melody, a memorable tune, one that a filmmaker would consider the Main Theme. With this task, you are called to prove your skill into composing a melody that might instantly get imprinted in the memory of the audience and even make them hum it after a single listening.” I was very happy and excited about my accomplishment. But it was at this point that I made a fateful decision. As a top-30 finalist, I was now to submit my “best” composition in the hopes of placing in the top-3. So, in anticipation of making the final round in the competition, I decided to record 2 more works that day in the recording studio. These pieces are Transcendence and Rockin Asia Minor. These pieces released on my album from 2017 entitled “Music For Stories Untold”. Both pieces can be heard on my website.  These are radically different compositions. I would describe Transcendence as a classical work reminiscent of the Impressionistic era and the music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. It’s a dreamy, mystical, peaceful and emotional work. On the other hand, Rockin Asia Minor, initially inspired by the music of Led Zeppelin, is a rock, orchestral, world music hybrid highlighted by a, you guessed it, heavy beat, world vocalists singing phrases, evoking a visceral, emotional effect. When I learned that I had made the finals in the competition, I had to make a decision about which work to submit. Well, to make a long story short, I submitted Rockin Asia Minor. I thought that this piece would represent to the jury my abilities to compose music over a wider range. Unfortunately, in the feedback from the jury, they commented something to the effect that the composition was “not from the same composer that had written the other 3 pieces”. And I did not advance further in the competition. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I was actually a bit heartbroken. To this day, I feel strongly that if I had submitted Transcendence I would have made it into the top-10, maybe even placed higher. I had worked so hard to get to that point, and in the end, made a wrong choice. Perhaps I over thought the process and what the jury was looking for. I’m going to enter these same two competitions this year. I’m currently working on music for Oticons putting together the first of 3 pieces for the prelims. I intend to compose my best music ever. So, what have I learned from all this? 

• Keep writing music…every day.
• Continue listening to a lot of music by great composers of all styles.
• If possible, hire great musicians to play and record my music for these competitions. Don’t rely on software and sample libraries for realistic sounds and real human emotions.
• Don’t get cute with these competitions. Submit a portfolio of music that is strong and complimentary as a whole.
• Keep my chin up.
• Keep on keeping on.