 L.A. Composer, Orchestrator, Poet, Writer Kristen Baum. Photo © 2019 Daniel Kresco by Jenny Leigh Hodgins
[My interview with creator Kristen Baum posts in four 30-minute YourCreativeChord Podcast episodes.] I had the ease and joy of interviewing LA-based composer, writer and poet, Kristen Baum. We had a 2-hour conversation that felt like we'd only just started. Baum is highly energetic, articulate and on-point, and evidently a mover-and-shaker in the creative worlds of film composing, poetry, and writing. Baum is a (Composers Lab) Sundance Fellow who frequently collaborates on diverse film and live theater projects. She “creates custom scores for films in genres including fantasy, character-driven drama and thriller.” Baum has “composed music for many projects, from award-winning features and short films to music for studio motion pictures.” Working With Hollywood Great Film Composer Christopher Young In addition to orchestrating her own projects Baum has also orchestrated for Hollywood-established Film Composer, Christopher Young. For those who may not be familiar, Young’s film scores include those for: Priest (2011), Rum Diary (2011, starring Johnny Depp), Spiderman 3 (2007, starring Tobey Maguire), The Uninvited (2009), Entrapment (1999), Hellraiser (1987), Nightmare On Elm Street (1985). Baum “has worked closely with Christopher Young and carries his influence forward in her composing and collaborative approach. She wrote additional music (source) for Book of Eli and orchestrated on Priest and When in Rome. Kristen wrote the score for the dramedy As High as the Sky, which won several audience choice awards on the festival circuit in addition to winning Juror’s Choice for Best North American Feature at Sonoma International Film Festival. Multiple Creative Outlets From Music to Poetry to Fiction She also composes and records art songs. Her musical works have premiered in Hollywood, Nashville, Tennessee and Marquette, Michigan. She is a frequent contributor of articles about film composing for HD Pro Guide Magazine and Student Filmmakers Magazine.” Earning Awards As A Film Composer Baum also has received Awards and Recognition, including: 2013 BMI Conducting Lab 2011 Sundance Composers Lab Fellow, Feature Films Lab 2011 Park City Film Music Festival, Gold Medal for Excellence in Original Music for the score for The Things You Lose In The Ocean. I spoke with Baum just after she’d returned from a 2-week writing retreat near the Oregon rainforests, where she and her writing partner began outlining a new novel. We talked about her creative background and training, and her many creative projects, ranging from music to poetry to writing a fiction novel. She shared how she took the passionate leap to move from Arizona to L.A. to pursue film composing, and then took advantage of being in the right place at the right time to absorb all things film scoring from established Hollywood film composer, Christopher Young. We also dove into her experience as a Sundance Fellow. Baum shares what that workshop learning process was like, working alongside 5 other Sundance Fellow composers, with guidance from mentor composers Christopher Young, Harry Gregson Williams, George S Clinton, Ed Shearmer, and Alan Silvestri. Moving The Needle Toward Positive Creative Women Role Models We discussed the relatively newly-formed group, Alliance For Women Film Composers, addressed the issue for more women composers to emerge, and how women creators of all varieties may proactively move the needle toward more positive creative women role models. On Collaboration And That Little Inner Critic We discussed Baum’s approach for collaboration with a director on a film project, both technically and through her personal creative process. She shared what empowers her creativity as well as how she actively deals with that little inner critic or voice of ‘resistance’ (in a nod to author Stephen Pressfield) to keep her creativity flowing. Baum shared how the variety of her creative outlets is pivotal to tapping inspiration for her work. Her creative works range from composing and orchestrating film scores, art songs, poetry, and fantasy fiction. Her poetry has been published in several literary journals, and those links are below. I asked Baum to share one of her poems, and she obliged me with her recitation of her beautiful poem, “And No One Hears It.” But I assure you, you will hear Baum’s powerful creative voice throughout this amazing interview, and if you checkout her music or writings. You’ll find those links below. I love featuring women creators like Kristen Baum because her powerfully passionate energy, coupled with her ability to articulate her impressive intellect and her pure intentions are a compelling voice for the joy of exploring creative life. My interview with creator Kristen Baum will post in four 30-minute YourCreativeChord Podcast episodes. INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS: 1. Baum was selected to participate as a 2011 Sundance Composers Lab Fellow, with mentorship from Hollywood film composers Christopher Young, Harry Gregson Williams, George S Clinton, Ed Shearmer, and Alan Silvestri. 2. Baum took the leap from Arizona to L.A. to pursue film scoring, springboarding her film composing career from the fortune of working with film composer Christopher Young. 3. Baum shares how her multi-outlet creative works, from orchestrations, film scores, art songs, to poetry, and a fantasy novel work-in-progress, thrive on ebb and flow. 4. We dive deep into a look at Baum's technical and creative process for a collaborative film project. 5. Baum shared how she addresses the inevitable inner critic that creators must encounter. 6. Baum shares her understanding of how Alliance For Women Film Composers originated and the role women creators have toward increasing the number of creative women professionals. 7. Baum recites one of her short poems. Where to find Kristen Baum’s creative work: Kristen Baum’s Composer Website Listen to Kristen Baum's Music on Soundcloud Director Mike Bonomo’s YouTube Channel Kristen Baum’s poetry is available here: Contrary Magazine, Issue Winter 2020 Voice of Eve, Issue 15 Blue Heron Review, Issue 8 Other Resources From This Interview: Alliance For Women Film Composers War of Art by Steven Pressfield The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron Walking In This World by Julia Cameron Possibilities by Herbie Hancock Film Scores by Christopher Young If you loved this blog don't forget to show your awesome support by Liking the link, Subscribing for more updates and adding your comment below!
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Interview with Composer, Sound Designer & Course Creator, Alex Pfeffer Germany-based Creative Professional, Alex Pfeffer By Jenny Leigh Hodgins
Germany-based Alex Pfeffer is an award winning composer and sound designer who has composed music for games (Crysis 2, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Risen 3, Battleforge etc.), movie trailers, production music (Pacific Rim, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes etc.) as well as audio content and official sound library demos for many world class sample library developers! He’s also an audio editor on the 60 million EUR show “EQUILA” which is currently being performed in Munich, Germany, and arranged for Frank Peterson (Sarah Brightman, Gregorian, Andrea Bocelli)! Pfeffer has a sample library store, String Theories, and offers an online blog and courses for audio production creatives. To learn more about Alex Pfeffer, check out his music and sound library links here: http://www.alexpfeffer.net https://stringtheories.space https://lifebuff.blog Here is YourCreativeChord’s interview with Pfeffer: YCC: As a creative professional with 10 years of sound design and successful professional composing experience, 30+ years of guitar playing, and your constant thirst to learn more with recording gear, plugins and hardware, you have a lot to offer music and sound creatives! Your personal story is equally inspiring. Please tell us about your hearing loss and your family’s experience with your daughter’s health, and how these personal experiences moved you to create your online blog and courses for creative professionals. Pfeffer: First of all, thank you for having me! When I was three years old I suffered from a cholesteatoma, which is sort of a destructive and expanding growth inside the ear. The resulting and necessary surgery left me deaf on my right ear for the following ten years. At around the age of 13 I had another surgery resulting in bringing back some hearing to around 30%. This may have been responsible to dive into the audio world to somehow compensate what happened to me. When I was 14 years old, I started to play guitar and took private lessons. Fast forward, when my daughter was born, it was pure chaos. No one had any clue or could say how she would turn out and besides that there wasn’t a lot of sleep going on. However, I made sure to approach the whole situation as positively as possible. Throughout the years, as she grew older, I was amazed by how mindful, peaceful and funny this little girl was. Even though she suffers from epilepsy, can’t walk or talk, she seems to be happy to be alive and enjoys every single day. I learned so much from her and became aware that this was the only way to work it out! I researched, learned and worked a lot on myself. I looked back and noticed what a confident man I have become. I am someone who, no matter what, wouldn't want to miss a second of anything that's happened in my life! Around this time I really noticed how many people really are suffering from everything the audio industry brings along: Impostor Syndrome, Stress, Lack of Self Confidence, Existential Fear, you name it. So I decided to do something about it. I started my blog and my courses to contribute to the audio industry. YCC: What was pivotal for your interest in creativity and life boosters as a specialty? Pfeffer: When I came back from studying music in Los Angeles at the Los Angeles College of Music, I started to work as a guitar teacher and got hired as a lead guitarist in a rock pop band. Throughout that time I really enjoyed what I did but, especially while recording our album, I was fascinated by the work “on the other side of the studio console." From then on I tried to compose more. A few years later, I was able to land my first gig for a video game, called Railroad Pioneer. YCC: What was pivotal for your interest in creativity and life boosters as a specialty? Pfeffer: I really like to break things down, no matter if it's a problem, a new skill, or why a human being behaves like he/she does. There are so many tutorials, courses and lessons around that deal with the topics of studio gear, plugins, songwriting, music theory, getting rich and successful. But you hardly ever find anything about creativity and mindfulness tailored towards the audio industry. You can be the best composer on this planet, make tons of money and get one well paid gig after another, but creativity and mindfulness are the driving fuel to make music. We all know what happens when your car runs out of fuel or your smartphone’s battery is low! YCC: Describe one of your favorite aspects of your job. Pfeffer: Of course, in some way we always work for someone, but I really appreciate that I can make money by doing what I love. Not just that I have a specific love towards music, but the fact that I can work by doing what I love. To me, this is the driving force for investing more time, being eager, more focused and truly dedicated to each project. YCC: Describe your strengths as a leader on the topic of creative process. Pfeffer: I think we both know that there aren’t many websites, courses and people in general who care about the well-being of people working in the audio industry. Of course, if someone is interested in meditation, breathing techniques and becoming more mindful, that person can research and strive to achieve those skills. But, most of the time I see people posting around on social media complaining that they don’t feel very well. Most of the time it is about topics such as the Impostor Syndrome or insomnia. As for me, personally, it was time that I try to do something about that! YCC: Describe your typical day as a composer, sound designer, creativity educator. Pfeffer: The night before, I roughly make a plan of what I want to work on the next day. I don’t have a specific structure. But I try to make sure to either take a walk or do some exercising, and most importantly, do at least 10 minutes of meditation. There is nothing better to reset your brain, especially since it is the “main tool” we need to compose music or write a blog post. YCC: Tell us a bit about what is covered in your LifeBuff Pro courses and your teaching approach toward creative professionals. Pfeffer: My LifeBuff Pro course consists of three essential things: Building blocks that deal with the topics of stress relief, becoming more mindful, improving your self-confidence, worrying less, and getting into basic psychology. These topics are essential to work on the topics in more advanced blocks, like dealing with customers, achieving your dreams, overcoming impostor syndrome, self doubts, writer’s block and so on. Besides the building and advanced blocks, my courses include general blocks on topics such as your body & mind, sleep, nutrition, your workplace, meditation lessons tailored to audio people, some exercises that can be done in your studio or workplace, and much more. All in all my full course features around 100 lessons. There will be one new lesson each week from now. YCC: Who would be eligible to participate in learning from your courses? Pfeffer: Generally every creative person. Even though I talk about the audio industry, you could simply replace "tracks" with "graphics" or "videos." But in the end, it doesn’t matter if you are a composer, singer, musician, songwriter or a graphic designer, writer... The course is especially for creatives. YCC: What are some of the best tips toward successfully tapping creativity that you’ve gleaned from your career? Pfeffer: To be able to know when to stop and breathe for a moment. We tend to solve problems at night, we work as long as possible because we think this is the most productive way. We try to be more efficient when it comes to work so we also try to trim down our spare time. Then we get back from holiday or have two days off, and suddenly realize how refreshed we feel! What really made me wake up is becoming aware of this and realizing that, with decent breaks, some meditation and fresh air, we are capable of getting more done in less amount of time. YCC: What role does technology play in your exploration of creativity? Pfeffer: A very important one when it comes to researching creativity and how to learn about all the different methods on this planet. There are some great games, shows and other tools which can boost your creativity. However, when it comes to maintaining your own creativity, it is important to not forget that we are human beings. When our brains are too exhausted by using too much technology, even if our body isn’t tired, this creates problematic imbalance. YCC: What advice would you give someone who wants to make a living as a creative professional? Pfeffer: To be successful, you really have to work your butt off. You truly have to invest a lot of time and money, believe in what you do, and absolutely focus on it. I’ve experienced so many people giving up too early. A truly successful professional has probably failed more times than someone else has ever tried. However, you have to find a balance between spending energy and recharging yourself. The most essential thing someone has to learn is how to convert negative stresses into positive challenges, and learn to take care of the body and mind. YCC: What are the three most important skills you recommend to pave a path as a creative professional? Pfeffer: A strong belief in yourself, focus and consistency! YCC: What are your goals for your future with regard to creativity? Pfeffer: I take care to maintain my creativity because it is my daily fuel, whether it is writing blogs posts, creating worksheets or composing music. A balanced body and mind are fuel for creativity. We all know what happens with a car when it runs out of fuel! I will keep researching, experimenting, finding solutions, writing blog posts and creating course material on how to maintain your creativity and keep a sane mind in the audio industry. Click here to learn more about Alex Pfeffer’s courses on creativity for audio industry professionals. And...if you loved this blog don't forget to show your awesome support by Liking the link, Subscribing for more updates and adding your comment below! CLICK HERE for a list of piano and music-making resources I use and recommend.
Under Creativity in my website menu, under the Interviews With Creators section, I feature my interviews with composers, artists, choreographers, writers, photographers, directors, and other creatives about their work, and the creative process. The purpose of each interview is to learn positive strategies that work to tap creativity, address the inner critic or other hindrances to creative flow, and build a successful creative life. The following features my chat with talented, young composer from Salt Lake City, Joshua Sohn. by Jenny Leigh Hodgins
Bolting From The Gate I met Korean-American composer, Joshua Sohn, in an online Facebook group for film score composers that I co-admin. We arranged a Skype chat to discuss his composing endeavors. He’s an energetic young guy, passionately exerting himself to develop his career as a film composer. Although he got a teaching degree, and landed a job as a percussion specialist for school bands, he quickly found his interest was in creating rather than teaching. He has already built his music production company, Sohn Compositions, and has begun gaining experience in creating music for film, games, song production, and jingle-writing for businesses in the Salt Lake City area and beyond. Having A Blast Sohn enjoys creating sound design and musical compositions with virtual instrument applications and his Digital Audio Workstation of choice, Cubase. He’s also proficient in ProTools, another popular choice among professional composers. Sohn’s pure interest in all things composing comes across easily. He loves discussing the tools of the trade, and his various film, advertising and other collaborative projects. For example, since 2014, he has composed music for the Air Force Reserve, a 48-Hour Film Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Audience Awards Film Festival, Filmquest Film Festival, and the Salt Lake Symphony! He also wrote music for “Come As You Are,” an anti-bullying musical play for grades 6-12. Recently, he also composed the sentimental, holiday song, SnowFlake Snow, in collaboration with the author, J. R. Holbrook’s Gingerbread Jimmi: Magical Storybook. His adeptness for composing catchy, infectious melody, along with fitting instrumentation for the holidays, in a cheerful musicality suitable for children, is evident upon first listen. Just for fun, he also had one of his compositions recorded by a live orchestra! The musical piece was written for the Ravel Film Scoring competition, as a live orchestral waltz. Sohn says he created the music to evoke a ballroom scene with dancing couples sparking a romantic intensity. His waltz incorporates a clarinet solo, and features string and percussion hits. Listen to his waltz, Mysterioso here. TOP TIPS ON Success Mindset Sohn has parallel traits that successful film composers possess. In an article from Los Angeles Times, John Duffy, composer and president of Meet The Composer, a national service organization in New York that channels financial support to composers, confirms the necessary qualities for composer career success, ”By any measure, it takes tremendous grit, resiliency, reason and a fresh eye to succeed in the musical world. Diligence, hard labor and street smarts can open doors and save you time.”
Although a music degree is not necessary, according to an article by Patrick Gleeson, Ph. D., most successful film composers have one. Fortunately, Sohn has a solid foundation with his music education degree, percussion skills, and has used technology throughout his youth, in his former teaching position, and for the composing projects he’s already accomplished. He has forged relationships with a few directors by composing for their projects locally, invaluable training for learning the film-maker’s perspective.
What’s GOING ON One of the coolest thing about Sohn is his desire to contribute to others. On that note, he has launched an ongoing composer video tutorial series to teach what he knows about composing for film, different genres, instrumentation, and the use of electronic gear. You can follow his series here. My interview with young film composer Joshua Sohn reveals he has all the qualities for a successful career in film scoring. Click here to learn more about Joshua Sohn’s music. If you loved this blog don't forget to show your awesome support by Liking the link, Subscribing for more updates and adding your comment below! Feel free to SHARE this with others who may benefit from this info! Thank you!  Composer Jonathan Price By Jenny Leigh Hodgins
HAVING A MENTOR During our Skype interview, Denver-based composer Jonathan Price spoke affectionately of his music mentor, R. J. Miller. Rightly so, as Miller is a master of orchestration and scored music for the digital re-release (1993) of the original (1920) The Last of the Mohicans, among other films. Miller is also author of Contemporary Orchestration: A Practical Guide to Instruments, Ensembles, and Musicians (Routledge Publishing/Taylor & Francis Group, 2014). Price’s already respectful, friendly demeanor grew exponentially as he described how his friendship with R.J. Miller developed. Their discussions sprang from a mutual love of film scoring and soundtracks. Later, Miller developed what is now the film scoring program at MSU. He taught Price how to “present melodies with harmonic structure, options and the orchestration that enhances them.” It was Miller’s confidence in him that motivated Price to leave college to pursue his career as a composer. Getting Started When asked what was in his initial marketing arsenal, he laughed, “a smile and a good personality.” He had no website, CD or IMDb credits. Price applied the honest feedback from his family and friends to develop himself. When they commented that his music demo “didn’t feel right,” he would rework the music until it was “something they could understand.” He knew audio production “from running sound in bands,” but it took him 3 years until he “felt comfy with audio production skills for film.” He gained experience scoring student films and other zero or low budget projects. Boosting Production Quality He further honed his production skills by preparing MIDI mockups (manipulating digital parameters of virtual instruments to emulate a recorded orchestral piece) of John Williams’ scores. Tampering with instrumentation, EQ, compression, reverb, and panning to emulate Williams’ music enabled him to develop both orchestration skills and a faster workflow. Price discovered that his sound improved as he invested in “decent speakers (not just headphones) that showed all frequencies, reverb, bounced off walls, air. I first started on…Bose speakers that were factory-preset for mixing. But my mixes didn’t sound right.” When he upgraded his studio with abundant RAM, hardware, a good audio interface, analog speakers, plugins, and sample libraries, it dramatically boosted his production quality. Pitch Like A First Date As a rookie, he found that pitching to potential clients for music work was the same process as a first date. “If a guy shows up in PJs on a first date, you don’t wanna go out with him…Appearance, packaging, body language and psychology are critical in pitching to directors.” He determined to never offer anything less than his best quality. A Hollywood scriptwriter/director Price met through a friend told him his music was “too good to not be paid for it.” The director had just finished a Hallmark film, and told Price he wished he’d met him earlier so he could have hired him as the composer. That encounter, coupled with his mentor’s confidence in him motivated Price to begin charging for his work. “Once you start charging full value, directors start taking you seriously.” Networking Strategy Price threw himself into networking at local meet-ups, film network functions, and social media groups. In particular, he launched with a vengeance into attending face-to-face filmmaker events. He rarely pitched his composing services. Rather, he focused on creating friendships to learn as much about each person’s work and passions as possible. He paid attention to the body language and psychology of the filmmaker. Anything he delivered, pitched or said to clients was “very calculated” toward matching his music with their vision. His networking paid off as his demo qualities improved. Price sent his five-track demo of 15-second music samples via emailed MP3s or Soundcloud links to his growing network. He has enough composing work now that he doesn’t bother marketing anymore. Film Scoring Career Since 2003, Price has been scoring professionally, including projects ranging from production house music clips, web-series, audio dramas, podcasts, to short and feature films. Although he has scored everything from drama to horror, romantic drama is both his favorite genre and specialty. His IMDb credits include the comedy, Army & Coop (Director Dennis Hefter), and the sci-fi, River of Time (Director Gss Santosh Kumar). Price enjoyed the variety of composing 10 different styles for Army & Coop. Some of his IMDb credits are waiting for the directors to complete festival or YouTube campaigns. Many of Price’s clients just wanted to make a film for family and friends, as a hobby. As a result, some films scored by Price never saw the light of day, due to those filmmakers being uninterested in publicly promoting their work. Recently, Price composed two short films; Pure (Director Stephan Eigenmann), the sweet story of a young cancer survivor, and Exit (Director Stephen Mathis), a story about transferring consciousness to another to help the mentally ill or someone with sensory problems by replacing and reprogramming the troubled mind with a healthy brain. He is currently composing for a web-series turned episodic TV show meant for distribution to university film schools. The 10-episode PBS-style documentary uses a cinematic storytelling approach to teach scriptwriters. Price’s marketing arsenal still does not include a website. He has had more success landing work by emailing his resume, music and video samples directly. Due to parenting three children, he turns down certain projects that he doesn’t consider morally acceptable, to focus on romance, drama, and fantasy-adventure. Studying The Masters His ensemble experience heightened his grasp of the recorded orchestra sound. “Once you realize how flutes are playing with the violins, and so on,” he explains, the orchestration “fixes everything in the mix.” Listening to a score by great film composers like John Williams, Alexander Desplat, or Alan Silvestri, has taught him both orchestration and production. Through listening and creating MIDI mockups, he learned to pay attention to which instrument or section was being highlighted. He says his favorite film scores “are such delicate, careful orchestrations, that they stand on their own. They don’t need any production—which is why they stand well on concert stage.” His ensemble background gave him the advantage of knowing how instruments are played, interact with each other, and how both those aspects change the orchestra sound. This foundation helps him understand how to emulate the music of his favorite film composers. Tips For Composers Price joined the Facebook group, Film Scoring & Orchestration Applied to practice film scoring “for fun and skill development, to learn from other composers and hopefully give my two cents worth. I would love to help out and do whatever I can do to help people get where they need to be.” He has contributed weekly video tutorials to the group, showcasing his film scoring process. Creative Process He explains that he watches a film “as much as I can til I’m sick of it.” Then he takes a break from it, plays piano, or takes care of his kids. Meanwhile, he is “always thinking through the orchestration in my head, always singing melodies and recording into my phone—so if I get really stuck, I use something recorded.” Later he listens through his recordings to find something to start with, records a piano version of it, and starts transforming that into orchestration. Price encourages budding music-makers to detach from their work, as “something you created but…not who you are. It’s a product.” He built his rapport with clients on two things; treating his music as a product to serve the client’s creative vision, while interacting with a balanced blend of confidence and humility. Price’s insatiable hunger for learning, coupled with his humble, contributive attitude betrays his vast experience and production skills. “If you stop learning and you think you’ve reached where you wanna go, you are done.” What’s Next Price is currently working with writer/director Dennis Hefter on a romantic drama film, and has a screenplay show coming up with director, Rick Ramage. He is also having fun composing and covering audio for an Atlanta church audio drama series. ***************************************************************** Musical Foundation Price grew up singing, playing piano and trumpet for 10 years. He learned cello and woodwinds. He was determined to learn many instruments, so he could orchestrate them. He studied composition with R. J. Miller at Metropolitan State University, CO. Once he knew the basics of music theory and composition, Price was encouraged to pursue a composing career instead of finishing his degree. ***************************************************************** Price on NETWORKING: Appearance Packaging Body Language Psychology ************************************************************************************** FAVORITE TOOLS: DAW: Logic Pro X 2009 MacBook Pro 128GB RAM 4T HDs in drive bays 42” 4K monitor PreSonus Studio192 Orchestral Tools Berlin Strings Berlin Brass Berlin Woodwinds Metropolis Ark 1,2 String Runs Percussion Musical Sampling Soaring Strings Trailer Strings Spitfire Audio Symphonic Strings Olafur Arnolds Toolkit and Evolutions Impact Sound Works Pearl Concert Grand Output Signal Rev iZotope Ozone 8 Neutron 2 Alloy 2 Altiverb 7 Omnisphere 2 ************************************************************************************** A DAY IN THE LIFE Price juggles work with being a stay-at-home parent of three children. He says he gets a good amount of cardio from chasing his “2-year old most of the day.” 6am - Rise early, breakfast and Bible study 8am - Client communications, composing Afternoon - Composing, marketing, studying, mixed with household chores and toddler-tracking Family Dinner - NO EXCUSES! Evening - 2+ hours composing Night Routine - Quality time with wife |
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