A Brief Overview of Composer Unionization

07/24/23 • 19 min

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With Season 3 over and the prevalence of union strikes in the American film and tv landscape, I've decided to use this break to give a brief overview as to why composers in the US don't have a union (unlike almost everyone else in the industry). There's a little history in here, a little legal discussion, and some conjecture and opinions I've picked up from composers lately. That said, I've tried to keep my own opinion out of this (and this certainly isn't legal advice).

Keep in mind that I've simplified a number of the concepts. For instance, more factors go into the work-for-hire analysis to determine whether something falls into it, but that broader discussion would be beyond this brief episode. I've also realized that I refer to Loyola in Chicago, when the correct reference should have been to Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.

Previous Episode

Steph Economou

To celebrate the season 3 finale, I'm joined by Grammy winning composer Steph Economou! Steph's latest score is for the Dreamworks animated film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. As such, we primarily talk about Steph's score, including her choice to approach the score with a "cinematic dream pop" palette, implementing unique instruments like conch shells and the Bohemian Cristal Instrument, and the daunting nature of this being her first feature animated project. Of course, we also talk about her Grammy win, taking home the first ever Grammy for "Best Score Soundtrack For Video Games And Other Interactive Media" for her score to Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök, as well as the challenge and excitement of scoring for videogames broadly (among many other things).

I found Steph's score to be really exciting, in no small part because it's so distinct. While the "cinematic dream pop" sound ends up being particularly fitting for the film's underwater/nautical setting, it's an unusual choice for film music broadly, even more so for a family animated film. Those that know me will know by now that moving the sonic needle in media music is something I love to see, but so often it's done in indie films or in horror; for this to happen in a bigger-budget, mainstream film is great! Hopefully it's a trend that can continue. Steph mentions that the filmmakers gave her a lot of leeway right of the bat when it came to the score's palette, and she took full advantage of it. Even though she felt a bit daunted at first, with this being her first animated feature, she mentioned her two approaches in getting past it: "I just try to write music that I know I’ll be proud of later” and “you just gotta put your head down and do it; but the fear makes you better.” Things we can all live by.

You can find out more about Steph on her website. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is currently in theaters and Steph's score, as well as many of her other scores, is available digitally on all major platforms.

Next Episode

An Interview with Sherri Chung

Even though Season 3 is over and Season 4 has yet to begin, The Film Scorer podcast returns with a new interview. This time, I'm joined by composer Sherri Chung! Sherri (Riverdale, Kung Fu) and I intended to chat about her three latest projects, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Based on a True Story, and Happiness for Beginners, but got sidetracked for quite a bit. As a result, we spend a while talking about: the current writers' and actors' strikes, and the impact that those have on film and tv composers; trying to find the opportunity to write music for herself and her personal projects; and "loyalty" between composers and directors, including what it feels like when a director chooses someone else to work with on their next project. Fortunately, I eventually find a little time to slip in some questions about Gremlins, and Sherri discusses working in the shadow of Jerry Goldsmith's excellent scores for the two films while crafting something wholly new and distinct.

For those wondering, Season 4 is still at least a couple of months away. Sherri and I had been scheduling this interview since mid-June (prior to Season 3 ending), so I still wanted to get this conducted and released. That said, there may be a few other one-off interviews here and there prior to next season officially kicking-off. Stay tuned for more...

You can find out more about Sherri on her website. Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai is currently on HBO Max, Based on a True Story is currently on Peacock, and Happiness for Beginners is currently on Netflix and Sherri's scores, as well as many of her other scores, are available digitally on all major platforms.