Days in the Life of a Film Composer

Last week was the final week of my first semester teaching at the University of Texas. It was amazing! I loved every second of it and although I'm mildly sad that it's over, I'm glad to be getting my Tuesdays and Thursdays back until next year. I love teaching, especially for the UT RTF department. It won't take long until I start looking forward to doing it again next January.

I wanted to do something really special for my students toward the end of the semester so I arranged to have my class conduct a live Q&A via Skype with Academy Award winning composer Michael Giacchino (THE INCREDIBLES, UP, RATATOUILLE, JOHN CARTER, SUPER 8, SPEED RACER). It took a few weeks, but we finally scheduled to hold the Skype session on the third-to-last-day of class. When I announced to the class a few weeks before the scheduled date that we would be doing this, they went nuts! They're were pretty excited to say the least.

So the day arrived and we were all set to go. I got confirmation from his office the night before. We were going to do a test just before class started and then conduct the interview about ten minutes after the hour. A few minutes before class was scheduled to begin, I got a call from Michael's assistant telling me that the power just went out in their studio! I could tell the students could tell it was bad news. We waited about fifteen more minutes and again I got a call saying that it had still not yet come back on. We decided to cancel and reschedule the following week on the last day of class.

I was bummed. I could tell the students were bummed. I didn't want to let them down and crossed my fingers that our rescheduled appointment the following week would stick.

The day arrived and just before class began I got an email from Michael's assistant saying he was all set and ready to go. He would be at Pixar that morning and would be conducting the interview from their offices. That's pretty cool! Sure enough, I called him up via Skype and there he was! For the next hour, I allowed the students to come up and ask questions. Michael was great! He has such a positive and unique outlook on life in Hollywood. He really was the perfect inspiration for a room full of starry-eyed ambitious film students. I think the students really got a kick out of that experience. I hope it sticks with them wherever they go.

I projected the computer monitor onto the screen as students asked him questions (foreground left)

Here is how the computer was set up so that the students could ask Michael their questions.

On Sunday, May 13th, the most recent short film I scored, "The Midwife's Husband," will screen along with a dozen other graduate pre-thesis films at the University of Texas. I'm excited to see this beautiful film projected on the big screen as well as the other films on the schedule. I hear this is an especially good class and the films are absolutely superb. It's open to the public so if you're interested check out the information below. See you there!

Everybody is busy in their own unique way. It seems we're a nation of busybodies running nonstop all day long. I too feel like I easily fall into this category. I've been told by a friend that I "multitask more than anybody" he knows. Another friend commented on Facebook that I was "hilariously busy." These things are true. I often talk about how many pots I have on the stove and it even amazes me to realize that. I keep busy in so many varied ways it does ring a bit hilarious.

So what do I do?

• I'm a film composer
• I'm a film editor
• I'm a copyist/arranger
• I'm a lecturer in film music at the University of Texas at Austin
• I'm producer and host of "Film Score Focus," an hour long weekly film music radio show on 89.5 KMFA
• I author liner notes for soundtrack albums
• I interview composers for various web sites
• I'm a film music journalist and soundtrack reviewer for various web sites
• I'm a blogger
• I'm a board member, Assistant Conductor, Artistic Advisor, and emcee for the Cinematic Symphony
• I'm director of the praise group and pianist at my church
• I'm a member of the International Film Music Critics Association
• I'm an assistant T-ball coach for my son's team

...and I'm also a husband and father of two boys.

The white board in my studio is getting impressively full. Here is where I chronicle all my goings on and keep track of what I have to do. Each one of these line items represents a task that is currently on my schedule. I only have so many hours in the day so I just try to knock out as many as I can before starts to grow quicker than it shrinks.



The priority for me (outside of my family) will always be composing. I'm glad I'm able to do so many extracurricular activities outside of composing. They all feed a different aspect of my passion for film music which together add up to fuel my desire to compose music for film. I never intended to gather so many "hobbies" on the path of my career but I can't help it. When a door opens, I have to go inside and take a look around.

You never know what you'll find waiting for you...

This past week I had the extreme pleasure working on UT grad student Déjà Bernhardt's 35mm short film "The Midwife's Husband." This is easily one of the best short films I've ever worked on. It's written with a high degree of sensitivity and creativity, shot with a keen and expert eye, and the performances are top notch. The real stars of the film are two songs that bookend the movie: "Reborn Heart" written by William Hemmerle and "I Love You" written by Leonard Arnold. My job as the composer was to support the drama and help tell the story nestled between these two songs while being sure I stay mostly out of the way. I didn't want my music to detract from the power of these two diegetic songs.

This could be one of the more fragile and delicate scores I've written. Truly a "less-is-more" approach. The tiniest changes in the music has huge narrative implications on screen. It's like trying to walk on a tightrope. You dare not tip the balance one way or the way else risk falling down. It was a fun score to write and I'm proud of it. I can't wait to see the screening of it along with a collection of other UT graduate student films on Sunday, May 13th.

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor and privilege of working with two-time Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale composing music for his new web series (and health food movement) entitled AthleticFoodie. Aside from being an Olympic swimmer, Garrett is passionate about cooking and teaching others to cook and eat healthily. He's focused his passion on producing a new web series that gives tips, hints, and helpful instruction to those who want healthy eating to be easy, fun, and tasty.

I composed music for the pilot episode and a general branding video that they will use to seek out sponsorship. I'm hoping somebody picks it up. Aside from the opportunity to perhaps write more music for him, it's truly a great idea and I'd love to hear more of his tips. (I can't wait to try kamut!)

Having Garrett in my studio the last couple of weeks has been a real honor for me. Remember the Beijing Olympics where the USA won the 4X100 freestyle relay by a fingernail at the last possible hundredth-of-a-second? It was probably the highlight of the entire 2008 Olympics. Garrett swam the second leg of that race! I remember watching that live.

That's Garrett on the left next to Michael Phelps after winning the gold in 2008!
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Garrett and I have talked about doing an upcoming episode of Film Score Focus together where we talk about great Olympic film scores! That's going to be a blast. In the meantime, I'll look forward to the prospect of working with him again.

This is a short film that I edited (and scored) back in 2009. It was the first time I worked with Mark S. Hall whom I would work with again doing additional editing and scoring SUSHI: THE GLOBAL CATCH (2011). I'm very proud of this little film. It's about the film collection housed on the seventh floor of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. David O. Selznick and Robert DeNiro are just two of the juggernauts who keep their entire collections there. It's extremely interesting and was a lot of fun to work on. Enjoy!

Last night I attended a screening of Mel Gibson's new movie GET THE GRINGO (2012) which is slated for a direct to VOD release on May 1, 2012. What was especially cool about this event is that Mel himself was in attendance along with Kevin Hernandez (The Kid), Adrian Grunberg (director) and Stacy Perskie (producer). The film was quite good. I enjoyed it a lot. There is a nice Peckinpah vibe throughout the entire film which I really appreciated.

From left to right: Grunberg, Hernandez, Perskie, and Gibson.
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The Q&A was lead by Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News and Mel was pretty cool. This was the third time I saw a movie with Mel Gibson there. I also saw PASSION OF THE CHRIST (2004) four months before it came out and APOCOLYPTO (2006) a month before it came out.

I noticed Mel was leaving pretty quickly after the Q&A ended but I headed his way with my BRAVEHEART CD cover in hand just in case. Sure enough, he was just about to slip out the back door when he turned to tell somebody one more thing. In that instant, I was right there and asked him to sign my cover. I might have been only one of three people who snagged an autographed. Pretty cool.

Here's my cover that Mel signed...

I hope it says "Mel Gibson"
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Here is the second episode of the web series "Imagination Situation" written and directed by Roby Brown called "Tea Time at Table Five"...

Intrada Records announced a new release today featuring liner notes written by yours truly. I am especially excited about this title. It's an early score by one of my all-time favorite composers...Thomas Newman! WHISPERS IN THE DARK (1992) is such an exceptional score. I had a lot of fun writing about this one. This is the eleventh album for which I've penned liner notes.

Yesterday I returned from a very quick trip to Lansing, Michigan where I attended a screening of MAN ON A MISSION (2010) as part of the Capital City Film Festival. About a month ago, Mike Wolfe (director) sent out an email to principal crew asking if anybody would be interested in going to Lansing for a screening of MOAM. Neither he nor Brady (producer) could go so he offered it up to one of us. I immediately replied back that I would go if the spot was still open. Mike immediately tabbed me as the lone representative and contacted the festival to let them know I would be coming.

The trip was so much fun. I left around 8AM Friday morning, arrived in Lansing around 3PM (they are 1 hour ahead of us), checked into my hotel, relaxed for about a half hour, then was off to the screening. Dan Hartley, the festival director, drove me around where I needed to go. He was extremely gracious and was a very generous host.

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The screening started around 6:30PM and it was fairly well-attended. It was hard to tell but I'd say around a hundred people showed up. This was a small festival and only the second year of its existence so it was a respectable audience to say the least. The screening was magnificent! The audience really loved the film and I had a blast with the Q&A afterward. I was pretty wiped so after the screening I went back to my hotel to change. I decided to take a brief walk around the area and find a bite to eat.

Michigan State University was only about a block away from my hotel so I walked along the outside perimeter a bit. It's a gorgeous campus. I quickly found a grungy college sports bar where hockey playoffs were in full swing so it was pretty packed in there. I grabbed a burger and fries, washed it down with a delicious beer, and headed back to my hotel to watch a few hours of "Storage Wars" before hitting the hay.

The next morning I woke up, showered, packed, and checked out of my apartment. Dan and I grabbed lunch at a nearby deli and I bought some gourmet popcorn at a nearby store to bring home to my boys. After that, I went to the airport to get back on the plane home.

It was about 36 hours door to door. A very quick trip indeed but a lot of fun. it's not very often the composer gets to attend a festival on the their dime. In fact, that could realistically be the last time that happens, but if it does happen again, I'd welcome it with open arms. I don't get to travel nearly as much as I would like so if any festival calls...I'll certainly answer.

Thanks Lansing, for putting me up for the night. I had a blast!

Here is where the screening of MOAM was held.
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This past week I've been composing music for a pair of pilot episodes for a new web series entitled "Imagination Situation" written and directed by Roby Brown. It's a fun series for parents giving tips on how and when to turn boring situations into imaginative ones. The first episode was just posted today. I've got one more to compose this week and then it'll be up to Roby and the production team to raise the necessary funds to complete the series. He's got a lot of great ideas for shows. I'd love to see more get made.

Here's the first episode, "Intrigue - Aisle Nine"...

Here is the poster for a short documentary I scored called "A Day In Our Bay" directed by Mary Katzke of Anchorage, Alaska. I've done probably seven or eight films for Mary who focuses primarily on local Alaskan stories. Apparently it's been screening A LOT up in Alaska these past few months. It was a pretty clever idea. She gave out 150 small video cameras to folks all over Alaska and asked them to film a day in their lives. Then they edited all the footage together. It reminded me of the "A Day In the Life" series of photograph books that were big in the 90s.

The global energy documentary I scored called SWITCH (2012) is racking up sold out screenings in theaters all over the country. It won "Best of the Fest" at the first film festival it premiered at and is currently scheduled to open in over a dozen cities around the country. It's one of the more important films I've scored and I'm really proud to have been a part of it.

The film takes a hard look at our usage of energy around the world, lays out obstacles to improve it, and paves a few pathways to ensuring the people of the world have affordable and efficient energy for generations to come. Right now the picture isn't too rosy. It's one of the more comprehensive and entertaining documentaries I've seen tackling the subject of global energy. Anybody interested in making the "switch" to something other than oil or coal should take a look.

There are screenings scheduled all over the country. Chances are there will be one near you soon. The web site is pretty cool. It's not just a site set up to talk about a film but it explores in great detail more information the film didn't cover. It's an educational supplement to the film where audience members can explore further. It's pretty cool. Check it out!

http://www.switchenergyproject.com/

Yesterday was my big panel with film composer Cliff Martinez. I was asked late last summer if I would moderate the panel titled "A Conversation with Cliff Martinez" and I excitedly and humbly accepted. It was a really awesome experience. Cliff flew in the day before with his agents and publicity rep. I met up with the for drinks at their hotel so I could start to get an idea of what Cliff was like in person and vice versa. After drinks we headed over to the BMI dinner at Manuel's on Congress. It was an awesome experience! I even got to meet Mark Mothersbaugh who was sitting at the table next to us. It's not often I get to geek out with fellow film composers here in Austin. I treasure those moments when they do occur. After dinner I escorted Cliff and company up 6th Street so they could get a taste for the Austin buzz themselves.

The following day we met up in the green room about an hour before our panel was scheduled to start. I was a little nervous but not nearly as much as I thought I would. I have done a ton of interviews in my time and I've spent hundreds of hours speaking in front of large groups of people; however, I have never interviewed anybody live on stage in front of hundreds of people. It was worth a few butterflies but nothing too severe.

The panel went rather well if you ask me. If you ask the folks that attended I think you'll get a lot of positive feedback as well. Cliff is a super interesting person to talk to. Not only is he a rising star in film music but he was the original drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers whom I've always dug since high school. The only drawback was it was only one hour long. I know I could've sat there asking him more questions for at least another hour. Afterward, several folks came up to me and told me what a great moderator I was. I really appreciated that. They were there to hear Cliff speak so to give me credit was very nice.

I'd love to do something like this again someday...especially if it were me being the one who is interviewed.

Cliff Martinez and I in the green room at SXSW.
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After posting an article last week about acquiring the limited edition BACK TO THE FUTURE printsI thought I'd catalog all of the Mondo posters in my collection. I don't have too many. In fact, the majority of them I acquired at the event the posters were commemorating. I've only ever tried to purchase during their usual Twitter drops twice. I was successful both times.

Here's my Mondo collection:

"A Trip to the Moon" by Phantom City Creative.
18" x 24" Screenprint. Ed of 145 N.
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"Back to the Future Trilogy" by Phantom City Creative.
18" x 24" Screenprint. Ed of 420 N.
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"Jurassic Park" by JC Richard.
24" x 36" Screenprint. Ed of 365 N.
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"An American Werewolf in London" by Olly Moss.
14" x 24" Screenprint. Ed of 380 N.
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"Boogie Nights" by Todd Slater.
6.5" x 13.5" Screenprint.
Ed of 200 N.
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"Last Night at the Alamo" by Jay Ryan.
12" x 24" Screenprint.
Ed of 510 N.
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Last week I was lucky enough to snag a beautiful trio of limited edition prints from Mondo. If you don't know about Mondo, you should. They commission limited edition artwork based on movies, reveal the poster, and then announce via Twitter (at random times) when it actually goes on sale. Then you have about 45-75 seconds to order it before it completely sells out. That's how they roll.

Last week they unveiled a set of three posters (edition of 420) from each of the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies. That alone is worth the interest but when I actually saw the artwork online, I knew this would be one I would go after. Here's the set...



I don't have them yet. They'll be shipped to me in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to frame them and get them up on my wall.

Here's a short web video I scored toward the end of 2011 directed by Alpheus Media. I think it really looks (and sounds) great!

Why Supplement? from Alpheus Media on Vimeo.

If you ever get me started talking about my days at Berklee you better have a few hours to spare just so I have adequate time to warm up. The nearly four years I spent at this amazing school were among the most amazing of my life. One of the many things that resonates with me to this day are the relationships I made and the thrill it's been to see my closest friends earn success in their respective fields.

I'd like to introduce you to my good friend Chris Crocco. He and I lived next door to each other at the Hemingway dorms for about a year. I was a classically trained film scoring and composition student and he was a jazz guitar performance major. We were both relatively good at what we did, yet it seemed like success was still so far away. We were traveling down a long, long road and we were just getting started.

Chris and I would frequently stay up until dawn challenging each other to look at and listen to music in ways we never could imagine on our own. Chris would speak to me in a language I could barely understand and I would reciprocate with language that was difficult for him to understand. This is where the real "education" at Berklee existed. Not so much within the classroom, but with your peers. There were no grades, tests, or final projects. Just two friends talking for hours on end about the music they loved so much.

One night we were having a discussion about jazz harmony. I was telling him how I was taught in class how it was "wrong" to put the minor-9th interval on top of the chord. "Why?" I asked. I thought it was awesome. I actually did it all the time. It has such an interesting color. I understand jazz harmony functions differently but still...be an engine not a caboose! (I always say). Chris was sympathetic of my inability to understand but he didn't fight me on it. Later that semester I went to one of Chris' performance recitals. During one of the tunes he littered the entire piece with the minor-9th on top of almost every chord! You know what I call that? ...Badass!!

After we left school I moved to Austin to start my career as a film composer and Chris went to New York City to make it as a jazz guitarist. We both excelled. We both paid our dues. We climbed our respective ladders with deeply rooted determination and passion for our craft. As the years went by I kept tabs on Chris and what he was doing and along the way he kept tabs on me. All the while our mutual respect and admiration grew.

Today, Chris has established himself as one of the leading jazz guitarists fluent in the triadic chromatic approach made famous by George Garzone (with whom Chris has performed with for over a decade). He has toured across Europe several times and performs with some of the greatest musicians in all of New York. You know what I call that? ...Badass!!

For your pleasure I'd like to embed a clip from Chris' newest DVD which comes out later this spring. There is some absolutely amazing playing on this video. When I was hanging out with him almost twenty years ago he was an AWESOME guitar player. Now, I don't even know what to call him...

The Pflugerville Pflag published another article about me this week (February 2, 2012). This one focuses on my thoughts and feelings regarding the theatrical release of MAN ON A MISSION (2012). They contacted me a couple weeks ago for a quick interview and I was more than happy to oblige. It's pretty cool.

Here's a small excerpt.

A film composer for nearly 15 years, Satterwhite said his experience with “Man on a Mission” will be one he won’t soon forget.

“To have been given the opportunity to compose music for it will forever be a hallmark of my career,” he said in a Facebook message to the Pflag. “How many people can say they’ve scored astronauts walking up to their Soyuz rocket as it awaits them on the launch pad? Or composed music for footage taken from the inside of the Soyuz capsule as its re-entering earth’s atmosphere? I can score films for another fifty years and I don’t know if I’ll have an experience that eclipses ‘Man on a Mission.’”

You can check out the full article HERE.

One of the many great experiences I had while in Las Vegas earlier this month for the IAWTV Awards was to speak on a panel regarding music in a web series. all of the panel discussions were videotaped and uploaded to YouTube. If you're curious about the music for CELL: THE WEB SERIES or about creating music for a web series in general then check it out. It was a lot of fun and very rewarding experience for me.

Presented at CES on January 11th, 2012.

Moderator:
Mark Gardner - Board Member of IAWTV

Panelists:
S. Pease Nistades - Composer of Dragon Age: Redemption
Brian Satterwhite - Composer of Cell: The Web Series
Jason C. Miller - Composer, The Guild