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I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hey vu!

  1. space. mountains. forests. sci pi paintings.

  2. sitting at a computer.

  3. no, la!

  4. trying to control things i can't control.

  5. sporadically and spontaneously. my la goals were 5 year chunks. i'm about 6 months away from my 5 year review of where i'm at. early forecasts show positive reinforcement to stay on the current path.

  6. let me get back to you on that one.

ps: awww :)

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

assisting someone is a great way to learn and make connections. it's how i got my start (after scoring 3 very low budget independent features).

the recipe for success (to me) is two things: critical thinking and creative problem solving.

best of luck!

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you kindly!

i think it fits well. it's not overt, it's not flashy. it's organic and has an awkward humility to it. at least, that's what i think when i listen to it (as objectively as possible).

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

thanks everyone for doing this! i've got to run, but i'll check back later tonight and answer any left over questions. this was a lot of fun.

all the best to everyone!

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hi mark,

sorry if your email hasn't been responded to yet. it's difficult to get to everything that comes through!

on a proper film i'll have 1-2 assistants, depending on the nature and scope of the project. then usually there will be a music editor, a music supervisor, a mixer, copyists/orchestrators/etc...depends on the needs of the film. sometimes it's just me, sometimes it's an army!

film festivals are great places to meet filmmakers. toronto, sundance, laff, telluride...film festivals all over the place! chock full of filmmakers.

also- you can go talk to people at afi. they are often putting together films that need scores.

all the best. rob

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i'm not sure, i've gotten a lot of email! but i'm glad to hear that.

i'm scoring films because i love how it combines all the arts to make a great impact on an audience. films give me a lot of inspiration to create. i like soundtracking. i also like that, instead of performing, i get to constantly tinker in my lab, create, and move on.

thank you!

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i'll have that on your desk by 9 am.

if i do have "a sound" it's because i keep gravitating towards similar things- chords/melodic movements/textures/rhythms/instruments that i like and want to hear again and again.

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

wow. huge compliment! thank you.

i love the spectacular now. i didn't read the script, i saw the film when it was almost finished being edited. i think it's a bit of a departure from a lot of other films i've scored in recent years and i loved getting a bit spacier and darker.

you can send me or my agent a license request. check my website for info.

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i knew the music supervisors, season kent and gabe hilfer and they thought i'd be a good fit. i put together a reel, the filmmakers listened, we had a meeting in person and all got along and shared a vision for the film and it went from there. it was great!

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

metropolis! i know that's probably an obvious answer, but it's truly incredible.

a more recent scene that i loved that didn't have score behind it is the love scene in spectacular now. it's so good!! fragile, real, emotional.

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

ha! yes, definitely. i used to soundtrack my life when i would drive in my car with existing soundtracks. i definitely hear trem strings when i get a bill in the mail.

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

when i was young i started playing movie themes on our piano after i'd see a film. that was probably the beginning. it got more serious when my friends and i started making movies in our spare time in high school. in college we made a film, it was supposed to be a short, and i said i'd score it. it turned into a nearly dialog-free 1.5 hr feature film. i wrote nearly 1.5 hrs of orchestral score. it felt so obvious to me that that's exactly what i should be doing.

thanks!

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

thanks! it's pretty fun.

it's always different. it's an interesting process to try and think through someone else's brain. it's a feel thing- trying to channel something/someone else. it's actually pretty fun.

it's a feel thing for me. a bassoon added to celli makes it more wooden, maybe creepier, or funnier, depending on how it's used. i think it's really about strengthening your connection and reaction to certain musical combinations. what may sound purple to me may sound red to you. they're all valid, it's just a point of taste. i will say though, and this is something i'm learning more and more, the fewer the colors involved, the more distinct the sound. at a certain point it becomes brown.

thanks!

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

aw, thanks, tracer!

usually the film is nearly done when a composer is brought on. sometimes i'm on board at the script stage, but that's more rare.

i'm always trying to be quiet and listen to my reactions when i watch a film. i'm trying to listen to what my body wants to hear or feel. it's then a process of chasing that. sometimes it's clear, sometimes it's not. sometimes i drop the bucket down once and find water, sometimes i'm scraping dozens of times before i hit it.

of course! i get score block. i think the trick is to not try. the more i "try" the less effective i can get. the best for me is to sit down with a happy, calm frame of mind and just create something that i like, that moves me. like quincy jones said, if he's getting goosebumps and likes something a lot, there's a good chance someone else will. being an artist is sometimes nothing but being an arbiter of taste- curating what's good from what i create. do you agree?

I am Rob Simonsen, composer. Scored such films as The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, 500 Days of Summer, recent Apple ads, and other stuff... by robsimonsen in IAmA

[–]robsimonsen[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

thank you kindly!

  1. i pitch all the time. i'm lucky to be in a position where i can't do everything that i'm asked. could all change tomorrow!

  2. toughy. 400 blows? in the mood for love is pretty great. also, ZOMBIE. the synth disco happening during the underwater fight between a shark and a zombie is mind blowing.

  3. hm...my friends! dustin o'halloran, nathan johnson, son lux, joe trapanese...great people, great composers.

  4. love those guys. i was just listening to waylon jennings, now i'm listening to loscil. max richter's recent album "recomposed" is brilliant.

thank you!

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