A favorite sport among many composers is the game of “Can you believe how stupid this filmmaker I worked with is because he/she…
a. Used a musical term incorrectly
b. Misidentified a musical instrument
c. Gave a “dumb” comment about my music
d. Has a ridiculous expectation of things
e. Offered some other variation of not knowing what what they are talking about musically.”
HERE’S THE SECRET…
They aren’t SUPPOSED to know what they are talking about regarding music… that is YOUR job.
If I tell my mechanic I think something is wrong with a part of my car that isn’t really the issue, it is my mechanic’s job to listen, ask questions and then assess what the real issue is… and then fix my car.
I just directed a show at the Hollywood Bowl.
I assume I was frequently using the wrong terms for lots of what I was trying to convey to the experts in so many fields (choreography, lighting, projections, music supervision, sound, video and music prep, etc.)
WHO CARES???
I work with people who either translate my words into something that works within their field or asks me smart questions that lead to better answers.
In my opinion, mocking the a filmmaker because they aren’t knowledgeable about music makes you look like an ass, not them.
