All language subtitles for MasterClass Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring - 29Life of a Composer Part 1

You know, there's a there's like a s of

a bottom line question that always

hovers in the back of every conversation

I have with anybody who wants to get

into doing film music, which is how do

you get into film music? Um, and

honestly, I can't tell you how other

than

you you have to be you have to feel

compelled to tell story. That's what you

want to do. Okay, here's my lesson for

you. Whoever wants to be a film composer

or even a composer or a musician, it's

it's a terrible career move. It's

terrible. there are so few

opportunities,

you know, and most of the time, you

know, it's not going to work out or

you're going to be starving or you're

not going to, you know, you're going to

get chucked out of your flat for not

paying the rent. These are all things

that have happened. I'm speaking from

experience. And the only reason to do it

is is because if you don't write music,

you would die. I mean, literally, you

have to be that

crazy. I mean I I can't do anything. I

mean you you know I mean I never learned

anything. I can't have a normal job.

This is my this is the only option I

have and as much as on a movie I always

have this thing about executing plan B

flawlessly. You know I had that solar

violin not worked out. I know how to

write an action score a conventional

action score. But as far as am I a film

composer or am I not a film composer?

There is no plan B. you know, there

isn't, you know, there isn't the uh I

learned dentistry in my spare time and I

can support myself that way. And I think

it helps. I think I think there's

nothing wrong with always being right at

the edge of the ledge. Um, and right

from that position,

I tell you these stories and they're all

funny and you know because they're all

the the funny stories because we got

through it. We got through it because

because we had the you know because we

failed a lot at it. I mean, you know,

the the weird thing is it doesn't matter

which score you listen to that that is

successful. It

and sounds easy. I mean, this stuff

sounds incredibly easy. You know, hey,

it just came in one morning and there it

was. It's not like that. You know that

there are there the first thing you have

to do if you decide you're going to

write a piece of music or you're going

to write anything is you have to make an

agreement with yourself

that you're going to have the courage to

sit there and struggle about each little

note because they they aren't just

there. You have to fight for each note

and it's going to take a long time and

you're not going to go home and see your

kids. You're going to miss Christmas.

you're gonna, you know, you know, your

friends are out partying and you're

still like trying to hunt that note

down. And weirdly, there's a there's a

like a whole part where it gets really

boring as well. You know, the invention

part is fun and dangerous and

then comes the actual, okay, now now

I've done all the thinking and the

inventing, now I have to actually go and

execute it.

um

you know so you've have to find a

balance for instance of not overthinking

the thing because you you you need to

keep the the the the danger and the

enthusiasm and the momentum going

sometimes originality and you know like

a great idea I mean that's all it takes

I mean what do you think got me through

the door some you know I had a I was

making coffee for Stanley Myers and one

day I said well what about if we you

know and for a moment everybody stopped

and they listened to me and we tried the

idea and

I didn't make a lot of coffee after that

I mean I I remember Ramin Javi you know

Games of Throne um Iron Man

I actually didn't know he was a musician

until one night I I had gotten

completely unstuck on Pirates and I

going home with, you know, like knowing,

you know, I should just quit and it

wasn't going to happen. And he very

politely said, you know, since I was

leaving my room, would I mind if he

played around a bit? And we all came in

the next morning, Gabinsky, um, Jerry

Brookheimr, and

Ramine was there. He hadn't gone to bed

yet. He said, well, and I said, okay,

let's have a look at it. And it was it

was brilliant. I mean he'd taken

he'd taken my tune that I couldn't make

work to the scene and somehow just by

just by being brilliant and clever and

an original thinker and and and made

something which was ordinary and

serviceable at best using govinsk's

words here into something where we all

went that's the movie you know so um I

think that's the last time Ramine ever

made a cup of coffee.

These are the things and the these are

some of the things I wish I had really

known. I wish I had

known that people are willing to trust

you. I wish I had known that people are

willing to um listen to you. I wish I

had known that people are much more

prepared to take risks and want you to

take risks. If you don't take risks,

they get a little bored with you. And

when they get a little bored with you,

the audience gets a little bored with

you. And I think the greatest offense

you can commit as an entertainer. I am

not a concert composer. I don't write

precious classical music. I'm in the

entertainment business. Um,

make sure that you are entertained. It's

not about

playing to the gallery, but make sure

check with yourself that the stuff

you're doing um is actually

gets you excited and and and everybody

else will, you know, people will follow

along. If it's a compelling idea, people

will support you in it. And sometimes

these compelling ideas get me into a lot

of trouble and I paint myself in a

corner. And then you have your music

editors, you have your editors, you have

your orchestrators, and most of all you

have the musicians who get you out of

deep water.