Film Composing With Award Winner Robert ToTeras
Philadelphia-born, New York-bred, Los Angeles-based, Robert ToTeras is one of the most versatile composers working in television and feature films.
Recently Robert wrote the music for award-winning director Daniel Adams’ feature film ‘The Walk’, starring Terrence Howard, Malcolm McDowell and Justin Chatwin. ‘The Walk’ explores the Boston desegregation bussing crisis in the 1970s, and the ensuing racial tension which followed.
Film composing is a laborious job, so what keeps you motivated?
You can’t do a job like this — the hours, the incredible amount of work, the rejection — unless you absolutely love it. I love what I do and consider myself lucky that I can earn a living this way. But obviously it’s still a job… and occasionally I encounter days where it feels like one. On those days, you have to remember what brought you to this job in the first place. Remember why you love it. Sometimes that can even mean stepping away for a short period of time to collect your thoughts. Maybe watch a film or show that inspires you, or read a book that challenges you.
Whenever I step away to clear my head, it does wonders for my motivation. Going for a walk. Working out. I’ve recently fallen in love with VR Boxing. It’s great exercise and it’s good for letting off steam.
How much patience is required in this field and do you consider yourself a patient person?
There’s no way you can do this job and be impatient and do this job. So much of the work is intricate and detailed.
Also, everything in show business takes so much time. Similar to writers doing countless drafts of scripts, composers get tons of notes on music cues and need to continually revise them. This not only requires a lot patience but an understanding of the collaborative nature of filmmaking.
I’ve become more and more patient over time. That’s one of the good things about getting older.
How do you choose the films you work on?
Usually, for a composer, it’s the other way around. A director, producer or music supervisor likes your work and reaches out to you. There have been a few jobs where I knew exactly what the project should sound like, score-wise, and I reached out to the filmmakers. Sadly, that’s only worked for me once, but it’s always worth a try if you feel like you really have a sense of the project’s needs.
What advice would you like to give to aspiring filmmakers/sound editors?
The best advice I can give is to work on your craft. Become indisputably good at what you do. Have a vision for what you want to be doing, and go after that. Never has there been a time in history like this. The technology, the ability to learn and grow through the mass proliferation of music, art and culture. Never have there been so many jobs for creative people. If you want to lead this sort of life, nothing has to get in your way.
Please tell us about your upcoming projects.
In addition to ‘The Walk’, which is in theaters now, I’m the composer for a show called ‘Cold Justice’ which airs on Oxygen. It’s produced by Dick Wolf, the creator of the Law & Order and FBI franchises. We’re working on the 7th season now and will actually be airing our 100th episode in September. It’s an unscripted, docu-procedural where we go about solving cold case murders. The show has actually solved quite a few, including getting arrests, indictments and convictions. It’s incredible television that actually does some good. I’m really proud of that show.
How important is composing for a film?
It’s as important as any other component of storytelling — i.e. writing, directing or producing… There’s an emotional ingredient the score provides that underscores what’s happening on screen. Without that underscore, you’re truly left with an incomplete narrative.
In the history of television and film, how many really successful shows or films can you name without music or a score? I can only name two TV shows without a score, The Sopranos and The Wire. And those are two of the greatest shows in history. And even though they didn’t need a score — they both used songs extraordinarily well.
Do you agree that many filmmakers fail to understand the importance of composing?
There are definitely some filmmakers who don’t realize how important the score is. They don’t bother thinking about it until the last minute. Sometimes there’s also an issue with producers who don’t realize that good, original music costs money. People are so used to getting music for free or almost nothing. Sometimes this can impact how they do business as well.
But I’ve found that most filmmakers are huge fans of film, and therefore huge fans of film scoring. Their favorite movies all have impactful scores, and this inspires them to travel down the same road when creating their own work.
Official website: www.film-noise.com
