That subtle touch of humour you put in your videos is priceless, especially when handling such sensitive topics. Your channel is real gold, thank you so much for taking the time to do this
I haven’t seen the comments on the Spitfire competition but I could sense the backlash that was about to come given the nature of a social media contest. Several years ago Dave Pensado had a mix engineering contest. They interviewed the winner live on Pensado’s Place and when they asked him what his studio setup is like and what kind of studio monitors he uses, his answer was he mixed on headphones, which the hosts were shocked and clearly didn’t prep for that answer in advance, plus it caused a huge amount of backlash from contestants, because in the world of the judgmental internet, you’re not professional if you mix on headphones.
Thank you for this, especially the part about looking at the past and appreciating where we currently are. Probably the thing I struggle with the most is that drive and ambition for more overpowering appreciation for the present. So thanks for that reminder!
Absolutely, I'm in the same boat. My focus can get narrow and I get in my own way a lot. Widening the focus towards the present and past can really be helpful to understand where we're at on our journey and why.
I’m glad you brought this to light. Lately I’ve struggled with feeling like my momentum has been sinking, while my peers move further up in their careers. I’ve had to re-learn how to be genuinely happy for them, or at the very least to not care, instead of being jealous and pouting about how life’s not fair because I deserve the success blah blah blah. I’ve legit resorted to saying out loud that I thought of myself better/more talented than other people, because I was unwilling to address my shortcomings and working on improving them. Actually, I still struggle with that to some degree. Discussions like these are a good reminder that we’re all going through the same kinds of things, and that building our lives, careers, etc. should not be a race.
Comparing ourselves to our peers is only natural and human. We all struggle with that and I think we should all be more honest about it. Self-awareness is key - noticing my own feelings and behavior, and analyzing and correcting it is crucial to growth I believe. After all we only control ourselves, not other people. And our journey is just that - OUR journey, not theirs.
I "suffer" from Imposter Syndrome sometimes, and a rejection feels like "Welp, they finally found me out! I suck!" but I try to re-assure myself that there are billions of people out there who *aren't* writing music and just being able to read and write music is a good thing and there are people who do like my music and it's something I should feel proud about.
Same here brother, You can't imagine. I remember watching a documentary film about a famous musician (Pavarotti) where he said, even until the peak of his career, "When will they find out i can't sing!" So, you can imagine that coming from one of the most influential people in Music history at his peak. So, you're good we are all starting out until the end.
Thank you, Anne! As always, your assistance is incredibly helpful. I've watched this episode twice, with a year's gap in between. It's interesting how it's the same story, but after going through a series of rejections, it feels much more vibrant now.
Thanks for discussing this topic. As a music composer/producer, I work mostly in isolation and when rejection happens, I'm pretty much left on my own to deal with it. So watching your video today makes me realize that there's a bunch of us in the same boat and sometimes it just feels good just to vent about it with people that have had to deal with some form of "artistic" rejection.
Indeed! We're all working in isolation which has only been enhanced during the pandemic. We can get very caught up in our own heads and spiral into negative thoughts and feelings. I've learned that it's important to reach out to people and let them know you're having a hard time - either a colleague who has shared experiences and understands or someone from outside the industry who can give a whole different perspective on life.
This video comes at the perfect time. During the Last Sonuscore competition, I was mad when I saw that I was not selected (which was not realistic since there was less than 2% chances to be choosen). A few minutes later, I listened to one of the chosen ones ;-), and the composer made a better score than the fantasy I had, of the perfect soundtrack for the video. I was not mad anymore, but admiring him. Now I'm thinking : "how could he do that?" This question always helped me getting better . But if the rejection is not fair, your advise is a satisfying and elegant way, to go through it. It is makes me feel better to hear someone professionnal, experienced, say those human and honest things. Your channel is so informative and helpful. It is the best glimpse I've seen about the life of a film score composer, and about the life of professionnal musician in general. Every single video is rivetting . A real breath of fresh air. Thank for your detailed, clear informations, and your honesty.
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words! I really think there are a lot of topics outside of composition and DAWs that need to be talked about. The personal struggles and sacrifices that come with an artistic profession should not be underestimated by anyone choosing this path. And I agree, the best way to handle rejection is to learn from the person they actually chose.
Great message. People forget that John Williams had worked in Hollywood for YEARS before he did Fiddler on the Roof and earned his first Oscar. And he only became what is arguably the premier film composer about 10 years after THAT.
I love your videos! You are a very humble and down to earth person, you are the kind of people that I look up to. Also, talking about the spitfire contest, I feel that the winner was spot on! The only criteria was that it had to be creative. In a sea of hanszimmerish sound effects and orchestrations that was really creative
Golden. Absolutely down-to-earth talk. Thanks Anne-Kathrin. This is EXACTLY HOW IT IS in our profession as musicians : rejection, endless auditions, hopes that were broken (sometimes even before the auditions- "politics") etc. Forwarding a link to this video to other musicians...
Anne- the people in your life are very lucky you're there. I'm sure they have to duck an F-bomb outburst on occasion, but you're the real deal and that's part of the real deal too. I was 'crawled under the covers' this morning. Thanks for getting me up and out.
I'm so glad you find this useful! And yes, the people in my life are ducking plenty of F-bombs on a daily basis - but hey, you are the company you keep! ;-P
So much wisdom, wow. Thank you again! Next coffee is /was on me (... but I feel it should have been Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock ;-) ). It's a pleasure seeing you and listening to your mindful and deep retrospect and general musings on your path and life in general.
Great advice! One thing I don't follow is jealousy. It is waste of time and energy. You'd rather do something else at that time, which means you can be more productive. So, actually, I don't understand people who are always being jealous. Of course, they are human beings, but jealousy has been ruined human society in history.
I really love the pure honesty in this video, Anne-Kathrin! That on one hand we are humans with feelings and every feeling we have should get room to be felt, and on the other hand, we should not get lost in this swirl of negativity. These kind of insights are really helpful and motivating. Thanks very much ! :-)
Very good subject and mostly overlooked I guess. It is of great importance in life to be kind to other people. Negative thoughts you encounter do not only affect your mind but in the end also your body and acting out in this way has a negative impact on other people around you as well. If most of us were to act out very negative reactions on a micro scale, this will have an impact on others outside as well (only later). Keep your chin up and save your energy in order to improve your mockups (for that matter). If you suffer from bad temper and manners try to meditate and preferably make it part of your daily routine! Be kind to others but most of all -in practicing this- to yourself Put your energy into new music, which may be sad in this respect. No problem, you might be able to use this music later... Love your dealing with this matter Anne-Kathrin!
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer believe me every thing i said is completely from my heart you make great videos and you put a lot of your time and you are very busy and that says alot about you thank you for the time and effort you put in this great channel thyank you again . note: one of your first videos about release percussion time saves my life and when i do the tips in that video i always remember thank you thanks again your biggest fan from jordan.
Great topic, great video and well spoken! Zooming out usually helps when these things happen. Not sure about beer together with ice cream though... 🥳🥳🥳
Thanks for watching! Yeah, the whole 'beer with ice cream' really makes me hurt but I think I'll try it eventually - if only to tell Americans that they are gross and wrong. ;-)
This is great. It gave me a chuckle because I think this not only affects artists of your level, but also smaller artists just trying to get music to people's ears. Great video. ( I'm all about the going outside and beer methods)
Ich liebe deine selbst-ironische Art! :D Danke, dass du diese Videos machst, sie sind nicht nur sehr unterhaltsam, sondern auch inhaltlich top und super hilfreich! :)
Ah the good German Humor...I like it! And it's very sad to see, that you are also a victim of the bad CZcams algorithm at the moment, you deserve way more views and subs, because your content is awesome! I'm excited and look forward to your Q&A! Marked bold in my Calendar ;)
What a wonderful video, thank you for this. I want to add on the social media thing, it is not only that people only post the positive things happening in their lives, it's also that it is all concentrated in one place with way more people than we are naturally conditioned to deal with. In a village we would normally hardly meet over 5-7 people in an average day, so even if their lives were going great, it would not be too much, you would also be mostly chatting with people at your level, so their successes would not be beyond your wildest dreams. With modern day technology and social media, you can be virtual friends with 100s of people made up of celebrities, company owners, and everyone in between. This is where it becomes easy to judge yourself as a failure.
Thank you Anne. Good advice particularly as all art is highly subjective. I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to work on two short story films later this year. Right from the start my stance is that I am there to support and create what the director wants. It’s all about the story.
Very well put Anne. So many common emotions that an artist must deal with. It's not like nailing up sheetrock. Art IS personal and you explained it so effortlessly. A very wise and comforting talk. Your music is great and your videos are a real gift. God bless. PS and good luck! :)
"Nobody is waiting for your oppinion" 😁 Honestly the best line ever these days, if only more people would understand this. Anyway, not this video in particular but overal thank you for creating and posting. Realy cool and valuable stuff you do there. As someone who started and wants to compose I really appreciate what you do. Best of luck and keep it up!
Amazing video! I've been going through your channel for some time, as I'd like to try myself in orchestration. I've got plenty of useful information and you are a true professional. Now I see you're an amazing person, fair to yourself and others. I love your humor and that beer you opened in the beginning))) Second on everything you mentioned here, chin chin!!
It continues to amaze me how such skilled and talented people give so much of their valuable time and effort to help people here on CZcams , god bless you all and thank you Kathrin for all you do for us all. A very interesting and insightful subject.
Anne, if I may call you by your name, (not knowing you), you are a real person and by that I mean you're very insightful and I really appreciate that. You seem very gentle and of course TALENTED. PLEASE KEEP THESE VIDEO COMING. KEEP ON COMPOSING.
Oh, this talk so reminds me of something I once thought of. I once realized that whatever is good in your life, whatever has been positive in the past, if you think back to every step that lead up to that point there will always be something that seemed bad at the moment it happened but was essential for getting you where you are now. I hope I said that right
Thank you for this video. I am just an inspiring composer in the very beginning of his career (an irony of course) and still pitching a lot mostly with the same negative result. Your video has comforted me it's just the part of the routine. Best for you in 2022.
8:00 professional jealousy is a scary thing. It's very self-destructive. However, it's almost inevitable at the specific level of career development. I believe every professional has to go through that time or moment in life. Otherwise if you fail at some point in life it'll be extremely hard to get over it. I went through that experience. Now I learned to be more calm, when things don't go exactly the same way as you'd like. 16:40 agree with absolutely. Another thing I'd add to that point, is to be patient and try to develop patience. I laughed hard at the "icecream and beer, separate or together" that is funny.
Awesome video! I feel like, if you're feeling just negative feelings or rather only radiate negativity, all you will receive is negativity.. like you get what you give! I still struggle sometimes feeling negative feeling when getting rejected in any way, maybe more than some others.. but still I feel happy for the fortunate! Love the anedote of biking at the beach, since I used to take a walk on the beach down in Long Beach :D Love how you do industry related videos outside of the musical aspects! Kepp up the good work and thank you! :)
Another great episode, thank Ann for it. Amazing to see how you handle this delicate subject and come with possible solutions from your perspective...another part of the composer's spectrum where we all have to deal with but it is awsome to hear your personal story and what you do in such situations
Great video AK! I spent months on a concert work for a competition and was disappointed when it didn’t get selected for the call for scores. After a day of feeling dejected, I started a new project that called for classic 60s Star Trek music and 1. It was fun as hell to write like that 2. Apparently a lot of people also thought so. So, in this case, I channeled the disappointment into a new project and it yielded some great results. :)
Rejection=failure?…definitely NO. Its normal that you won’t get all the gigs that you want when competing with a bunch of other talented people. In my “artistic/engineering world” (ship design) I have to submit a lot of proposals (each taking a considerable amount of effort) to win just one. It’s just part of the game. Nothing to get frustrated or sad about. Celebrate the one and keep going. Great video and congrats with your achievements!!
Thanks for this. I feel down when I finish a project as well I don't know why. I feel happy in a way because I achieved something but I feel a bit lost. I just finished a project that I really loved musically speaking but I really struggled with the director as she was really crap with communication. Not nasty but just not communicating much. Maybe you could do a video on how to deal with difficult directors? You know, to have something to do when you have been rejected 🤣.
not icecream and beer - but vanilla icecream, then put some egg nogg (sweet egg liquor) on it and then pour some cold sparkling wine on it (Vanilleeis, Eierlikör, Sekt). The liquid meets the firmer stuff and a beautiful foam forms. Nice texture. Also fun to experiment with when you are having fun with a group of people. That creation stems from an informal party - we had those ingredients and one person tried it out all together.
I've thought about this video every day for the last (almost) month. The avoidant part of my personality tells me I shouldn't do anything because I predict I won't be able to cope with the emotional fallout of people's reactions. Not to turn a comment into a therapy session, but I really appreciate that you did this video, and just addressed your thoughts and experiences on the topic in such a clear and honest way. I think the Hollywood mindset is probably bullshit, and the fake positivity makes us (well, makes me, atleast) feel like I don't have the right moral fibre or disposition to deal with the industry sometimes. (Afterall, why can't I be happy about failing, if these attractive people with white teeth can?) Yeah, I dunno, this is rambly, but I appreciate that you're a real person whose giving real perspectives on an industry which has a lot of fake BS within it. Gives me hope! :)
Somehow in this industry you're expected to give 100% but also "not care" if you get rejected or fired. That's a paradox. Total commitment and total detachment at the same time. And no matter what the toxic positivity -culture tells us, I've never met anyone who truly doesn't care about getting rejected.
It really is a strange conflict we all battle. On one hand we don't want to get our hopes up anymore so it hurts less when we get that rejection. On the other hand we often can't keep ourselves from caring and being passionate about what we want. It's a very tiring dynamic after a while but I agree - I don't know anyone who can truly manage to not care. At least not if they're serious about this art form.
Prost Anne! This was a Weihenstephaner from Freising wasnt it? I lived many years in Ismaning in deed :) Now in the south of Spain you can only get Paulaner :/ but Sherry works fine :) Wonderful video Anne, specially pertinent for amateur/beginners trying to start off... Many thanks! Have a great day!
Watching it a second time, I find these opinions worth, even more valuable than, a TED lecture... congrats and a big thank you for this amazing coaching.
As a musician I had frustrations but with hindsight I understood that when I wanted the project to be done, I didn’t have the necessary level at that moment. We have to accept that things happen later, because we have to be prepared when that happens.
At min16:30 - thank your friend for me, it is wonderfull way to think, and thanks for your psi work on this one, is also good to know that i'm not the only one that strugles...
Die wichtigste Frage ist doch, hast du gutes Bier in LA? 😄 Sonst schick ich dir mal ne Flasche. Danke für deine Videos. Voll cool dass du die echte Welt zeigst und wie das business funktioniert. Selbst ich als alter Metal head habe schon viel nutzen aus deinen Videos und tutorials gezogen. 🤘🤓👍 und ich freu mich auf weiteren Content
Just move on. Do what you need to do for whatever you're pitching for or applying for and forget about it. It's not part of you anymore. Wake up the next day and move on with the next thing on the list. If you get the gig, if you win or if you get whatever then ... GREAT! But don't lose the pace in what you're doing over something you have no control over. Don't bother with asking why and stuff like that. This other "winner" may suck, the people in charge may suck, maybe it was a bad decision that will show up later down the road, maybe the winner's entry fitted what they were after. That doesn't reflect what they think about your work. They may even like your work better but realize it's not the right tool for the job. Just move on.
Anybody can be a critic and pass comments on other people and their work, I do not know of any diploma or degree where one learns to be a critic about other people especially in the performing arts. Furthermore I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a park or a monument dedicated to a critic whether they’re a film critic or any sort of critic. I know that I am better off than 50% of the population in the world. I have at least one hot meal a day, a roof over my head with no bombs dropping on it and a warm bed at night. I also believe that between a stimulus and my response there is a space and I can choose. I can choose. Furthermore, our thoughts turn to words turn to actions that form our reality however, our emotions are also mixed in with this and that’s what makes us human. You are very brave and strong, perhaps stronger than you think keep pushing keep going because giving up is easy which I know you wouldn’t do.
Nail hit on the head again! I do have my "internal rage" moments when rejected, fortunately they seem to last just enough to make me realise nothing is lost, life is beautiful and it is time to roll up my sleeves and keep moving forward 🙂 I have a very good relationship with a director who rejected a pitch of a mine, only to reach out to me a few months after, from that moment on we have been working together. I too agree that beer+ice cream = abomination, and totally refused to dip chips/fries into a milkshake, when 2 years ago I was in Monterey visiting a mate, who tried to convince "milkshaked" chips/fries were brilliant 😉
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words! Also... there are people who dip chips and fries into milkshakes??? What is this madness? America needs a food intervention. I also hear that there are fried chicken waffles and I just don't know what to think anymore.
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer apparently, dipping chips/fries into a milkshake is the "most American" thing one can do, according to my mate. I did hear of the fried chicken waffles... If I will ever move to LA, I swear to ride by your side to right all of these culinary wrongs!
Rejection is the Lords protection 😉 my solution is simply play it out! Just start playing an instrument of your choice and hit record before you start 😁 create potential gold and feel better at the end of it , a classical win win situation 👍
Yes. Also emotions aren’t negative or positive. They’re just intensities. As musicians, we have the power to harness them and express them. A gift more precious than any. Also, I’d put that Taylor on a stand, resting it against the table will crack the neck. Great video.
Fail often and quickly but never fatally. Personally, I try to imagine that every lost pitch or gig gets me a “chit” towards my next “win”. Like; I have to clear a certain amount of failure in order to be able to reach the successes. It’s also useful to try to understand why you failed. It might just be politics. It maybe you fundamentally didn’t understand what they wanted. But it is really hard when you don’t get something. One of my great successes was actually born out of finding out that I didn’t get the gig; but I maintained the relationship anyway - was able to find out why (!) I didn’t get the gig - and; they booked me on the next two gigs. So...
Rejection is part of life. You get judged by 'the person you are'. Unfortunately there's little you can do about that, but why would you? Composing is a creative process like many art-forms. Nowadays it seems more and more people are unsure about there own person, and want to make absolutely sure their opinion is understood by others. Therefor they feel the need to emphasize their comments by dragging inn additional personal dislikes. Personally I find it interesting to read some negative comments and try to imagine how they came up with there criticism. To keep it short, I learned to listen and appreciate many art-forms judging the artist by the sheer fun they express creating it. I may like the art- or the composition or not, but knowing the artist made use of his/her creative mind, makes my appreciate their work.
I appreciate the sentiment but it's missing one crucial point: Professional composers' livelihood depends on being "approved of" so-to-speak. Either by the audience or - in most film composers' cases - the directors / producers / agents / executives of the world. Without their approval, we are effectively unemployed. I couldn't care less whether some random person on the internet likes my work or not. But it becomes a different story if you send your work 100 times to hiring entities and they reject it. It becomes a much more existential thing because they determine what you create, when you create it, and whether you make a living off of it. It's the equivalent of being unemployed every two months and having so send out hundreds of applications to get the next job - which will also only last 2-3 months before you have to go through the process again. It's crushing sometimes to face that amount of rejection in your life, and it's certainly unique to commercial artists.
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer Thanks for your extended reply. My comment was / is from an amateurs point of view. I can imagine rejection has a different load when our income depends on it. Being an amateur, I've never had to deal with that situation (yet). My reply was based on comments friends of mine receive when they upload their pieces. A few are supporting criticism and suggestions, which are more than welcome of course. But some are just mend to insult or hurt them. So that's how I "read" your upload.
Great Quotes: "Rejection doesn't go away!" "If you put yourself out there, you're going to have a lot of criticism." "You're constantly swimming against the current." "Let the hate flow through you... then let it go." If you're an artist, rejection is going to be part your life. "Don't say anything." "Nobody likes a sore loser." "You can feel all those negative feelings, but you don't have to project them out into the world." What can you do? It's not like it was a gig you ever had. You just didn't get it. "Exercise... soak in the sunlight and the ocean breeze." "Do something nice (for yourself)" "Hollywood is a strange place." Find someone to talk to. "Have that one friend... to show that ugly... to get it out of your system." "Just because they said not now, doesn't mean not ever." "It's never one thing. There is no such thing as overnight success... It's a body of consistently good word." "It's about putting music out there consistently." "Appreciate where you are now." It doesn't sound like a video with a positive point of view, but it is a good video about how to remain positive, respectful, and focused.
That subtle touch of humour you put in your videos is priceless, especially when handling such sensitive topics. Your channel is real gold, thank you so much for taking the time to do this
Thank you for watching! And yes, I try to keep the serious topics a little more lighthearted. Otherwise the channel can get depressing real fast! ;-)
I haven’t seen the comments on the Spitfire competition but I could sense the backlash that was about to come given the nature of a social media contest. Several years ago Dave Pensado had a mix engineering contest. They interviewed the winner live on Pensado’s Place and when they asked him what his studio setup is like and what kind of studio monitors he uses, his answer was he mixed on headphones, which the hosts were shocked and clearly didn’t prep for that answer in advance, plus it caused a huge amount of backlash from contestants, because in the world of the judgmental internet, you’re not professional if you mix on headphones.
So nice of you to bring this issue to light. Have a great day / weekend.
Thank you for watching!
You're one of the best industry insiders I've seen on CZcams in the last 5 years.
Thank you so much, that's very nice of you to say!
Thank you for this, especially the part about looking at the past and appreciating where we currently are. Probably the thing I struggle with the most is that drive and ambition for more overpowering appreciation for the present. So thanks for that reminder!
Absolutely, I'm in the same boat. My focus can get narrow and I get in my own way a lot. Widening the focus towards the present and past can really be helpful to understand where we're at on our journey and why.
great to hear your perspectives on this, which is not only applicable to media music
Indeed! Thank you for watching!
The video everyone needed after WW competition ended last year! Still, very relevant! Thanks!!
Indeed! What an ugly business that was - I hope our community does better going forward.
I’m glad you brought this to light. Lately I’ve struggled with feeling like my momentum has been sinking, while my peers move further up in their careers. I’ve had to re-learn how to be genuinely happy for them, or at the very least to not care, instead of being jealous and pouting about how life’s not fair because I deserve the success blah blah blah. I’ve legit resorted to saying out loud that I thought of myself better/more talented than other people, because I was unwilling to address my shortcomings and working on improving them. Actually, I still struggle with that to some degree. Discussions like these are a good reminder that we’re all going through the same kinds of things, and that building our lives, careers, etc. should not be a race.
Comparing ourselves to our peers is only natural and human. We all struggle with that and I think we should all be more honest about it. Self-awareness is key - noticing my own feelings and behavior, and analyzing and correcting it is crucial to growth I believe. After all we only control ourselves, not other people. And our journey is just that - OUR journey, not theirs.
I "suffer" from Imposter Syndrome sometimes, and a rejection feels like "Welp, they finally found me out! I suck!" but I try to re-assure myself that there are billions of people out there who *aren't* writing music and just being able to read and write music is a good thing and there are people who do like my music and it's something I should feel proud about.
Same here brother, You can't imagine. I remember watching a documentary film about a famous musician (Pavarotti) where he said, even until the peak of his career, "When will they find out i can't sing!" So, you can imagine that coming from one of the most influential people in Music history at his peak. So, you're good we are all starting out until the end.
Thank you, Anne! As always, your assistance is incredibly helpful. I've watched this episode twice, with a year's gap in between. It's interesting how it's the same story, but after going through a series of rejections, it feels much more vibrant now.
Grace and politeness in the face of failure - good advise at any stage of life.
Prost Anne-Kathrin ! Du hast absolut Recht wenn man es schafft, sich (manchmal) daran in zu halten!
Thanks for discussing this topic. As a music composer/producer, I work mostly in isolation and when rejection happens, I'm pretty much left on my own to deal with it. So watching your video today makes me realize that there's a bunch of us in the same boat and sometimes it just feels good just to vent about it with people that have had to deal with some form of "artistic" rejection.
Indeed! We're all working in isolation which has only been enhanced during the pandemic. We can get very caught up in our own heads and spiral into negative thoughts and feelings. I've learned that it's important to reach out to people and let them know you're having a hard time - either a colleague who has shared experiences and understands or someone from outside the industry who can give a whole different perspective on life.
Learning about stoic philosophy, and learning to reject toxic positivity, has really helped me: with music, work, and life.
Thanks much Anne . Whiskey works for me... so does your video catalogue. Cheers from Vancouver B.C.!
Thank you for watching!
So great to hear about how this is commonly experienced amongst all creatives. Well thought-out and thoroughly presented! Thank-you!
Thank you for watching and for the kind words!
This video comes at the perfect time. During the Last Sonuscore competition, I was mad when I saw that I was not selected (which was not realistic since there was less than 2% chances to be choosen). A few minutes later, I listened to one of the chosen ones ;-), and the composer made a better score than the fantasy I had, of the perfect soundtrack for the video. I was not mad anymore, but admiring him. Now I'm thinking : "how could he do that?" This question always helped me getting better .
But if the rejection is not fair, your advise is a satisfying and elegant way, to go through it.
It is makes me feel better to hear someone professionnal, experienced, say those human and honest things. Your channel is so informative and helpful. It is the best glimpse I've seen about the life of a film score composer, and about the life of professionnal musician in general. Every single video is rivetting .
A real breath of fresh air. Thank for your detailed, clear informations, and your honesty.
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words! I really think there are a lot of topics outside of composition and DAWs that need to be talked about. The personal struggles and sacrifices that come with an artistic profession should not be underestimated by anyone choosing this path. And I agree, the best way to handle rejection is to learn from the person they actually chose.
Great message. People forget that John Williams had worked in Hollywood for YEARS before he did Fiddler on the Roof and earned his first Oscar. And he only became what is arguably the premier film composer about 10 years after THAT.
you get me when you fill your glass with beer! Thanks for mentioning this Topic! Prost
I love your videos! You are a very humble and down to earth person, you are the kind of people that I look up to.
Also, talking about the spitfire contest, I feel that the winner was spot on! The only criteria was that it had to be creative. In a sea of hanszimmerish sound effects and orchestrations that was really creative
Golden. Absolutely down-to-earth talk. Thanks Anne-Kathrin. This is EXACTLY HOW IT IS in our profession as musicians : rejection, endless auditions, hopes that were broken (sometimes even before the auditions- "politics") etc. Forwarding a link to this video to other musicians...
Anne- the people in your life are very lucky you're there. I'm sure they have to duck an F-bomb outburst on occasion, but you're the real deal and that's part of the real deal too. I was 'crawled under the covers' this morning. Thanks for getting me up and out.
I'm so glad you find this useful! And yes, the people in my life are ducking plenty of F-bombs on a daily basis - but hey, you are the company you keep! ;-P
So much wisdom, wow. Thank you again! Next coffee is /was on me (... but I feel it should have been Weihenstephaner Vitus Weizenbock ;-) ). It's a pleasure seeing you and listening to your mindful and deep retrospect and general musings on your path and life in general.
Great advice! One thing I don't follow is jealousy. It is waste of time and energy. You'd rather do something else at that time, which means you can be more productive. So, actually, I don't understand people who are always being jealous. Of course, they are human beings, but jealousy has been ruined human society in history.
So refreshing to see actual human talking about human stuff related to composition. Love this.
Thank you! I figured amongst all the tech and business stuff, we should probably also talk about life stuff.
Anne, you are a beautiful person, and your willingness to share your knowledge and experiences with us is rare- and very much appreciated🙂
Very important issue, thanks for the great advice!
Thanks for watching!
hahah another great video! 👏🙌 and a lot of fun and it's absolutely one hundred percent true. Thanks! 👏👏
Thank you! I tried to inject this rather dreary topic with a bit of humor at least... :-)
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer it was absolutely wonderful. 👏
I really love the pure honesty in this video, Anne-Kathrin! That on one hand we are humans with feelings and every feeling we have should get room to be felt, and on the other hand, we should not get lost in this swirl of negativity. These kind of insights are really helpful and motivating. Thanks very much ! :-)
Thanks for watching! And yes, I'm a strong supporter of "Feel what you gotta feel no matter how bad, but don't live there permanently".
Very good subject and mostly overlooked I guess. It is of great importance in life to be kind to other people. Negative thoughts you encounter do not only affect your mind but in the end also your body and acting out in this way has a negative impact on other people around you as well. If most of us were to act out very negative reactions on a micro scale, this will have an impact on others outside as well (only later). Keep your chin up and save your energy in order to improve your mockups (for that matter). If you suffer from bad temper and manners try to meditate and preferably make it part of your daily routine! Be kind to others but most of all -in practicing this- to yourself Put your energy into new music, which may be sad in this respect. No problem, you might be able to use this music later...
Love your dealing with this matter Anne-Kathrin!
i dont know what to say your vids are the best thanks for teaking the time to make these vids thank you .
your fan from jordan
Thank you for watching and for your kind words!
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer believe me every thing i said is completely from my heart you make great videos and you put a lot of your time and you are very busy and that says alot about you thank you for the time and effort you put in this great channel thyank you again .
note: one of your first videos about release percussion time saves my life and when i do the tips in that video i always remember thank you thanks again
your biggest fan from jordan.
Thank you!
My pleasure!
Great topic, great video and well spoken! Zooming out usually helps when these things happen. Not sure about beer together with ice cream though... 🥳🥳🥳
Thanks for watching! Yeah, the whole 'beer with ice cream' really makes me hurt but I think I'll try it eventually - if only to tell Americans that they are gross and wrong. ;-)
This is great. It gave me a chuckle because I think this not only affects artists of your level, but also smaller artists just trying to get music to people's ears. Great video. ( I'm all about the going outside and beer methods)
Indeed, it really happens on all levels and never goes away. Thank you for watching!
You're so lovely and your videos are very helpful, thank you :)
Thank you so much!
I really dig your honesty. Cheers!
Thank you!
Thank you for making this video.
Ich liebe deine selbst-ironische Art! :D Danke, dass du diese Videos machst, sie sind nicht nur sehr unterhaltsam, sondern auch inhaltlich top und super hilfreich! :)
Vielen Dank!
Ah the good German Humor...I like it! And it's very sad to see, that you are also a victim of the bad CZcams algorithm at the moment, you deserve way more views and subs, because your content is awesome! I'm excited and look forward to your Q&A! Marked bold in my Calendar ;)
What a wonderful video, thank you for this. I want to add on the social media thing, it is not only that people only post the positive things happening in their lives, it's also that it is all concentrated in one place with way more people than we are naturally conditioned to deal with. In a village we would normally hardly meet over 5-7 people in an average day, so even if their lives were going great, it would not be too much, you would also be mostly chatting with people at your level, so their successes would not be beyond your wildest dreams. With modern day technology and social media, you can be virtual friends with 100s of people made up of celebrities, company owners, and everyone in between. This is where it becomes easy to judge yourself as a failure.
Thank you for all of this ! Thank you from France. It's feel good to hear that. All my support. All my respect.
Thank you, so much! Having my beer right now 🍻
Thank you Anne. Good advice particularly as all art is highly subjective.
I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to work on two short story films later this year. Right from the start my stance is that I am there to support and create what the director wants. It’s all about the story.
I think that artists put more of themselves into their work and that makes the rejection that much more personal and painful.
Agreed! I know it's not personal most of the time but it still feels personal very often.
I THINK YOU ARE AN ICREDIBLE PERSON, and what you say is absolutely true. BUT it is the process is frustrating. However, as usual, THANK YOU!
The video i needed right now to avoid pass out of anxiety 😬🙏
Very well put Anne. So many common emotions that an artist must deal with. It's not like nailing up sheetrock. Art IS personal and you explained it so effortlessly. A very wise and comforting talk. Your music is great and your videos are a real gift. God bless. PS and good luck! :)
"Nobody is waiting for your oppinion" 😁 Honestly the best line ever these days, if only more people would understand this. Anyway, not this video in particular but overal thank you for creating and posting. Realy cool and valuable stuff you do there. As someone who started and wants to compose I really appreciate what you do. Best of luck and keep it up!
So glad my content is helpful and resonates with you!
Wise words! There's enough negativity in the world to find it in our community. Let's help and encourage each other!
Agreed! :-)
Great advice :-) As always you have a balanced and nuanced take on it. Have a great weekend!
Thank you!
Amazing video! I've been going through your channel for some time, as I'd like to try myself in orchestration. I've got plenty of useful information and you are a true professional. Now I see you're an amazing person, fair to yourself and others. I love your humor and that beer you opened in the beginning))) Second on everything you mentioned here, chin chin!!
You are such a cool human ! Lovin your fun personality and all of your great work!
It continues to amaze me how such skilled and talented people give so much of their valuable time and effort to help people here on CZcams , god bless you all and thank you Kathrin for all you do for us all. A very interesting and insightful subject.
Thank you, I'm glad you appreciate the content!
I would be delighted to buy you a couple of beers after watching this great video, thanks! ❤️🍻
Real talk - refreshing as a cold beer on an August day in the valley :)
Haha, thank you! :-)
This is gold!
Anne, if I may call you by your name, (not knowing you), you are a real person and by that I mean you're very insightful and I really appreciate that. You seem very gentle and of course TALENTED. PLEASE KEEP THESE VIDEO COMING. KEEP ON COMPOSING.
Thank you so much, that's so kind of you to say!
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer It's the truth. Again, thank you!
The fact that you actually answered is AMAZING! Continued GREAT SUCCESS!
Oh, this talk so reminds me of something I once thought of. I once realized that whatever is good in your life, whatever has been positive in the past, if you think back to every step that lead up to that point there will always be something that seemed bad at the moment it happened but was essential for getting you where you are now.
I hope I said that right
She is so pretty and totally intelligent my hats off to you and your tutorials
Another AMAZING video! Very open and transparent talk here. Loved the beer!
Thank you for watching!
Thank you for this video. I am just an inspiring composer in the very beginning of his career (an irony of course) and still pitching a lot mostly with the same negative result. Your video has comforted me it's just the part of the routine. Best for you in 2022.
8:00 professional jealousy is a scary thing. It's very self-destructive. However, it's almost inevitable at the specific level of career development. I believe every professional has to go through that time or moment in life. Otherwise if you fail at some point in life it'll be extremely hard to get over it. I went through that experience. Now I learned to be more calm, when things don't go exactly the same way as you'd like.
16:40 agree with absolutely. Another thing I'd add to that point, is to be patient and try to develop patience. I laughed hard at the "icecream and beer, separate or together" that is funny.
Awesome video! I feel like, if you're feeling just negative feelings or rather only radiate negativity, all you will receive is negativity.. like you get what you give! I still struggle sometimes feeling negative feeling when getting rejected in any way, maybe more than some others.. but still I feel happy for the fortunate!
Love the anedote of biking at the beach, since I used to take a walk on the beach down in Long Beach :D
Love how you do industry related videos outside of the musical aspects! Kepp up the good work and thank you! :)
Another great episode, thank Ann for it. Amazing to see how you handle this delicate subject and come with possible solutions from your perspective...another part of the composer's spectrum where we all have to deal with but it is awsome to hear your personal story and what you do in such situations
To me, this is probably the trickiest part of being a composer - and certainly the least enjoyable by far!
Nice video on a delicate subject. I really like the advice you give 😄
Thank you so much!
Great video AK! I spent months on a concert work for a competition and was disappointed when it didn’t get selected for the call for scores. After a day of feeling dejected, I started a new project that called for classic 60s Star Trek music and 1. It was fun as hell to write like that 2. Apparently a lot of people also thought so. So, in this case, I channeled the disappointment into a new project and it yielded some great results. :)
Love this one... a universal theme.
[Programmers are artists too, right?]
Also:
I'm intrigued; what is that beer? 🙂
Rejection=failure?…definitely NO. Its normal that you won’t get all the gigs that you want when competing with a bunch of other talented people. In my “artistic/engineering world” (ship design) I have to submit a lot of proposals (each taking a considerable amount of effort) to win just one. It’s just part of the game. Nothing to get frustrated or sad about. Celebrate the one and keep going. Great video and congrats with your achievements!!
awesome
Thanks for this. I feel down when I finish a project as well I don't know why. I feel happy in a way because I achieved something but I feel a bit lost.
I just finished a project that I really loved musically speaking but I really struggled with the director as she was really crap with communication.
Not nasty but just not communicating much.
Maybe you could do a video on how to deal with difficult directors?
You know, to have something to do when you have been rejected 🤣.
Great topic! Thank you Anne.
Ice cream and beer sounds like an abomination to me too but hey, here’s to new things! Cheers!
Thanks for watching! I too am not on board with beer contamination but I guess I'll have to try it eventually...
14:30 - Golden !!
not icecream and beer - but vanilla icecream, then put some egg nogg (sweet egg liquor) on it and then pour some cold sparkling wine on it (Vanilleeis, Eierlikör, Sekt). The liquid meets the firmer stuff and a beautiful foam forms. Nice texture. Also fun to experiment with when you are having fun with a group of people. That creation stems from an informal party - we had those ingredients and one person tried it out all together.
I've once lost a movie to you :-) I'm very sure you did an excellent job, wishing you all the best and good luck !
Reject rejection. Embrace embracing.
Didn't expect to be laughing out loud within the first 45 seconds. :P
Scott Pilgrim and beer are a great combo! Just saying...
I've thought about this video every day for the last (almost) month.
The avoidant part of my personality tells me I shouldn't do anything because I predict I won't be able to cope with the emotional fallout of people's reactions.
Not to turn a comment into a therapy session, but I really appreciate that you did this video, and just addressed your thoughts and experiences on the topic in such a clear and honest way.
I think the Hollywood mindset is probably bullshit, and the fake positivity makes us (well, makes me, atleast) feel like I don't have the right moral fibre or disposition to deal with the industry sometimes. (Afterall, why can't I be happy about failing, if these attractive people with white teeth can?)
Yeah, I dunno, this is rambly, but I appreciate that you're a real person whose giving real perspectives on an industry which has a lot of fake BS within it.
Gives me hope! :)
Somehow in this industry you're expected to give 100% but also "not care" if you get rejected or fired. That's a paradox. Total commitment and total detachment at the same time. And no matter what the toxic positivity -culture tells us, I've never met anyone who truly doesn't care about getting rejected.
It really is a strange conflict we all battle. On one hand we don't want to get our hopes up anymore so it hurts less when we get that rejection. On the other hand we often can't keep ourselves from caring and being passionate about what we want. It's a very tiring dynamic after a while but I agree - I don't know anyone who can truly manage to not care. At least not if they're serious about this art form.
Prost Anne! This was a Weihenstephaner from Freising wasnt it? I lived many years in Ismaning in deed :) Now in the south of Spain you can only get Paulaner :/ but Sherry works fine :) Wonderful video Anne, specially pertinent for amateur/beginners trying to start off... Many thanks! Have a great day!
Watching it a second time, I find these opinions worth, even more valuable than, a TED lecture... congrats and a big thank you for this amazing coaching.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate it and am happy you found this useful.
As a musician I had frustrations but with hindsight I understood that when I wanted the project to be done, I didn’t have the necessary level at that moment. We have to accept that things happen later, because we have to be prepared when that happens.
At min16:30 - thank your friend for me, it is wonderfull way to think, and thanks for your psi work on this one, is also good to know that i'm not the only one that strugles...
Die wichtigste Frage ist doch, hast du gutes Bier in LA? 😄 Sonst schick ich dir mal ne Flasche.
Danke für deine Videos. Voll cool dass du die echte Welt zeigst und wie das business funktioniert. Selbst ich als alter Metal head habe schon viel nutzen aus deinen Videos und tutorials gezogen. 🤘🤓👍 und ich freu mich auf weiteren Content
Just move on. Do what you need to do for whatever you're pitching for or applying for and forget about it. It's not part of you anymore. Wake up the next day and move on with the next thing on the list. If you get the gig, if you win or if you get whatever then ... GREAT! But don't lose the pace in what you're doing over something you have no control over. Don't bother with asking why and stuff like that. This other "winner" may suck, the people in charge may suck, maybe it was a bad decision that will show up later down the road, maybe the winner's entry fitted what they were after. That doesn't reflect what they think about your work. They may even like your work better but realize it's not the right tool for the job. Just move on.
Quote about my music: "Sounds like a kid played with your keyboard."
Well. I can live with that.
Anybody can be a critic and pass comments on other people and their work, I do not know of any diploma or degree where one learns to be a critic about other people especially in the performing arts. Furthermore I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a park or a monument dedicated to a critic whether they’re a film critic or any sort of critic.
I know that I am better off than 50% of the population in the world. I have at least one hot meal a day, a roof over my head with no bombs dropping on it and a warm bed at night. I also believe that between a stimulus and my response there is a space and I can choose. I can choose. Furthermore, our thoughts turn to words turn to actions that form our reality however, our emotions are also mixed in with this and that’s what makes us human.
You are very brave and strong, perhaps stronger than you think keep pushing keep going because giving up is easy which I know you wouldn’t do.
Nail hit on the head again! I do have my "internal rage" moments when rejected, fortunately they seem to last just enough to make me realise nothing is lost, life is beautiful and it is time to roll up my sleeves and keep moving forward 🙂 I have a very good relationship with a director who rejected a pitch of a mine, only to reach out to me a few months after, from that moment on we have been working together.
I too agree that beer+ice cream = abomination, and totally refused to dip chips/fries into a milkshake, when 2 years ago I was in Monterey visiting a mate, who tried to convince "milkshaked" chips/fries were brilliant 😉
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words! Also... there are people who dip chips and fries into milkshakes??? What is this madness? America needs a food intervention. I also hear that there are fried chicken waffles and I just don't know what to think anymore.
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer apparently, dipping chips/fries into a milkshake is the "most American" thing one can do, according to my mate. I did hear of the fried chicken waffles... If I will ever move to LA, I swear to ride by your side to right all of these culinary wrongs!
Du machst ein Weißbier auf, ich drücke auf Like, so einfach geht es 😅 Aber ehrlich, es sind sehr gute und gesunde Gedanken, Danke. Prost.🍻
If I ever get to LA I want to have a beer with you!
Rejection is the Lords protection 😉 my solution is simply play it out! Just start playing an instrument of your choice and hit record before you start 😁 create potential gold and feel better at the end of it , a classical win win situation 👍
Being rejected as a film composer is like not passing the acting audition I guess. Something inevitable to deal with in the film BIZ~~
🍻 A nice tall-cold glass of Hacker Pschorr with a slice of orange for the win…
Yes. Also emotions aren’t negative or positive. They’re just intensities. As musicians, we have the power to harness them and express them. A gift more precious than any. Also, I’d put that Taylor on a stand, resting it against the table will crack the neck. Great video.
I think the people that have that "positivity attitude!!!" aren't artists.
Now I know why the studio fridge is filled with beer ;)
Fail often and quickly but never fatally.
Personally, I try to imagine that every lost pitch or gig gets me a “chit” towards my next “win”. Like; I have to clear a certain amount of failure in order to be able to reach the successes.
It’s also useful to try to understand why you failed. It might just be politics. It maybe you fundamentally didn’t understand what they wanted.
But it is really hard when you don’t get something.
One of my great successes was actually born out of finding out that I didn’t get the gig; but I maintained the relationship anyway - was able to find out why (!) I didn’t get the gig - and; they booked me on the next two gigs. So...
Good beer! :F
Rejection is part of life. You get judged by 'the person you are'. Unfortunately there's little you can do about that, but why would you? Composing is a creative process like many art-forms. Nowadays it seems more and more people are unsure about there own person, and want to make absolutely sure their opinion is understood by others. Therefor they feel the need to emphasize their comments by dragging inn additional personal dislikes. Personally I find it interesting to read some negative comments and try to imagine how they came up with there criticism. To keep it short, I learned to listen and appreciate many art-forms judging the artist by the sheer fun they express creating it. I may like the art- or the composition or not, but knowing the artist made use of his/her creative mind, makes my appreciate their work.
I appreciate the sentiment but it's missing one crucial point: Professional composers' livelihood depends on being "approved of" so-to-speak. Either by the audience or - in most film composers' cases - the directors / producers / agents / executives of the world. Without their approval, we are effectively unemployed. I couldn't care less whether some random person on the internet likes my work or not. But it becomes a different story if you send your work 100 times to hiring entities and they reject it. It becomes a much more existential thing because they determine what you create, when you create it, and whether you make a living off of it. It's the equivalent of being unemployed every two months and having so send out hundreds of applications to get the next job - which will also only last 2-3 months before you have to go through the process again. It's crushing sometimes to face that amount of rejection in your life, and it's certainly unique to commercial artists.
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer Thanks for your extended reply. My comment was / is from an amateurs point of view. I can imagine rejection has a different load when our income depends on it. Being an amateur, I've never had to deal with that situation (yet). My reply was based on comments friends of mine receive when they upload their pieces. A few are supporting criticism and suggestions, which are more than welcome of course. But some are just mend to insult or hurt them. So that's how I "read" your upload.
a projection of myself
I wonder what biking out will do to your sadness if it's raining
Come to think of Carter Burwell who lost Bourne Identity. Now, that´s a rejection, and he´s still standing tall.
Big composers lose big movies every month. It's just often not publicized but it's a very common thing.
Great Quotes: "Rejection doesn't go away!" "If you put yourself out there, you're going to have a lot of criticism." "You're constantly swimming against the current." "Let the hate flow through you... then let it go." If you're an artist, rejection is going to be part your life. "Don't say anything." "Nobody likes a sore loser." "You can feel all those negative feelings, but you don't have to project them out into the world."
What can you do? It's not like it was a gig you ever had. You just didn't get it. "Exercise... soak in the sunlight and the ocean breeze." "Do something nice (for yourself)" "Hollywood is a strange place." Find someone to talk to. "Have that one friend... to show that ugly... to get it out of your system." "Just because they said not now, doesn't mean not ever."
"It's never one thing. There is no such thing as overnight success... It's a body of consistently good word." "It's about putting music out there consistently." "Appreciate where you are now."
It doesn't sound like a video with a positive point of view, but it is a good video about how to remain positive, respectful, and focused.
Erstmal ein schönes Weihenstephan, prost! Grüße aus Hildesheim