Over the last two decades, Emmy Award-winning composer Bear McCreary has built up one hell of a resume. From movies like Godzilla: King of the Monsters to the current Prime Video series Lord Of The Rings: Rings of Power and the recent video game God of War Ragnarök, he crosses over genres and musical styles fluidly and seemingly with ease. But he has put a lot of hard work, dedication, and adaptability into becoming a go-to name in Hollywood.
Videos by American Songwriter
When American Songwriter sat down with McCreary at this month’s New York Comic Con, he exuded energy and magnetism as he was promoting his recent concept album/graphic novel The Singularity. He’s someone who loves what he does, and his enthusiasm for music and movies is infectious. So naturally it seemed appropriate to ask him for valuable tips for up-and-coming composers. Yet rather than getting into musical nitty-gritty or the constant changes in audio technology, he focused on the human elements and interaction that are necessary to make every project happen.
Be Passionate and a Good Collaborator
“The most important thing is that you love what you do and that you’re a good person,” McCreary opines. “That’s it. Fundamentally, technology doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are good at what you do, and the only way to get good is to love it and just do it all the time. That’s a given—you love doing this and you do it all the time. That’s the key to getting the skill set to actually succeed. You have to be the person that walks in the room and nobody knows you, [but] when you walk out of the room, everybody goes, ‘I want to do something with that person. I’m going to remember that person in a positive way.’ That’s about having a positive energy, being collaborative, being confident, but not cocky. There’s like a Venn diagram that you have to stick the landing in the middle.”
McCreary believes successful people in his field do just that. He even notes that when he wasn’t successful in his career that he was failing to do what he later learned and now advises. “I was walking into rooms and not leaving that room with the impression that I think represents me,” he recalls. “I find young composers are rarely told this, but when you zoom out, it’s so obvious, right? You want people to want to help you, and you get that way by helping them solve problems, helping them be inspired. So I think if you’re doing that, you’re going to be all right.”
Surmounting Musical Challenges with Enthusiasm and Drive
Composers often face musical challenges, sometimes to do with taking on music they are not fully versed in. That happened to McCreary with God of War a few years ago. He was more than up to the challenge. He told the creative team behind the game he loved and was inspired by the story. He felt he could tell it.
McCreary also admitted to them, “’I don’t know anything about Nordic folk music, but give me a beat. Next week I’m going to come back and I’m going to know about Nordic folk music.’ I was like that even in college. I remember a close friend of mine, who’s a very successful director now, asked me if I was Jewish. And I go, ‘I’m Armenian.’ He goes, ‘Oh, I’m doing my thesis film, and it’s about a Jewish wedding. And I just thought, you play accordion. It’s OK.’ I went down to Lou’s Records in Encinitas. I bought out the whole klezmer section and listened to it all, and I called him on Monday and go, ‘Hey, man, I know I’m not Jewish, but check it out. This is what I’ve learned. Here’s how these licks work, and the clarinetists do this.’ Over the phone, I played him some klezmer licks. Not only did I get the job, he cast me in the movie as the accordion player in the band. It was a student film called Gossip [directed by] Avi Youabian.
“In hindsight, I was demonstrating the correct attitude on a student film in college—this isn’t a big opportunity, it isn’t going to change my life—it’s just the way I’m wired,” McCreary continues. “I walked into that meeting. He called me and I didn’t fit, and I wanted to fix that. I wanted to solve the problem for this guy, and we’ve been tight ever since. But when I look back on that, that’s a little microcosm of why I’m successful in the business.”
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.