JEFF RONA

THE REEL WORLD
Scoring For Pictures
Revised and Expanded Second Edition
By Jeff Rona

Advance praise for the new edition of ‘The Reel World’:

"As timely and useful a book on the subject as I've seen" -- ROBERT KRAFT, Head of Music for 20th Century Fox

"Jeff's new book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in making film music. It's one-of-a-kind." -- JAMES NEWTON HOWARD, Academy Award nominated film composer

"This is a must for anyone considering a career in film music. Informative and entertaining, it contains nuts-and-bolts as well as big picture thinking." -- PETER GOLUB, Director of Sundance Film Music Program

“Jeff's book, The Reel World, was a deadly accurate and informative introduction to the world of film scoring. We're lucky that he has taken the time to update and expand this excellent text, making it an invaluable guide for students and score enthusiasts alike”. -- STEPHEN CROES, Berklee College of Music (Dean of Music Technology)



For aspiring composers looking to break into the field of scoring music for film, television, video games or new media, it can be a long road from just starting out to finally hearing your music come alive on the big screen. The art, technology and business of music for pictures is complex and ever changing and can be difficult for beginners to navigate. Designed to address the industry's latest trends and challenges, the 2nd edition of The Reel World – Scoring for Pictures is an essential field guide to help composers understand what it takes to make it in film music.

Readers of the original Reel World will find this new “2.0” edition a whole new look at the landscape of this popular and sometimes complicated world. Whether scoring for traditional orchestra, or new electronic musical trends, readers will learn how to exploit the latest and best tools for the job.

In this new and fully revised edition of The Reel World, Jeff Rona, a well known and highly in demand composer, details personal insights into the technical, business, and creative aspects of becoming a successful film scorer. He explains how to work within the complex politics of filmmaking, advising on the most effective ways of building relationships with directors, producers, music supervisors, orchestrators, musicians, engineers, and agents. The book also includes a wealth of new interviews with some of Hollywood’s top film writers including John Williams, Carter Burwell, James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, Mark Isham, Wendy and Lisa and many more. A companion website offers audio clips and constantly evolving resources for composers.

The Reel World covers everything from setting up a studio and managing the business side of a film career, to learning how to create impactful demos and write music that shapes the tone, character, and pacing of any project. Rona draws on his wealth of experience writing music for such films as Traffic, Blackhawk Down, Mission: Impossible 2, Gladiator, Homicide-Life On The Street, White Squall, Profiler, The Mothman Prophesies, and many more, making the new edition The Reel World the most complete and authoritative book available on the subject.

About the Author: Jeff Rona is a contemporary film composer, recording artist, producer, conductor and performer. He worked on dozens of films & records before landing his first solo composing project, scoring the acclaimed television series Homicide:Life On The Street for director Barry Levinson. He was for many years a collaborator with Academy Award winning film composer Hans Zimmer. He has scored numerous major films and television projects with directors such as Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg, Wong Kar-wai, Robert Altman, Steven Soderbergh, Mark Pellington, Jonathan Demme, Frank Darabont and many others. His projects have received significant awards including Oscar, Peabody & Emmy awards, and countless film festival awards around the world. He is a recipient of the ASCAP film and television music award. He has composed music for numerous commercials, video games, trailers, remixes, and albums. Rona can be reached on the web at www.jeffrona.com.

Thor wrote


I remember seeing WHITE SQUALL a few months back and absolutely loving the score! But it's kinda hard to come by these days, right (for a reasonable price)?