There is a bunch of advice how to build a career as a film- and media composer. Good advice, well-intentioned advice and – how could this be different - not so well meant advice.

I myself once received well-intended advice from my father, himself a meritorious musician, who, however, never wanted to take the step to become a professional himself. When he begun to see the threat looming, his advice to me was to not pursue a professional career as pianist, "you could build a dam in the Amstel river made out of pianists."

In fact, contrary to what his dramatic motto suggested, there weren't that many pianists at the time; and the fact that there has been a substantial rise in the number of pianists in the world since, suggests that people have not been dissuaded by his type of argument. I myself had already concluded that it would be useful to increase my chances in society by pursuing a decent education, a Law degree at that. Many composers, such as Strawinsky, certainly not one of the lesser talents, had done so before me. Never needed, thankfully.

In the Netherlands and abroad, the profession of media composer was virtually unknown until the 1990s. When it became widely known that there was money to be made in the field, “media composition” educational programs sprang up like mushrooms. They were very educational indeed, but they usually failed to teach students how to make a living after completion. Soon this, too, was recognized as yet another gap in the market, which was filled with classes, books, video courses, etc. The government also developed an opinion, namely that artists should be entrepeneurs. Of course we had known for ages that as a composer, you are automatically an entrepreneur; and we knew the risks all too well.

The country soon became too small, due to the success of the abovementioned degrees in media composition. This new gap in the market lead to today’s motto of 'matchmaking'.

The subsidized composer is given the opportunity to visit the paradises of film/mediamusic to get acquainted with 'intermediates', 'music supervisors' and the like', who are also flown in to participate in national gatherings of ambitious composers. All very professional; from the point of view of the matchmaker business, that is.

But what is the proven path toward a successful career? The answer varies on a case-by-case basis. But one thing seems clear to me, however: Sitting at home does not help. Staying in motion is not only good for one’s physical health, but also for a career in film / media music. And: Do not look at the short term! Think in decades, not in years.

When I was about twenty years old, I toured Germany with a German jazz band. In Munich, I met the young filmmakers of the time: Herzog, Fassbinder, Schlöndorf, vonTrotta, Wenders. I didn’t end up writing film music at that time, but I did compose the theatrical music for a play featuring Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Many years later, I wrote the score for 14 German feature films, including the films 'The Tigress' by Karin Howard, 'Never Sleep Again' by Pia Frankenberg, and 'Rosenstrasse' by Margarethe von Trotta.

Meanwhile, the jazz performances were going well: With my own band Waterland Ensemble, I toured the US and Canada in 1980, with a performance in the Public Theater in New York, among others. In the dressing room, there was a bottle of champagne with a note from the great Broadway producer Joseph Papp, founder of the Shakespeare in the Park Festival. The champagne is gone, but I still cherish the little card.

Perhaps the most important 'moment of movement' in my career was when, some time in 1982, I decided to go for a walk through Amsterdam despite terrible weather conditions. On a bridge at the Herengracht, I ran into the sound engineer of a film I had worked on. The rain and wind gusts did not bother us, and thus I learned that Paul Verhoeven was looking for a composer for his new film 'De Vierde Man'. Connections were made, and two weeks later I had a contract in my pocket that would pave my way to Hollywood not long thereafter.

This formula, consisting of a successful movement moment and an Amsterdam bridge, would repeat itself not much later, this time resulting in assignments in the advertising- and corporate film world. On a beautiful summer day I left my home in the center of Amsterdam for a walk. My neighbour, a designer in the advertisement business, was standing with a client on a bridge close to our home. He introduced us and suggested we should get musically acquainted. I ended up writing the music for a TV commercial and a number of corporate films.

My talent, however, turned out to be more suitable for the freer world of 'feature film', where a composer is asked—and allowed—to add uniqueness to the film and sometimes even explore the boundaries of the audience’s comfort zone. Although this sort of instructions also may play a role in the world of advertising and corporate films, at the same time we enter a specific musical genre here, with its own signature in flavors and delicacies.

Keep on moving, and find a bridge!

Loek Dikker

Jazz pianist
Film composer
Chairman of Music Institute MultiMedia

N.B. in times of Covid-19, some advices may unfortunately run into practical objections.