Composer Confessions: Massive, Often Painful, Lessons Learned

In this 2017 GDC set of microtalks, composers Mick Gordon, Jason Graves, Grant Kirkhope, Wilbert Roget, Rich Vreeland and Austin Wintory hare stories of lessons they learned in the professional trenches, focusing on challenges they faced and how they overcame them.
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[@AndresCiambotti]

Mick Gordon's immortal talk is even more relevant now than ever. What a painful experience!

[@awintory]

Thanks all for checking this out. We did a round 2 the following year with all different composers; hopefully it gets uploaded also at some point!

[@Empyrean55]

Your content looks great by the way!

[@soulstudiosmusic]

Thanks guys - awesome talk, so great to hear 'from the trenches' experiences. Also, Wilbert's answer about composers forced me to look up Hindemith, who is F*ing awesome.

[@Multi-Waves_Music]

Disappointing to see that is not the case, I learned a lot from this first round

[@kyffhazard6823]

0:24 the shadows on Grant makes him resemble Frankenstein
30:09 Mick Gordon completely slayed it

[@RazumMusic]

This has got to be one of the best GDC talks I've seen, and it doesn't even have 10k views!

[@haavard1989]

Rewatching this now, I can feel Micks pain...

[@EvilPlanetStudios]

Willbert Roget's talk kinda hurt deeply in my soul 'cause I compose like that. I feel thankful for his contribution to this GDC 'cause I would've continued composing for drummers with 3 feet and 5 arms if it wasn't for him. So thanks wherever you are, sir.

[@suto9233]

I fucking LOVE that Mick Gordon made his segment like a typical Aussie kids story.

[@perplexingpantheon]

It's brilliant

[@YoutubePizzer]

43:06 ayyy staying true to his talk at that very same GDC

[@Lunareon]

Thank you for these awesome talks! For not knowing what the others were going to speak about, it turned out everyone still had their own unique approach to the topic. And there was a recurring theme, too, of letting go: Letting go of preconceptions and expectations; Letting go of the need to control every detail and the need to be perfect; Letting go of egos and safely familiar patterns. I think this advice is solid for any type of freelance/contract work. :)

[@FineArtLV]

lmao mick the only one who didnt raise his hand when asked "whos afraid of failing all the time"

[@Snavels]

Even funnier when you consider his whole talk (here and mainly the other GDC talk) is completely about being comfortable with failure

[@RazumMusic]

43:04 Mick Gordon isn't terrified of anything...

[@Snavels]

Well, his entire other talk was about being comfortable with failure

[@blankspace0000]

10:44 pov mick gordon is whispering sweet nothings in your ear

[@eonixm2729]

If Micky G is doing a thing you bet your ass i'm watching

[@storingjazzinmycheeksforth5319]

cant wait for the release of micks segment as a book in the style of dr seuss

[@breatheinthepinkair]

0:32 "You Smell Good"

[@degoroth]

"Meeee?"

[@TheFretzone]

All star team right here

[@randwilliams5552]

The comparison between "Journey" and "Here's to you," likely was a reference to MGS4s rendition, not MGS: GZ. There are definitely some similar elements.

[@TranslucentMeaning]

I can agree that it was likely the Ennio Morricone version that comment was referencing but I don't here much of a musical similarity besides flowing strings.

[@Lewdology]

What a legendary panel. The stuff about Dead Space 3 really hurt to hear...

[@beefchampion2792]

Thank you for this amazing talk! It was an engrossing one hour and I will surely go through it again in the future!

[@J-MLindeMusic]

10:10 Can't please everyone! I just actually finished Syndicate and loved Mr. Wintory's music in it!
Edit: Awesome video, learned tons...hopefully we see more of these in the future!

[@Mistophant]

43:12; Pictured here : Mick Gordon not giving a fuck.

[@TranslucentMeaning]

Great talk. I make music as well, mostly instrumental, and I've run into audience interpretation being totally different than my original intent. Art is strange that way. When you release it into the wild it is no longer yours in that sense. It can be beautiful and also deeply frustrating.

[@patmcmiller3379]

Dear lord, does Grant Kirkhope have a license for his machine gun speak pattern ? ^^

[@Empyrean55]

I think its nerves probably, but the points he was talking about are really poignant!

[@quincygaming9529]

I wish Marty was on this

[@laurena227]

aaaa I loved this

[@EdmundKempersDartboard]

Dead Space 3 would have been improved by the space truckers.