Kathriyn Bostic and Miriam Cutler Talk About the Alliance of Women Film Composers — Liz Whittemore Interviews

I was invited to be on the Board of the AWFC after it launched and was very encouraged by it’s Mission Statement to increase visibility and participation of women composers in all areas of media scoring. The lack of representation of women composers in the film industry is staggering, less than 1%. So by being a member of the AWFC, we are providing a resource for other women composers to know of, and support each other but even more importantly, reveal that there is indeed a resource of talented and award winning women composers who can and should be hired. Many times I have had conversations with producers and directors who don’t even have us on their radar, the perception isn’t there and therefore there is not an intention to change that or there is a reluctance to change that perception. AWFC is actively changing this by providing a platform for women media composers and those who support our endeavors. Membership to AWFC is not exclusive to women or women composers, we welcome anyone who supports our cause.

As you may know, I’ve been scoring films for almost 25 years. I always noticed that I didn’t see many other women working in my field. I was only aware of Shirley Walker, and later Rachel Portman and Nan Schwartz. I think because I’m a baby boomer and grew up during a time of strong gender roles, I always expected to have to be twice as good and never complain in order to be accepted as a musician. It never even occurred to me that I could one day become a film composer. I basically fell into it while writing songs and working as a musician. I knew from the start that my work and work ethic had to be undeniable. In the last 5 years or so, as I’ve achieved many of my professional and artistic goals, and I’ve been interviewed and been on panels many, many times. The question is always asked – “So…what’s it like to be a woman composer?” Like many of my female colleagues, I tried to fluff it off, talk around it, deny any issues existed because of my gender. No composer wants to spend their interview talking about gender. Imagine if we did that to the guys!…. But a few years ago, I was on a panel at the Cordoba Film Music Festival…Doreen Ringer Ross, executive at BMI, put together a panel of women with me, Rachel Portman, Beth Bobo Krakower….and all the usual questions came up. This time, I decided I should have something interesting to say. And so we took on the subject. As expected, we all had experiences to share about the ways being a women composer is different. When I got home, my wonderful colleague, fellow composer Laura Karpman and I continued the discussion, circled back to Doreen. She hosted our first get together at BMI, and wa-la – The AWFC was born.

The AWFC has galvanized women media composers and I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see how large and active this community is. We’re usually so isolated as composers so to realize that there is a growing and successful community of talented women artists is fantastic. This is creating a vast resource of networking and mentoring opportunities for those who are more established and those just starting their career.

The most amazing thing has been the incredible response and support we have gotten from colleagues, the industry, and the press, right out of the gate. Our first get-together at BMI, we had a photo taken and it was enthusiastically liked on FB by hundreds. We hosted a brunch at Sundance and we got a mention in Variety…and so on. Our timing coincided with the self-examination and public criticism of our industry’s lack of diversity. We showed up on the scene – offering something specific that they can support which addresses the issue.

I’ve always believed to do what you love to do and for me that is music. I focus on this and as a result, I’m provided with huge creative momentum in my life on many levels. I am not dismissive of the “isms” …sexism, racism, etc. because unfortunately they exist, but these are social constructs that I will not allow to disable the creative intent I have to write and perform music. My activism comes through doing what I love and having this resonate with people. I encourage young women and girls to revel in the exceptional and unique gift of who they are fundamentally and creatively. Surround yourself with people who support you and make you aim higher than what you may think and feel about yourself. Women are now in the forefront of great strides of achievement and recognition, definitely much needed and long overdue, the foundation of which is individual self acceptance and perseverance.

We believe that the most important way to encourage and support up-and-coming women composers is to offer visible role models who are working successfully in all facets of media. That is why we have created an online directory and do all we can to shine a spotlight on working women composers. Our goal is to make it impossible for someone to say, “I don’t know of any women composers – where are they?” We can tell them specifically where to go to see many, many options.

The AWFC is hosting a fabulous free event in Los Angeles at the Grand Plaza in downtown Los Angeles on August 19th. It is an evening of women media composers performing their work with an orchestra. I’ll be performing alongside other women composers presenting a wide variety of score compositions and many people from the media scoring community will attend. It’s going to be a terrific night!

We are endeavoring to create more events to bring members together…but realistically….composers generally have very little free time. If we are working, we are on tough deadlines. If we aren’t working, we’re out pounding the pavement getting work, updating gear, or wood-shedding our skills. Some of the events in the works are more concerts featuring our scores (like the Soundtracks Live Grand Performances concert 8/19/16), workshops, social events, mentoring, offering assistant positions, etc.

We want to have greater outreach beyond women media composers so I want to re-emphasize that we are not exclusive to women, or women media composers for support.

Honestly – the only challenge has been keeping up with the demand for more events and services. Like I said, we all maintain super challenging schedules. Everything else is falling into place…

Sometimes this is the case because music runs through my veins 24/7 LOL! So yes, sometimes I’m inspired to spontaneously create or respond to what I’m hearing and sometimes I’m just appreciating it for what I’m hearing in that moment. The good and the bad, it’s all insightful for me in some way.

Can you hear me laughing? This is a 24/7 job that takes everything I have to do well. The workload is astonishing – especially because I am committed to working with live musicians. Once I’m on a project, every day up until I deliver is usually a work day. To do a high quality score, every detail must be worked and reworked – from composition, adjusting to constant picture changes, staying on time and on budget through recording and mixing. So – no – I don’t leave it at home (although my studio is at home). Ironically, while I prefer to work on documentaries, to escape I love movies full of mahem and destruction. Ha! If the score is doing it’s job I don’t focus on it. Unless it is musically outstanding. I also notice bland and disappointing scores…and try to learn from that.

I think this is an individual dynamic and you find your way to make it work. I’ve been in relationships where there were blurred lines with the career and personal because my boyfriend at the time was also my music producing partner so there were times when that was extremely helpful and times when we’d differ creatively. All in all I think that’s what life is, finding balance.

That’s the million dollar question. I started on this career path in my 30’s. I was devoted, obsessed, and undaunted by anything. Here I am, some 25 years down the road. As you can imagine, my priorities and needs are changing. One thing I can stress, is that I have not found the way to balance my life while on a deadline. That’s probably why my favorite part of the process is composing the score. It’s peaceful, private, inspiring, and I can control my day – do the things that make me feel good and balanced. I collaborate with my filmmakers, and then go back to working alone. As the deadline gets closer, the fear sets in…and I start counting back from when it’s due, how many more picture changes there will be, how much music, how much time I need to record and mix…there are numerous moving parts out of my control that affect all this. Musician schedules, amount of music to record, music prep, engineer and outside studio availability – all must be coordinated carefully and updated constantly. To deliver a score that I am proud of, I must intricately plan the allocation of time and money. There is no room for error. Any mistakes cost me dearly. So yes, at this point in my career I am constantly searching for improvements to the way I work. Some of my younger colleagues are great at utilizing technologies to improve workflow efficiency. So the short answer to your question is – this is not a career path for people who aren’t willing to make it their priority. I think there is a certain A personality that is suited to this line of work.

I think support and feedback is one of the biggest gifts of being in the AWFC. I’ve been made aware of situations and ideas I hadn’t even known about by being a member of the AWFC. There really is power in numbers and this organization effectively demonstrates how coming together to promote our cause for hiring and visibility can be a constructive game changer. I’m inspired and encouraged by the ongoing success of so many of our members and believe this is just the beginning. The AWFC is part of a larger picture that involves greater participation and leadership of women in areas that have primarily been male dominated. We are in the zeitgeist of an extraordinary and transforming time of history.

We have not yet developed that kind of process, although it would be great. It’s interesting to me that I rarely discuss my music with other composers. It’s between me and my filmmakers.