The cheapest way to get rehired
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Here's something I wish someone had told me earlier: writing great music is just the price of admission. Directors can grab stock music or generate something with AI in 30 seconds. So when one picks you anyway, it's because they want a person to collaborate with. They want someone they'll enjoy making a film with. That's what gets you hired. Getting rehired comes down to how professional you were. Hired for who you are Before I got into film composing, I wanted to be an audio engineer, and I interned under a great engineer in a studio. The most important thing he taught me was that you can know every technical detail about the board, the outboard gear, and mic placement. But if nobody wants to hang out with you in the studio, you won't get a callback. His advice: shut your mouth, listen to the client, and be a cool hang. Learn the art of the hang. It applies to directors just as much as studio clients. Here's the checklist I run on every project: 1. Communicate clearly. Answer quickly, and tell the director what you're working on and when to expect it. Silence makes people nervous. A two-line "got it, back to you Thursday" prevents that. 2. Deliver early. Even a day early changes how a director remembers working with you. Most people hit deadlines at best. Early stands out. 3. Handle notes well. Revisions aren't a verdict on you. When you get a note, figure out the problem behind it before you defend your choice. And write for the story, not for you. Give them the music they asked for, not the music that makes you sound amazing. 4. Keep your files clean. Clear file names, organized stems, nothing they have to ask you to re-send. It's boring, but it's what makes you easy to work with again. 5. Add a cherry on top. This is the one most composers skip. On every project, find one small extra you can offer. Here's mine. I once scored a film where the director had no budget for a dedicated mix engineer. I knew that director was headed for bigger, more important films, and I wanted to nurture the relationship. So I offered to mix the film for free.Yo Your move this week Pick one past or current project and run it against the checklist. Where did you lose points? Maybe you took three days to answer an email, or sent a messy folder. Fix that one thing on your next project. Then choose your cherry on top and write it down so you do it every time. Do that consistently and you stop competing with stock libraries and AI. They can't be a good hang, and you can. Want the rest? That's only Rule 5 from my latest video. The other four rules cover how to use social media without becoming an influencer, where AI actually belongs in your business (admin only, never the music), why you should start building sync library relationships early, and why you're the product. Here it is: 👉 [Watch: How to Become a Film Composer in 2026] Talk soon, P.S. If you're still figuring out where to start, the Film Scoring Starter Kit is free. It includes email templates, rate ladders, contract templates, a short film to practice scoring, and 200+ MIDI tracks. Grab it here |