Meet the Committee

Chris Smith

How did you get started and what advice would you give to a composer starting out now?

I had done all the singer/songwriter stuff and playing in bands at school and through university, had a couple of deals both as an artist and as a songwriter without achieving international stardom and realised that as my hairline receded my future in the industry was more likely to be as a writer/producer. I initially set up Final Touch  at the end of 1988 with about £20,000 raised from private investors and four composers with whom I had previously collaborated, who rather amazingly believed that I could make a go of it.
For someone starting out today I would say Good Luck! It’s never been an easy career and is arguably tougher today than it has ever been. I would say that good networking skills are essential. Although being good at what you do is obviously vital, people also like to work with people they like. All my most loyal clients are also mates.

What was your first job?

Ironically, the first thing that Final Touch did was the theme music for a series called ‘Making The Break’, about TV commercials. My first brush with music to picture was some years before that with a recruitment film for the RAF that I got through the producer, who also happened to be the drummer in my band!

What ads are you most proud of?

An ad for Durex, directed by Frank Budgen, which is now pretty venerable but is still on the reel; a series of ads for Nurofen created by Graham Fink and Tim Mellors and directed by Matt Forrest where our music and sound design were developed alongside the animatronic films with each informing the other along the way (if only it could always be so!) and recently, although the ad itself wasn’t exactly a classic, a track I co-wrote with Alex Gray for a Dutch coffee machine commercial in the style of Dean Martin, complete with cheesy Italian lyrics that I wrote (not actually speaking Italian myself). I had told the client beforehand not to attempt it as it was never going to sound authentic and I have to say, to my surprise, it really did!

What’s your training and what training do you need these days?

I have an MA in English Literature from Oxford and a post-graduate Cert Ed from Sussex. I have no formal music qualifications whatsoever. I have to say what you need these days more than qualifications is talent, determination and a ‘can-do’ attitude. What the world as a whole definitely doesn’t need are any more bloody music technology courses.

How do you put a price on your work?

For commercials, and where the budget isn’t presented as a 'fait accompli', I charge my standard composition fee and work to PCAM guidelines. When I ‘m doing a budget I make sure that everything is clearly itemised so that the total doesn’t look like a number plucked out of the air.

Would you ever work for free?

Not for an advert or any project which is earning money for others. I will do favours for friends in a non-commercial context. As I have said many times, the definition of “professional” is being paid – people who do things for free are called amateurs.

What software do you use and what’s your favourite piece of kit?

I use Logic, and as far as software goes, that has to be my favourite bit of kit, despite the irritating foibles of Logic 8. As far as hardware is concerned, it would have to be either my Guild acoustic or my vintage Telecaster.

What single thing do you wish you had known when you started out?

How much boring admin I’d have to wade through when I’d rather be writing music!