We were lucky to catch up with Ishaan Tyagi recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ishaan, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
The best way, for me personally, to stay inspired and creative is to find creative collaborators to work with. I find myself doing the best work when I’m working with filmmakers and musicians that are motivated to push boundaries and try to do things differently. Being a film composer, I look forward to interacting with directors, producers and later on in the process having some great musicians join the projects and see things from their perspective to better inform my decisions. Almost everything that I’ve done that I’m proud of has been a result of great collaborations.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
In simple words, I’m a film composer and a music producer. Which essentially means I write music for films, shows and other media – Video Games, advertisements, etc. I personally love working on films that allow me to write emotionally strong and bold music. Action, thriller, and animation are some of the genres I dearly enjoy working on. I’m a huge fan of the work done by John Powell, Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard and take a lot of inspiration from their music.
I started out as a performing artist working as a keyboardist and pianist with a number of live acts in India. Along with that, I was also pursuing a certification in Audio Engineering and Music Production from Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication, Delhi which really helped me lay the foundation for my studies and experiences in the film music. I was always fascinated by film music and always had the desire to work as a film composer more than anything else.
I started working as an additional writer in Mumbai on some highly acclaimed shows and feature films. After working for a few months, I realized I needed to go for further studies in film scoring as my interests didn’t seem to line up with the industry in Mumbai and I wanted to be in an environment where film music is more deeply rooted and where I could learn from the top industry professionals. I got accepted into the masters program at USC and that has been one of the most inspirational experiences of my life.
Since graduating from USC I’ve been working as a freelancer working on quite a few independent films, commercials and trailers. I write music for libraries which is used for placements on Warner Brothers Discovery reality tv shows like Homestead Rescue, The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace, United States of Gold etc.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I feel to be able to survive in the music and film industry you definitely need to cultivate people skills and be someone who people enjoy having a conversation with. Another thing I’d say, being able to learn and adapt with the changing trends and technology of your field. As a composer there is always so much more to learn to make your workflow efficient, software and hardware upkeep, new techniques for composition and productions, learning new styles, etc. And lastly I’d say keeping tabs of your business side of things such as contacts, projects, PRO information etc. are just as important as being in the creative seat of a composer.
A general advice that I could share is that the most useful thing I’ve come to realize in becoming a film composer is to have a keen understanding of how different aspects of filmmaking work. I’d suggest paying close attention to elements of filmmaking as something to study and make yourself a better film composer like Cinematography, lighting, blocking, 3-act structures etc. Knowing how these elements impact the story will only help you make the right decisions when it comes to music. and serving the story. And when it comes to listening to film music, better to not just listen to the music by itself but to see how it functions with pictures. Get as analytical as you can when it comes to spotting, pacing, scale, emotion, etc., and try to apply those observations to your own writing.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
As a film composer, feeling overwhelmed can be a common experience, especially when working on tight deadlines or managing multiple projects simultaneously. Prioritising tasks helps a lot. Make a list of all the tasks you need to complete and prioritize them based on deadlines and importance. Breaking down your workload into smaller, manageable tasks can make it feel less overwhelming.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to colleagues, friends, or mentors for support and advice.
Explore techniques like the Pomodoro Technique, where you work for a set amount of time (e.g., 25 minutes) and then take a short break. This can help increase productivity and prevent burnout.
The key thing is to not let yourself stress out and stay calm. I try to apply things like this as much as I can in my workflow when I’m overwhelmed with work and it definitely helps.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ishaantyagimusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ishaan_tgi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ishan.tyagi.56/
