We caught up with the brilliant and insightful David Bertok a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi David , thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.
The #1 obvious trick of overcoming writer’s block is having a deadline. As a Film and TV Composer you learn to write quickly because you often must, and you will have to learn not to over-judge, over-complicate things.
My personal trick and approach to overcome writer’s block is improvising.
I played jazz and in jazz bands for many years and improvising a solo will require you to let go of all filters, let go of judgement and attempt to tap into what music is inside of you. It is a skill that can be practiced and of course, if you are a self-critical individual like me, the practice might take longer. The filter often has to do with us comparing ourselves, especially to giants who have done what we do for many more years. But accepting who you are at this moment in time and to express it, is daunting but necessary for being creative.
To this day, if I want to come up with an idea and I feel stuck and uncreative, I improvise. Sometimes that first improvised idea becomes the very foundation of what I build my music around. Sometimes it goes to the scrapbook. Sometimes into the trash can.
But the “press any key” approach helps me, it’s like daring to jump and figuring out how to fly later.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I write music for film and television. My most recent film “Daughter of the Sun” just won an Audience Award at Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal where it premiered at the end of July 2023.
One film I am very proud of is the score for “Botero”, a documentary about the famous painter’s/sculptor’s life and work. Botero is such an inspiring artist and someone who has, arguably, the one identifying element needed for success in art: a recognizable style. Another film I am very proud of is “Peace By Chocolate”, which got into the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, with a premiere on June 17, 2021.
I think that besides my diverse musical background, I love finding a unique tone for each project, with a melody or, at least, a musical motive that will seep into your mind. I have also been told that I have “the spectral ability to tap into a project’s soul and lift it off the screen into your memory”.
I can compose to picture, but also based on the script which I am doing currently on a feature film. I can compose to a bunch of keywords that you give me. And I can also improvise on the piano while you sit next to me.
I love when my music is recognized as universal: last year one of the tracks from my “Botero” soundtrack was licensed for a BBC campaign advertising shows like “Killing Eve” and “Britain’s Got Talent”.
Besides my composing work, I love songwriting and producing. I worked with German-Idol winner Marie Wegener. I arranged for deadmau5 on his “Where’s the Drop?” record and for the Angel City Chorale, a choir that made it into the semi-finals on “America’s Got Talent”.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
For me as composer, the following three skills significantly helped me on my journey
1) the ability to improvise
2) analytical music knowledge
3) piano skills
1) As mentioned before, improvising can help you overcome writer’s block, but it can also be very helpful in a situation that you find yourself in quite often as film composer: when the director and/or producer come to your studio and want you to make changes on the spot, or write something completely new. This can be very intimidating, because it makes you feel like you have to come up with something magical on the spot. But it also can show them the flexibility of your musicianship and also help refine the communication between you and them. Talking about music can be so elusive and subjective but it can also be very exciting letting someone into your “circle of vulnerability” and just present the ideas that come out of you.
2) I have always been fascinated by how music is built (the theory of chords, scales, melodies but also the arrangement and production) and I love deciphering and transcribing pieces not from sheet music but by listening to them. This helped me map out the qualities of tones, chords and scales in different contexts and how the same note can make you feel very different things depending on how it’s composed and arranged. I often had colleagues in music college and beyond tell me that hearing music so analytically takes away all the mystery and magic. But I disagree…because I can listen by analyzing in real time, but I don’t have to, it’s like glasses that you can wear or take off. I still enjoy listening to music (new and old) with or without that analytical attention and I love both ways.
3) My piano skills are often a life saver, because they allow me to present something in a very workable way, by which I mean, the music can work as a piano piece, but also map out what a full orchestration will cover.
It also enables me to present something to filmmakers in a direct and unadulterated way…if they love the piano piece, they will more likely love the fully arranged version of it – be it orchestral, electronic or hybrid.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
I loved The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and I worked through it twice. This book can be so challenging (if you really do the work) and so rewarding (if you dig deep and are honest) that you won’t be the same afterwards. I loved that it asks you to protect the creative child within you.
It can unlock so many slumbering visions of your creativity that you might have hid away because of external or internal resistance.
I loved the tasks it makes you do, because some are uncomfortable but some are fulfilling and uplifting. And all of them are illuminating.
I strongly recommend it for all creative people (which is everyone).
Another four books I’d love to mention are “Creativity” by Osho, “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield and more specifically for musicians “The Music Lesson” by Victor Wooten and “Effortless Mastery” by Kenny Werner
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.davidbertok.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidbertokmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidbertokmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidbertok2
Image Credits
Crushed Eyes GmbH, Manuel Hollenbach, Marco Wriedt, Eric Thoma