Cinematic ComposingReviews of cinematiccomposing.com

Let's face it, you can spend years learning how to compose, mix, record, use plug-ins... but you're still on the outside, looking in. With Momentum's expert instruction and opportunities to directly meet with industry insiders, you suddenly walk through the doors and begin learning to become a professional composer. Warning though; if you come into this with a fantasy view of what it is to be a media composer, you will come away either humbled or disappointed. We all want to be the next John Williams or Johann Johannsson, but the core of our craft is to become the best version of ourselves that we can become and find a way to make that work in the real world. In the few months since the class, I've signed on with an indy film (that may or may not ever get made, but living with that is also part of the training), have begun work on an orchestral piece and am continuing to build my skills, community and demo reel. This might have happened without Momentum, but I guarantee that it would have taken a whole lot longer!

Marc Jovani's Momentum program is the best!!!! Marc and the other program mentors provided a unique, nurturing, educational experience that truly elevated my confidence as a composer. Each week allowed all of us to explore our own creativity within the assignments; cookie cutter Momentum is not! The live feedback and weekly Q&A sessions provided a space where everyone in my cohort to, not only learn from Marc and the other mentors, but from each other. Our group of students came from such diverse backgrounds, but with the same objective...to be a better Cinematic Composer. It was so special to see a few that might not have had as much experience compositing in the style, let along have much DAW or Sample Library experience, grow and flourish and expand upon their innate gifts and talents. Walking with others and watching them grow as composers was one of the best parts of the program. Nothing was a "stupid question," nothing was "off limits." We got to be ourselves to learn, grow and achieve as composers. I wouldn't be the Compser I am now without going through Marc's Momentum program. In addition, Marc and the other mentors and students have become friends. Marc is true to his word of being there for all of us. Even though I went through Momentum over a year ago, Marc is still responsive and supportive as a mentor and friends. If you have any doubts, you are most likely doubting yourself and your ability. Those doubts are the reason you should sign up for Momentum as it will remove them all and bring you confidence.

Marc Jovani is an experienced composer eager and passionate about lifting up others through his educational content. I have grown leaps and bounds as a media composer since beginning the Momentum program, and have even gotten the chance to mingle with real-world Hollywood composers. Through the program I met lifetime friends and colleagues. There are ways in which it is better than a typical Masters of Music Composition, for a lot less money. I couldn't recommend this program enough for composers who want to take their career to the next level.

As a participant in the first cohort of the Momentum program, I can confidently say that it was a transformative experience that exceeded all my expectations. Momentum is an intensive program designed to elevate your skills in music composition. It includes weekly assignments with detailed feedback, classes with knowledgeable coaches, and monthly masterclasses with established composers. Before joining Momentum, I was struggling with imposter syndrome and a fear of not creating "perfect" music. This program gave me the accountability and actionable feedback I needed to overcome these barriers and improve my music quality. The numerous "aha" moments were invaluable, from technical insights to mindset shifts, and this helped me finish compositions confidently and focus on the process, not just the outcome. Momentum kickstarted my career as a composer. I landed my first paid gig and made connections that led to signing tracks with music libraries. The networking aspect is one the big benefits of the program. I still talk regularly to many of the friends I made there. And this industry it's all about connections! Through these people I met more people and even though it's a journey that I'm still going through, this is what made it possible for me. The mentors and guest composers brought diverse perspectives and expertise. Their feedback on my music was not just about technical aspects but also about understanding the industry and how to handle feedback effectively. For anyone at a similar point in their music career, I totally recommend Momentum. Whether you're a beginner or have some experience, the intensity and networking opportunities are incredibly beneficial. The program is challenging but provides all the support you need to grow and succeed. I rate Momentum 5 stars for being one of the best educational experiences I've had. It significantly surpassed my expectations in every aspect. A special bonus: because we were the first cohort, Marc, the program's founder, organized an extraordinary recording session in LA, where I met him and most of my classmates in person. It was my first time composing for and conducting a live orchestra. This experience, generously funded by Marc, was unforgettable. While this specific event was not strictly part of the program, it speaks a lot about Marc's dedication and generosity.

I am a recent graduate of the Momentum program at CinematicComposing.com (I was in the session that ran from January 2023 - August 2023. In short, the program was outstanding. I was looking for instruction to help jumpstart my next career as a composer of music for movies, television, commercials, video games and other similar needs. The program provided ample instruction in all these areas that was actually usable in the real world. How can I say this? Well, a few days after the program ended, I landed my first gig as a composer of music for a movie made by an established producer that will likely be on cable tv in early 2024. Here is what made the program so great: (1) Quality Instructors - Every single instructor was a working composer or working industry professional (for example, we had a movie director teach us how to work with producers/directors more effectively) with real world credits with names we all recognize (e.g., Netflix, HBO, blockbuster movies). They taught us how to create music based on their success in the industry. I learned something useful from every one of the instructors. And yes, some of the instructors had scored blockbuster and major release movies from major studios. (2) Quality Instruction - Most weeks there was a composing assignment tied to the instruction we received during the week. We would have a deadline for turning in a composition. In the subsequent class the instructor would play every single students' submission and provide detailed feedback (even down to the level of exactly how to eq a specific track to improve the mix). We would then have to revise our composition based on the instructor's feedback and resubmit it for another round of feedback in front of the class. This was incredibly helpful in learning how to finish music that was competitive in the real world and it enabled each student to have a demo reel completed by the end of the semester. (3) Networking/Connections - We had a number of high profile composers guest teach and they followed the same format of providing two rounds of detailed feedback on every student's submission. It is rare that you can get detailed feedback and ask questions of composers who scored blockbuster movies, but this happened multiple times with different composers during the semester. And the fact that they actually cared about our music and wanted to help created an environment where real learning could take place. I have subsequently met in Los Angeles with one of these guest composers and developed a relationship that continues to provide me with information helpful to the development of my career. The network I have gained through the other students in the class is also invaluable as many of them are helping other classmates land projects. In fact, many of the students came into the program with significant experience in the music/film industries and without exception shared their knowledge with classmates both during and after the semester. This continues to this day. (4) Opportunities - We were provided with a number of opportunities to submit our work for actual paying projects and as previously mentioned, I landed a gig as one of the composers on a movie just days after the Momentum program ended. I also continue to learn of opportunities that I would not have visibility to were it not for CinematicComposing.com's Momentum program. In summary, I found this to be a very high quality program, that provided practical, useful, real-world composing instruction, taught by outstanding instructors who genuinely wanted to help. The program has provided access to useful professional networks and directly led to a number of professional opportunities. I give this program my highest recommendation to anyone who is looking to accelerate their learning of composing. And again, I am a graduate of the program. I paid the regular price for the program and am not being compensated in any way for this review.

I am so glad to share my experience about the Momentum program. I really think that my music improved a lot thanks to it, I met a lot of great composers that I still keep contact, I had some job opportunities, and most important, thanks to the work I did in Momentum, I got accepted into the Screen Scoring Master degree program at USC that I am currently attending. I am really glad about the decision to take this course. Hello, My name is Felipe, I am a chilean composer and I was part of the 3rd cohort that finished around Dec 22. I would like to share you my experience with Momentum to help you in your decision. Before Momentum I was preparing my application for studying a Screen Scoring Master degree (2024) at the University of Southern California, but even though I did an 8 year Bachelors degree in composition, It was very slow and hard to prepare the mockups. I’ve been following Cinematic Composing since a lot time, and almost all the orchestral programing that I have learned has been from Marc. So I really saw a great opportunity by learning on a high level program with Marc. I thought it was going to improve my application. So I took the call the Marc and he promised me that after the course I will “composed faster” “make music that sounds good” “learn how to score to picture” “end up with a good portfolio” and “help with my application”. And Momentum program met and exceeded all expectations I had. I got accepted into USC thanks to almost 80% of everything I did in Momentum. But most important, DURING this program the tools that Momentum gave me were essential to maintain myself in the program and follow the phase. I was thankful for Momentum before USC and during USC. Also, thanks to the reel that I made in this course, a lot of directors from USC contacted me for scoring their short-films. I really recommend Momentum and it doesn’t matter the level where you are right now. In my cohort there were very experienced composers, and others that have started in music since a couple of years, and we saw a big improvement in everyones music. But you have to be aware that this is a serious program. The progress that you will earn is completely up to you. If you want to do just what the assignments require is fine, but (and this is what I did) since you have all the Cinematic Composing library, you can really take your time and go deeply in the resources available for delivering a better music. You will have to invest time in this training to really grow the most out of it. I think the hardest part of the decision is the cost of the program. It is expensive, there is no doubt about it. I only can say that I am really satisfied with my decision. It was an investing on my future because music is the only plan that I have for a living, I don’t have other option. I am really happy with the outcome, after Momentum I really felt I was prepared for working in film scoring and had tools for looking for potential jobs. I hope my experience will help you to take the best decision. At the end, it really has to be with what is on your heart and your possibilities. If you are really willing to learn a high level workflow and if you are willing to invest for it. No program in the world, not even USC, can guarantee you a job or stability, but if you are around the right people and you have the possibility to learn from the right people, chances are that something great can happen.

GOOD EVENING, THX FOR THE REVIEW OPPORTUNITY. MARC J. AND MOMENTUM TEACHERS AND NEW STUDENTS. MY EXPERIENCE WITH MM WAS THE BEST INVESTMENT I MADE TOWARDS MY LOVE OF MUSIC, I LEARNED SO MUCH I TOOK THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ORCHESTRATION AND ITS MUSICAL ELEMENTS, AND MASTERING...... IT WAS GREAT FOR ME AND I TOOK NONE OF IT PERSONAL, WE ALL HAVE FLAWS IN OUR CREATION OF MUSIC, BUT IF A STUDENT CAN'T TAKE criticism THEN THIS PROGRAM ISNT FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL, IN ORDER TO GROW AS A COMPOSER WE MUST LEARN TO TAKE SOME CRITICISM ON OUR MUSIC. THAT IS HOW WE GROW AND FIND OURSELVES. I HAD AN ISSUE WITH UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AUDIO FILES AND STEM FILES, GETTING PAST THE FRUSTRATION ALLOWED ME NOT TO GIVE UP..... NOT HAPPENING.....LOL AND I PERSEVERED TO LEARN THE DIFFERENCE AND NOW ITS ALL GOOD, BIG THX TO DIRK EHLERT HE WAS TOUGH ON ME, BUT THAT TOUGH LOVE HELPED ME TO STEP IT UP,,,,,ESPECIALLY IF WE DONT GET THE JOB WE MUST ALWAYS AND ONLY BE PROFESSIONAL. WORD OF MOUTH GETS AROUND IN THIS BUSINESS......ALWAYS BE IN CONTROL OF UR EMOTIONS. MOMENTUM TAUGHT ME TO HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE IN MYSELF, EVEN WHEN THINGS ARE NOT IN MY FAVOR, I MUST MAINTAIN MY EMOTIONS AND STAY CONFIDENT AND FOCUSED, THIS PROCESS WILL MAKE ANYONE BETTER AT THEIR CRAFT. AS A TEENAGE DRUMMER THE GROUP I CREATED WE WERE RIGHT AT THE SIGNING DOOR, BUT THOSE PPL I WAS DEALING WITH BACK IN "79" KICKED ME OUT OF MY OWN BAND UNFORTUNATELY, BUT THEN EVERYTHING WENT TO THE SH-- HOLE BECAUSE OF GREED AND SELFISHNESS. GOD DONT LIKE UGLY !!! THIS IS MY SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A NAME FOR MYSELF IN THIS BUSINESS OF MUSIC. FOR THOSE MUSIC LOVERS AND CREATORS MOMENTUM IS A GREAT A PROGRAM FOR THOSE INDIVIDUAL WHO WANT TO BETTER THERE CRAFT AND BE A PART OF THE TV/FILM INDUSTRY. GO FOR IT ! GREAT EXPERIENCE, GREAT TEACHERS WHO WANT U TO REALLY LEARN AND BE BETTER. THX AGAIN MARC J. AND MM. ALL THE BEST, Gregg E Birch

Great people, amazing experience. Awesome instruction Top quality instructors and mentors. Absolutely worth it at so many levels.