Before writing a single note of music, and even before the spotting session, I find it best to sit down with the director and just listen to him or her talk about the film - what they're trying to say, what they want the audience to understand or believe, and a thousand other similar questions. The director has most likely been living with the film for years before a composer is attached, and so the director's inclinations, desires, and understanding of the film are paramount.

Other than a few years of piano as a kid, I don't have all that much musical training. I played piano for all the musicals in high school and was in a few bands, but never really considered music as a viable career until I was in college.

I became friends on a social basis with a music professor (Dr. Alan Stein) who took a real interest in my work. He encouraged me in countless different ways, urged me to try different arranging styles, etc.

The most common reason that I turn down a film project is because of my schedule. If I can't devote the time to a score that it deserves, I'll pass. I'll also turn down a film if its moral position is different than what my own understanding of right and wrong.

I've been a full-time composer for many years, and I'm still learning all the time. There is always more than one musical "solution" to each movie scene, but my goal is to compose music that works perfectly for the director, and me!

The process always starts with detailed conversations with the director, followed by a spotting session (deciding where the music goes and doesn't go in the film, and what the music should be saying or not saying) in each scene. This is followed by sending the director demos of each cue for feedback.

Do everything you can to learn your craft. Score student films for free, attend conferences, learn music theory - do anything and everything you can.