Welcome to episode 30 of The First Act Break podcast, the show where we dive into the art, business, and hustle of breaking into the film industry, and help you build a career doing what you love. Today, we bring on Mic Ferrante, an Emmy-Winning composer who's scored for the NFL, NBA, FAZE Clan, Kai Cenat and many more. He shares his experience going to music school and his recent career as a newly graduate pursing the composing dream.

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro

00:01:58 Falling in love with scoring

00:05:26 First real paycheck as composer

00:06:28 Getting paid through commercial work

00:07:15 How composers actually get hired

00:08:59 Marketing yourself as a composer

00:09:27 Biggest thing directors should know

00:10:45 Working with big brands (NBA, USC)

00:12:17 How people find him for gigs

00:14:23 The USC “Among Us” horn

00:15:40 Writing for narrative vs commercial

00:18:52 How themes and melodies are born

00:20:01 Why melody matters so much

00:22:58 Writing personal music outside film

00:23:40 Studying great music

00:27:06 Do directors need “good taste”?

00:27:59 Temp scores: helpful or cheating?

00:30:07 Is there a “career path”?

00:31:31 How composers actually break in

00:33:59 Diversify or starve in music

00:34:59 Balancing creativity and mental health

00:35:12 Is music / film school worth it?

00:36:59 USC: connections vs. classes

00:38:02 Mozart vs. modern composers

00:40:46 Money stress after graduation

00:41:40 How much do gigs pay?

00:44:33 Learning when to say no

00:47:00 Will AI take composer jobs?

00:48:59 How he’s future-proofing with AI

00:50:00 Using AI in music workflow

00:50:36 Handling jealousy and comparison

00:51:57 Scoring for different directors’ styles

00:53:35 Worst kind of project experience

00:54:38 Running live sessions, leading people

00:55:51 How to get good at piano

00:58:17 Breaking down our scores together

01:02:22 Melodies of War breakdown

01:03:22 Love themes, character themes

01:04:48 How sets actually work (drama)

01:07:34 How we pulled off the musical

01:09:35 Writing songs fast for production

01:10:24 Question from last guest

01:11:20 Freelance goals (director POV)