Mark Isham – photo credit: imdb.com

The capstone to the Music Composition for the Screen, MFA program is the summer internship in LA, where students intern with experienced Hollywood composers. Brittany Dunton, graduate of the class of 2014, had the opportunity to intern with Mark Isham, who is well known for titles including Once Upon a Time and Crash.

Brittany Dunton

Who did you intern with and what was an average day at the studio?

I had the privilege of interning with Mark Isham. I primarily worked next to his assistant, Allison, and helped her with various day-to-day tasks. Like most of the entertainment industry, summers are slow. My main project was overhauling Mark’s iTunes’ musical database.

When a director asks for a demo or reel for consideration from a composer, it can be difficult to find 12-15 ideal tracks to send (especially when your entire life’s work can play for 16 days straight!) So, my job was to go through every cue, track, song, etc Mark has ever composed and create a labeling system for easy searching/grouping. I would label things multiple tags such as “orchestral,” “dramatic,” “horror,” etc. This way, when it comes time to create a demo, one can simply search in iTunes for “dramatic orchestral horror” and all of the music that fits this genre will appear. I believe I ended up creating a list of close to 60 describing words I would use to tag pieces. It was a very time consuming and tedious task, but I left feeling like I made a huge improvement.

Apart from my main assignment, I got to sit in on a few spotting sessions for a few movies, help create cue sheets, learn how to conform music with new footage, and even help arrange/record a track for a Once Upon a Time cue.

Recording session at Chicago Recording Company

What did you learn during your internship?

I learned that composers are busy busy people! Mark was rarely at the studio for a good majority of my internship due to meetings, screenings, and juggling family life. On top of the demands from everyone else, he still had to find time to write for the two movies and tv show he had! His ability to “do it all” really impressed me.

How much interaction did you have with the composer?

For the initial 5-week internship through Columbia, Mark was away on business/vacation so I saw him very little. I was lucky enough to be asked back for another 2 months where I got to see him much more. The desk where I did my iTunes work was actually in his studio, so often times he would be scoring a scene to a film/tv show and I would be working right behind him. This shadowing/fly-on-the-wall experience was very exciting.

Any advice for composers making the trek to LA?

Absolutely! The biggest one is to understand that you are going to be an INTERN, not an assistant. It’s easy to daydream and think that your internship is going to be you sitting next to your mentor every day. This is not the reality for most. During your internship, be helpful, be on time, be reliable, smile, and go above and beyond any given task. This is how you will stand out.

As for after your internship, be patient. Getting an assistant position is hard and they are few and far between. Keep writing and stay positive. Use connections you make at your internship to help open your next door, even if it means not staying there. It’s all about the flow of opportunities.

What have you been up to after your internship in LA?

After staying at Mark’s for another 2 months, I got an internship at Kraft-Engel Management (a leading agency that represents a hefty handful of composers such as John Powell, Danny, Elfman, Alexandre Desplat, Etc.) where I help make demos and day to day tasks. Its a great place to be because I’m learning a lot about the other side of the business, plus composers call in all day every day. As soon as one needs an assistant, I will have a really easy door to put myself in front. Again, patience and the flow of opportunities! I can’t say it enough!

Take a listen to Brittany’s piece “Berlin, 1941″ recorded at Capitol Records during the summer semester in LA.