Michael Giacchino once told me, "Learn everything you can about film."

Mr. Giacchino was about to be interviewed by Trojan TV about his recent Oscar win for his score to Pixar's Up. But before he went on air, I conducted an impromptu interview of my own about how he rose to success. "Any composer can write music, but a great film composer has to possess a deep understanding of film. Cinema is the language of filmmakers; you need to be able to communicate in terms of their art."

I took Mr. Giacchino's advice to heart and since then, I've been studying film non-stop. I received my Composition degree from USC's Thornton School of Music in addition to a minor in Cinematic Arts. I have scored over 50 student projects (including many 310s and 480s), 6 videogames (including several Advanced Game Projects) and several television show themes.

When I haven't been studying film, I have been interning with film composers across Los Angeles including: James Newton Howard (The Hunger Games Trilogy), Christopher Lennertz (Identity Thief), and Austin Wintory (Journey).

If my academic and professional experiences have taught me anything, it's that writing great music is not enough. A score's sole purpose is to allow the film's message to be meaningfully communicated. Unless a score elevates the movie it was written for, it cannot be great. After all, Mr. Giacchino didn't tell me to learn about music; he told me to learn about film.