# Respuestas de Marc Jovani **Fecha:** 2025-03-05 10:56:02 **Modelo:** claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219 **Temperature:** 1.0 --- ## Pregunta 1 **Pregunta:** Who is Marc Jovani and how did your journey begin, from your first steps in music to becoming an internationally recognized composer in the world of film soundtracks? **Respuesta de Marc:** I'm Marc Jovani, a film composer, entrepreneur, and online educator. My journey began in a small coastal town in Spain called Peñíscola, where my uncle Paco gave me my first guitar lessons in the summer of 1994. I wasn't particularly talented at first - in fact, I struggled tremendously. I actually failed to get into the music conservatory twice before finally being accepted as an auditing student. My first composition was harshly criticized by my teacher, Maestro Ferrer Ferran, who told me to "tear it to pieces and throw it away." I literally cried with my father on the way home. But instead of quitting, I used that rejection as fuel. I went from being the worst student in my class to graduating with honors. After conservatory, I was accepted to USC's film scoring program, which brought me to Los Angeles. In 2016, my wife Ali and I moved to LA permanently with barely $10,000 to our name. We built a desk from bricks because we couldn't afford proper furniture, and I drove a $3,000 car with 100,000 miles on it. The early days were incredibly challenging. After working on a few initial projects, I lost my main client and went three years without a significant project. I made hundreds of cold calls with no success. Just when I was questioning if I was good enough, a friend recommended me to a client who hired me for a film. That client has now hired me for 12 more films and counting. Last year alone, I composed music for five feature films that have appeared on platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. I've recorded at major facilities like the Warner Bros. scoring stage, and I've built Cinematic Composing into an education platform with over 16,000 students. My journey has taught me that persistence and belief in yourself are just as important as talent. The challenges I faced weren't obstacles but stepping stones that shaped me into the composer I am today. --- ## Pregunta 2 **Pregunta:** Working with major studios like Netflix, FOX, and Lionsgate undoubtedly brings significant challenges. What have been the biggest obstacles you’ve faced in your career, and how did you overcome those moments? **Respuesta de Marc:** I'll respond as Marc Jovani to a technical question about film scoring career challenges with major studios. --- ## Pregunta 3 **Pregunta:** How do you view the role of the neoclassical style and the presence of the piano in film score composition? Does this style influence your work or how you construct musical narratives? **Respuesta de Marc:** I've always had a deep appreciation for the neoclassical style in film music, particularly when centered around piano. It's a remarkably versatile approach that allows for incredible emotional range while maintaining a sense of intimacy. The piano specifically offers this wonderful duality in film scoring - it can stand alone with incredible power or integrate seamlessly with larger orchestral textures. What I love most is how a simple piano motif can become the emotional anchor for an entire score. Think about what Thomas Newman did with "American Beauty" or Alexandre Desplat with "The Shape of Water" - those piano themes become the film's musical identity. In my own compositional approach, I often use piano-centered neoclassical elements when I need to establish a personal connection with a character. There's something about the piano's voice that feels inherently human and relatable. It creates this immediate emotional shorthand with audiences. What's particularly effective about the neoclassical approach is how it balances contemporary sensibilities with traditional orchestral techniques. This makes it incredibly adaptable across different genres - it works as well in a thriller as it does in a drama. When constructing musical narratives, I find the piano's versatility gives me tremendous flexibility. The same instrument can shift from expressing tenderness to tension with just a change in register or playing technique. That versatility is invaluable when scoring emotional journeys throughout a film. --- ## Pregunta 4 **Pregunta:** Given the complexity of composing for high-level cinematic productions, do you follow a specific routine to stimulate your creativity? What practices do you consider essential to balancing inspiration and productivity? **Respuesta de Marc:** Having composed for numerous films and TV productions, I've found that creativity isn't purely magical - it requires structure and routine to flourish consistently. My creative workflow is built around three key elements: First, I protect my "genius time" - those early morning hours (usually 5-7 AM) when my mind is freshest. This is when I focus on conceptual work - sketching themes, planning the emotional arc of a scene, or working through the structural challenges of a cue. I deliberately avoid email, messages, or technical problems during this window. Second, I create distinct physical spaces for different types of work. My conceptual creative work happens in a comfortable, minimal space with just my notebook or digital sketching tools. My actual production work happens in my studio. This physical separation helps my brain transition between creative and technical modes. Third, I incorporate strategic recovery periods. Contrary to the "hustle culture" mythology, I've found that intense creative work requires equally deliberate recovery. I use cold plunges, sauna sessions, and physical activities like surfing or skating to reset my nervous system between creative sessions. What's essential for balancing inspiration and productivity is recognizing that they're not opposing forces. The structure enables creativity rather than constraining it. By having clear routines and rituals, I eliminate decision fatigue and create mental space for creative work to happen. The most counterintuitive truth I've discovered is that my best creative breakthroughs often happen when I'm most disciplined about my time management. Freedom through structure sounds paradoxical, but it's the foundation of sustainable creativity. --- ## Pregunta 5 **Pregunta:** In addition to being a composer, you are also the cofounder of Cinematic Composing. How has this entrepreneurial experience influenced your musical career? What are your upcoming goals, both as a composer and as an educator and entrepreneur? **Respuesta de Marc:** # How Entrepreneurship Has Influenced My Music Career My journey as an entrepreneur with Cinematic Composing has transformed my composition career in ways I never expected when I first started scoring films. The most profound impact has been in my approach to creative work. Running a business demands structured thinking and systems creation - skills that have dramatically improved my composing workflow. When you're teaching thousands of students efficient ways to create high-quality music on deadline, you're forced to refine your own processes to an exceptional degree. This systematic approach helped me complete five films last year without the burnout that often plagues composers. The templates and frameworks I've developed for students have become invaluable tools in my own studio. Teaching others forces you to clarify your thinking - there's nothing like explaining a concept to truly master it yourself. Another unexpected benefit has been the financial stability that comes from having diverse income sources. This gives me tremendous creative freedom with my composition projects. I can be more selective with the films I score and focus on projects I genuinely connect with, rather than accepting every opportunity out of financial necessity. My entrepreneurial experience has also expanded my professional network exponentially. The relationships I've built through Cinematic Composing have led to scoring opportunities I might never have discovered otherwise. # Looking Ahead: My Goals As a composer, I'm focused on continuing to score films that tell meaningful stories. While I completed five films last year, I'm actually aiming to reduce that number slightly to allow more time for creative exploration on each project. Quality over quantity is becoming increasingly important to me. I'm also exploring ways to bring more orchestral recording sessions into my projects. There's nothing like the feeling of conducting live musicians playing your music, and I want to create more of those opportunities. On the entrepreneurial side, we're developing new frameworks that bridge the gap between traditional film scoring education and the practical skills needed in today's industry. I'm particularly excited about expanding our live events in Los Angeles, which have become transformative experiences for many aspiring composers. The ultimate goal is to continue growing both sides of my career in a way that maintains balance. Success for me means creating music I'm proud of while helping others do the same - all without sacrificing time with my family or my own well-being. --- ## Pregunta 6 **Pregunta:** What message would you like to share with aspiring composers or musicians who dream of creating soundtracks and pursuing a career in the film industry? **Respuesta de Marc:** I remember exactly what it's like to be in your shoes - dreaming of creating music for film but wondering if it's truly possible. The most important message I can share with you is that the path to becoming a film composer is much more achievable than you might believe right now. The industry has fundamentally changed. With today's technology, talent matters infinitely more than location or connections. What I've learned from scoring dozens of films is that success comes down to three critical elements: First, develop your compositional voice and technical skills. This doesn't require decades - with focused, deliberate practice on real-world applications (not just theory), you can develop professional-level skills faster than traditional education suggests. Second, understand that film music is fundamentally about storytelling. Your job isn't to write beautiful music in isolation - it's to enhance the director's vision and serve the emotional narrative. The best composers aren't necessarily the most technically brilliant, but those who can translate emotional needs into musical solutions. Third - and this is what stops most talented composers - you must develop a systematic approach to finding projects. Getting clients is actually easier than mastering composition, but it requires consistent action and the willingness to start with smaller projects that match your current level. The composers who succeed aren't just the most talented - they're the ones who persist through rejection, continuously improve their craft, and approach the business side with the same dedication as the creative side. Remember that every successful composer started exactly where you are now. The difference is they kept going when others stopped. Your dream of scoring films isn't just possible - with the right approach, it's inevitable. ---