Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Johan Macaraeg. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Johan , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Film scoring was something I got so intrigued about the moment I found out about it. It was so exciting to find out that there’s a craft that involves my love of music and film. When I started, it was such a daunting task to figure out how to start. The most important thing I learned throughout this process was to just get started. It is so easy to make excuses and delay certain things because it’s scary but this is more of a reason to start whatever it is that is scaring you. More often than not, you get more excited throughout the process of learning to the point you always look forward to learning your craft. It was the same case with learning film scoring, from learning the ins and outs of the film industry, to knowing the importance of storytelling, to learning how to score visual media in general, the learnings never end and it’s always something you should enjoy the process of doing. The more you get into it, the better you will hopefully become in your own craft.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My background before I got into film scoring was in piano. I was always fascinated with everything from classical, jazz or pop. I count myself lucky to be introduced to music so early and be able to experiment with all things music related. When I was in preschool, I would always tell my teachers that I wanted to be an orchestra conductor when I grew up. It definitely was not a typical answer they were expecting but music was one of the things I always loved doing even from a young age. As I grew older, I also grew a big passion for film. During my teen years, I was debating on the idea of studying filmmaking as well. As the years went on, I discovered the art of film scoring and it was so eye opening to me and it was like a match made in heaven.

This eventually led me to studying music production in college as there was no film scoring degree in the Philippines where I’m originally from. During this time, I got to produce music for other people and collaborate with other filmmakers from the film school. It was also fascinating to dabble in working on the sound for live events, mixing tracks for other people and even learning how to facilitate a recording session. It was an amazing time and I definitely learned a lot of things that I still use in my film composing today.

Alongside this, I was also able to compose music for projects outside of school. I was fortunate to land my first feature film when I was in my second year of college. It was a film called “The Trigonal” which was an action/martial arts film and I had so much fun collaborating with the filmmakers. The project later on had a theatrical release here in the US and made it to Marché du Film in the Cannes Film Festival. It was definitely a huge learning experience balancing school work and working on a film project at the same time but it taught me the importance of managing your time properly and working well with different egos and personalities.

In 2022, I was very excited to get accepted to the University of Southern California’s Screen Scoring program which I graduated with a masters degree in 2023. It was such a thrilling experience being able to attend the program and learning from world class composers and musicians, making connections, and getting to record music in some of the most iconic studios in LA. Being able to work closely with filmmakers in the film program right across the music campus was a very cool experience as well. There were many highlights during my time there but meeting new filmmakers, collaborating with world class musicians and my cohort were definitely up there. To top it off, getting to record with a 64 piece orchestra in the Eastwood Scoring Stage in Warner Bros studio was delightful to say the least.

Today, I continue working on all types of visual media and always strive to help tell meaningful stories through music. Whether I’m working on drama, action, or a comedy, working on different types of projects is always such a treat and I’m always looking forward to enhancing the storytelling experience of a film.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Being a creative is such a thrilling experience. It may seem daunting at times, but being able to try out different types of approaches per project is always exciting. From writing music early on from a script, to working off a prompt, to seeing early shots from the film, you could always get inspiration from many things. Getting to work closely with the director or producer of the project and nailing the tone for the score is something I look forward to in every project. The excitement you get in not knowing what direction each project will take you to when you start, to finally figuring out what the character in the film needs, will never get old. It is so rewarding to know that you were able to help someone’s vision come to life and in the process, help elevate the overall experience of the film.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

What lesson I always have in the back of my head is to not be scared of trying out new ideas. It is so easy to stay in your comfort zone because it may seem easy. Growing up, I was also introverted in nature so it was harder for me to get out of my shell and try out new things. The more I pushed myself to get out of my comfort zone, the more valuable things I learned and new experiences came. Over time I could say that pushing yourself to try out new things whether it be to learn a new instrument, exploring new synthesizers, meeting different types of creatives, will always yield lessons that will be useful throughout your whole career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.johanmmusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johanm.music/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johan.macaraeg
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@johanmmusic

Image Credits
Christian Amonson