This week’s interview…
October 10th, 2021
#3 Ricardo Melo
I met Ricardo Melo in Discord’s GameDev PT channel. I had recently launched this series and I had just entered the voice group chat mid-conversation when I got to listen to him explain his experience interviewing other composers. In actual fact, they were looking for sound designers with experience in composition. Nevertheless, I enjoyed what he had to say and thought having his perspective would be a good addition to this series, complimenting my previous post How to Audition a Composer.
In this video you will gain a sense of what is like to be in the shoes of someone who is interviewing possible composers. I believe that understanding the point of view of someone who’s hiring to be of more importance to music composers who are starting out in the business.
In this video I start off with a short introduction in Portuguese but the interview is carried out in English. Somewhere along the way, we trademarked the idea of Candy Crush with a metal OST. Check out the questions below and their timelines to jump straight to the question that’s most relevant to you.
BIO
Ricardo is a sound designer and music composer from Portugal. With a background in creating and producing heavy music, his current main interest is in extolling the creative and emotional potential of video games with his art. In the last 5 years he has worked on 20+ casino video games and multiple hugely popular mobile games such as "Minifootball", "8 Ball Pool: Trickshots" and "Street Diver".
Question timestamps
1:33 - Could you briefly explain what you do?
2:48 - Describe your journey to your current job
8:43 - Why did your company decide to look for a composer?
11:09 - What platforms/means did you use to reach out to composers?
14:34 - How did you create your shortlist of applicants?
16:20 - Was there anything that stood out to you about the way they presented themselves via email?
21:23 - Could you explain, from your point of view, why an applicant might not get a reply?
26:31 - What qualities did you have in mind when choosing your composer?
33:03 - Did you provide feedback on their work?
36:05 - How did you evaluate the music?
39:55 - Do you have any tips for composers applying for a gig?
41:31 - And lastly, what don’t you recommend to any composer applying for a gig?