Meet Eric Huang | Film Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Huang and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I decided to pursue an artistic career because filmmaking and collaboration captivate me. Before I even thought about pursuing a career in film composition, I wanted to be an editor – specifically one who works with CGI and VFX. In middle school, I would gather my friends to create short skits and film and edit them. This act of creation was such a fun way to tell stories. At the same time, I was playing trombone in various ensembles and when I started high school, I began composing here and there while no longer making short films. In the middle of high school, I decided that I wanted to combine my interests of filmmaking and music together into film composing. As I continue to score films, I can’t imagine doing anything else that would fulfill me as much.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For my scores, I love diving into combining different styles and sounds to create a new palette for each of my scores. The great thing about film music is that it can be anything and doesn’t have to be tied down to a specific genre. Recent projects I’ve worked on included conducting a 59-musician orchestra in Budapest for a musical theater short, recording someone blowing a conch shell, and recording 10 French horns in a 34-ensemble playing quietly in a stone-walled lobby. As I continue to collaborate with more filmmakers, I’m always trying to find interesting stories to tell and new creative ways to approach these scores. The biggest challenge of working on scores is the timeline but as I continue to work, I find that my musical muscle is exercised and it’s less common for me to get writer’s block. As for my brand and story, I started film scoring by producing music on my computer but now I’ve expanded into actively seeking collaborators. When I get hired for a film score, I go out and seek places, people, and things to record. An example is when a score I did needed some taiko drums, I found Kazan Taiko, a student ensemble at USC, and I joined their rehearsals to experience the drumming and meet the musicians.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to shout out my family and friends for supporting me on this journey as well as the music faculty from UCSB and USC and the many filmmakers that have inspired and taught me during our collaborations.

Website: https://linktr.ee/erichuangcomposer

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericwillhuang/

Image Credits
Side profile photo: Derek Delson