Is Rayna Risso your real name?

Rayna Risso is my pen name and I chose it to honor both of my grandmothers. They are/were (one of them died) strong women who dealt with some serious shit in their lives and never let that stop them from doing what they loved.

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Why so many creative avenues?

I started with writing as a creative outlets for some issues I was going through in my life. In college, I started writing scripts because I didn't see things on TV or in film that I was interested in or related to. I didn't get into music production until a while ago, where I saw women like Ariana Grande and Chloe Bailey producing and creating their own music. I am also working on body and face paint for some projects of mine.

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What is your writing process?

My writing process varies from project to project but generally, this is what the stages are on my Projects page and what they mean:

• Idea: every single one of my projects start as an idea. I don't put down all my ideas, because, honestly, I don't pursue a lot of my ideas. If I have it on my Projects page, however, that is usually an indication I will pursue it. This is also more common on projects that are closer to personal experience and therefore don't require as much, if any, research as my other projects.

• ​Research: majority of my projects will have this be the longest stage. I don't like portraying something incorrectly just to adhere to ignorance. I think that you can create amazing stories that are still accurate to whatever they are based on, especially if you are portraying actual events, people, book, etc. I don't focus on one project at a time with the research, especially depending on how much research I am doing for a project. Once I am done with the research, I move onto the next part of the project.

• World-Building: this will not always be a stage for my projects but it is still one I include. If I am doing a project where the world is not based off our own world, like a supernatural or fantastical show, then I will work on the world. For television shows, this goes into the bible.

• Outline: for a movie, I'm outlining just to figure out how the story is going to flow. For a television show, I'm seeing what I want to include and how long the story is going to go for. Usually, I'll have a notebook for television shows and dry-erase index cards for movies that I can move around on a Velcro board.

• Writing: for movies, when I am doing the first draft of a script, I tend to write it in a notebook, so that, if I want to take something out or move something, I can have all my notes in one place. When I am done with a first draft, I tend to put it away for a few days and work on something else so that, when I come back to it, I can look at it with new eyes.

• Revising: for movies, this is when I write my final draft in my computer. At this point, I've made comments in my notebook and I've gone back to the script after a while to review it. After this stage, I consider a project done.​

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What is your music process?

Similar to my writing process, my music process varies based on what it is based off:

• Video Games: for the video game-based music, I play the games or watch walkthroughs if I don't have the game. As I'm playing, I'll make notes on the setting, story, and characters. I also look at character histories if I'm making songs based off the characters themselves, since sometimes the games could only touch a little bit on a character.

• Comic Books: depending on the comic book, if it's based off a character or a series, my research varies. If it is based off a character, I may not read all the comics that character is in and instead look at the character's publication history and backstories. Then, I figure out which history and backstory I'm going to focus on for music. It may be different versions of the same character in multiple songs. If it is a comic series that is the basis, I try to read the comics themselves, especially if it is a short or completed series. In both cases, I make notes on personalities, stories, history, etc. and figure out what sound(s) would fit the character/story.

• Manga: similar to comic books, it varies based off if it's a character or story. Since there are many arcs in manga series, I may focus on specific arc for one song and another arc in a separate song. I try to read the manga itself and make notes as I am reading.

• Literature: for stories, I read them and make notes along the way. For authors, I look at their work and see if I want to do one song or multiple.

• Writing Projects: for my own projects, I look at the story and characters and come up with ideas as I am writing my projects. I make notes as I am writing the project.

In all versions, during my research, I'll also make notes on what sound(s) would fit. Once I have my notes, I look at what I have in my DAW for sounds and samples and go through them. As I am doing this, I make notes on what sounds I'm going to use and plan out what sounds are going to go where, which ones are going to compliment each other, etc. After that, I start working on the song in my DAW. When I get a first version fully done, I listen to it several times, making notes on what I think needs to change, then make the changes. To prevent me from spending too long fiddling, I give myself 3-5 revisions. So, I follow the listen--and-revise method no more than 5 times. Once I am either satisfied or I've hit the fifth revision, I post on YouTube.

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What instruments do you play?

I'm relearning guitar because my last guitar broke and I didn't buy a new one until a month ago. I'm also learning bass and piano.

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What music equipment do you use?

I use Ableton Live as my DAW and I have a Novation Launchpad Pro and an Akai MPK Mini 3 Keyboard. I also have a BOSS RC-505 MK II Loop Station that I used when I first started making music. I have a Yamaha FG800J acoustic guitar for home and a Yamaha JR1 FG Junior 3/4 size acoustic guitar for travel. My electric bass and keyboard are just random, cheap onesI found on Amazon but I am looking to replace those once I get more proficient at my instruments.

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What screenwriting equipment do you use?

I go back and forth between Fade In and Final Draft.

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What filmmaking, photography or recording equipment do you use?

Right now, I have a Panasonic Lumix camera for photography and I use Rawtherapee and Darktable for photo editing. I also use Davinci Resolve for video editing. For my recording equipment, I use a Shure USB microphone when I am recording either me playing an instrument or my own vocals (very rare). I use Audio Technica Headphones when I am working late at night or when I have to be quiet. I have Presonus Eris E3.5 speakers for when I don't feel like using my headphones.

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Do you listen to music when working?

I listen to music when I am writing a screenplay or working on a film or photography project. I have a section on this page that has what music I'm listening to for my film projects. I tend to stay away from scores, especially if I am trying to create themed music, as I don't want to be influenced by it when coming up with my own version of a series or character's sound.

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Where do you get ideas from?

I get ideas from everything. I've been inspired by things I've seen on TV, things I've read about, ads I've seen, etc. Random things inspire me.

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What do you do in your free time?

I don't have much free time, outside of my projects and my day job. But, when I do have free time, I read scripts, watch TV shows and movies, play games, listen to music, and journal.

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What can we expect from your projects?

Right now, it's a little all over the place, but expect a lot of supernatural, horror and drama writing projects and a wide variety of styles for the music.