​Writing Process:

• 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: for majority of my projects, this will 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 am including in this list. 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/Revising: 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.

• Final Draft: 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.​

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Music Process:

• Research:

  • 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.

• Sound Selection: 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.

• Finding the Right Sound: 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.

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Music Equipment:

• Research:

  • Mini-notebooks​

• DAW:

  • Ableton

• Midis:

  • Akai MPK Mini 3 Keyboard

  • Novation Launchpad Pro

• Other Equipment:

  • BOSS RC-505 MK II Loop Station​

  • Audio-Technica ATH-M30x Headphones

• Instruments:

  • Yamaha FG800J Dreadnought​ Acoustic Guitar

  • Yamaha JR1 FG Junior 3/4 Size Acoustic Guitar

  • Yamaha Pacifica PAC112V Electric Guitar

  • Yamaha TRBX174 4-String Electric Bass Guitar

  • Yamaha P143 88-key Keyboard

• Recording Equipment:

  • Microphone: Shure MV7 USB Microphone​

  • Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M50xGM Headphones

  • Speakers: Presonus Eris E3.5

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Screenwriting Equipment:

• Research Gear:

  • Notebooks

• ​Outline Gear:​

  • Corkboard​

  • Reusable dry-erase index cards

• Software:

  • Fade In

  • Final Draft

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Filmmaking/Photography Equipment:

• Photography Camera: Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ80

• Backdrops: Random brands on Amazon

• Backdrop Stand: EMART 10x7ft Adjustable Backdrop Stand

• Lighting: ALTSON LED Lights

• Photo Editing:

  • Rawtherapee​

  • Darktable

• Video Editing: Davinci Resolve​​