MFA internship a game changer
When Liam Reid was teamed up with composer Tom McLeod for his MFA internship he never expected to be given the role of Music Editor on a feature film.
But Tom took a chance on Liam and threw him in at the deep end. They worked together intensively on the score for New Zealand’s first Christmas film, Kiwi Christmas, and Tom’s gamble paid off.
“It’s a technically complex film,” says Tom. “We were dealing with cut changes which is quite challenging – it was great for me to have Liam’s help to do that. He had a fabulous attitude and was really good at taking critique.”
“You hope for the best with an internship because it’s an opportunity to work with people in the industry, but to actually end up with a film credit is such an awesome, awesome feeling,” says Liam.
With a short timeline to completion, Liam was spending his days working with a 19-piece string section, a 30-strong children’s choir, an adult choir, numerous microphones and the task of helping to break down all that sound into something that will ultimately become an effective soundtrack.
After several weeks of long hours and too many of 2am finishes to count, Liam is exhausted but his enthusiasm is undiminished. “You have to be committed and be prepared to work hard, because the end result is worth it,” he says.
“The introduction of the internship is a real game changer for the MFA. I desperately want to pursue music for a living and I feel like because of the way the MFA establishes these industry relationships it will actually be possible for me to do this. I’ve been given tangible, physical proof that I can actually do what I love.”
Find out more information about the MFA (Creative Practice) here.