In Hollywood, it's not as easy to become an additional composer. "They are still pretty old school with the idea of being an intern/runner and move up from there," the young composer notes. "However, I think it's a really good way for employers to observe and see who has the right working attitude." According to Khuat, you have to first become an intern, then gain experience in being a runner, move on to become a composer assistant. From there, you get the opportunity to write additional music, but the rules aren't similar in Vietnam.
The internship lasted for three months, where Minh really got a sense of what it's like to compose for a film. "[The movie] didn't really make a hit or a box office top chart, but it was a good experience," he concludes. "I learned a lot, and I thought that this is really cool and [something that] I want to [give a] try."
Returning back to the university, Minh told his career advisor that he wants to pursue film composition after graduation, to which she said that she would connect him with an alumni that was working at Remote Control Productions, Hans Zimmer's production company. "I reached out to him, and he said to come to Los Angeles when [I] finish and we'll talk, so that is what I did," Minh continues. After graduating in October of last year, the young musician flew across the country to speak with the alumni. "He happened to be a really good friend of the operation manager here, so he recommended me, and that's how I got the internship at RCP," he says.
Khuat interned during Thanksgiving and Christmas, a time where a lot of employees tend to travel back to their hometowns to spend time with family. Typically, there are two scenarios that can happen once you complete your internship -- in Minh's words, either you do a really good job, the company is need of workers, and they offer you a job, or you do a really good job, but the company is full, therefore they record your contact information in case a spot opens and you're still interested in the offer. "My internship was [coming to an end], but they were in need of some help, and I happened to be there, so they offered me a job," he recalls. Right now, Khuat is working as an assistant composer, getting the position through recommendations from other people.