# How 's the situation overseas? (RCP/BF Internship)



## Leo Brennauer (May 6, 2021)

Hi everybody!

I wanted to ask some of you, based in Los Angeles, how the situation is ATM? Do you guys have strong restrictions according Covid-19? Is it true that a lot of artists are literally fleeing away from LA?

Besides me, being a little curious, I ask, because I was planing on going to LA for a couple of months. My goal was for sure not to make any career steps, but just to get to know the city a little better. I'm in my last year of study (composition for film, media in zurich) and I wanted to somehow try to do an internship at RCP or BF. I for sure know, I'm one of hundreds if not thousands applying at the place, so the chances are low. The question is: Is it realistic at all, having this pandemic around? I heard from assistants of composers, a view months ago, that they're not taking any interns due to Covid.

I applied at BF and RCP a view months ago but never got a reply. So maybe you got some advice, if its worth at all to focus further on applying or if I would be better served waiting another year or two.

---------------------------------

Btw: I decided to go "none-hidden" with my name, that's why this is a new account and my first post ever. I have been around quite a while.


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## muk (May 8, 2021)

Hi Leo, nice to meet a fellow Zurich-based composer! How is the curriculum at ZHdK these days? 

Regarding internshios at RCP, I remember posting Hans on this forum that the first test is whether you can actually find the place. It sounded like to have a chance you need to show up in person. I have no idea whether this still applies in the current situation.


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## GNP (May 8, 2021)

I once took a piss at RCP. Toilet was really nice! Didn't get the internship though. Haha


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## b_elliott (May 8, 2021)

Leo Brennauer said:


> Hi everybody!
> 
> I wanted to ask some of you, based in Los Angeles, how the situation is ATM? Do you guys have strong restrictions according Covid-19? Is it true that a lot of artists are literally fleeing away from LA?


Hi Leo, Though I am currently on the East Coast, I observed a few things: My baseball team just played games in Oakland, CA = the ball park was a ghost town in attendance, compared to last night's game in Houston, TX which had +1000s in its park. Neither at pre-covid levels attendance-wise, but still night and day impact on different states.

This dashboard link will give an overview of Santa Monica covid situation. 

Best of luck on your goals.


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## A.Dern (May 10, 2021)

Leo Brennauer said:


> Hi everybody!
> 
> I wanted to ask some of you, based in Los Angeles, how the situation is ATM? Do you guys have strong restrictions according Covid-19? Is it true that a lot of artists are literally fleeing away from LA?
> 
> ...


We're now in very light lockdown conditions - the lightest tier actually. Vaccines have been available for everyone 16 and older since mid April so we're expecting the majority of California to be immune by summer. I'd expect things will fully open back up around that time, at least that's the latest info. I'd also assume that's when internships will become more available at larger composer studios, especially shared lots with many people going in and out.


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## jononotbono (May 10, 2021)

A.Dern said:


> We're now in very light lockdown conditions - the lightest tier actually. Vaccines have been available for everyone 16 and older since mid April so we're expecting the majority of California to be immune by summer. I'd expect things will fully open back up around that time, at least that's the latest info. I'd also assume that's when internships will become more available at larger composer studios, especially shared lots with many people going in and out.


That is very good to know!

What is BF?


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## Maxime Luft (May 10, 2021)

jononotbono said:


> That is very good to know!
> 
> What is BF?


either black friday or bleeding fingers (not sure though)


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## Paul Grymaud (May 10, 2021)

We are floating...


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## jononotbono (May 10, 2021)

Maxime Luft said:


> either black friday or bleeding fingers (not sure though)


Bleeding Fingers. Must be. Getting an internship at “Black Friday” would be weird 😂


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## Leo Brennauer (May 10, 2021)

jononotbono said:


> Bleeding Fingers. Must be. Getting an internship at “Black Friday” would be weird 😂


It’s actually Best Friend.
.
.
Just kidding - Bleeding Fingers


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## Leo Brennauer (May 10, 2021)

A.Dern said:


> We're now in very light lockdown conditions - the lightest tier actually. Vaccines have been available for everyone 16 and older since mid April so we're expecting the majority of California to be immune by summer. I'd expect things will fully open back up around that time, at least that's the latest info. I'd also assume that's when internships will become more available at larger composer studios, especially shared lots with many people going in and out.


Thanks for the information Anne-Kathrin. Where did you start your first intern when you moved from germany to LA?

(Btw, it is a very inspiring story for me how you did the step from GER to LA! I would be interested in more details if you wouldn’t mind.)


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## YuyaoSG (May 10, 2021)

A.Dern said:


> We're now in very light lockdown conditions - the lightest tier actually. Vaccines have been available for everyone 16 and older since mid April so we're expecting the majority of California to be immune by summer. I'd expect things will fully open back up around that time, at least that's the latest info. I'd also assume that's when internships will become more available at larger composer studios, especially shared lots with many people going in and out.


Hello Anne, thank you for your information. If that is true, it will be great news for me. Since I am searching for an intern job right now.


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## A.Dern (May 10, 2021)

Leo Brennauer said:


> Thanks for the information Anne-Kathrin. Where did you start your first intern when you moved from germany to LA?
> 
> (Btw, it is a very inspiring story for me how you did the step from GER to LA! I would be interested in more details if you wouldn’t mind.)


I was at UCLA studying when I was hired as an assistant at Cinesamples and Hollywood Scoring. So I didn't actually intern there (though Chris Lennertz' Sonic Fuel Studios where we were located does have an internship program). I interned much later in the process at RCP. I had been doing tech work for Steve Jablonsky and as the movie was wrapping up my work permit was running out. There were some delays of a few weeks so I couldn't legally work for money. So Steve's team and Hans' former head of sampling (the current and previous manager at Cinesamples) got me an internship at RCP where I could make connections during my in-between visa time. After that I started to collaborate with Klaus Badelt and built up my own studio.


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## Leo Brennauer (May 11, 2021)

A.Dern said:


> I was at UCLA studying when I was hired as an assistant at Cinesamples and Hollywood Scoring. So I didn't actually intern there (though Chris Lennertz' Sonic Fuel Studios where we were located does have an internship program). I interned much later in the process at RCP. I had been doing tech work for Steve Jablonsky and as the movie was wrapping up my work permit was running out. There were some delays of a few weeks so I couldn't legally work for money. So Steve's team and Hans' former head of sampling (the current and previous manager at Cinesamples) got me an internship at RCP where I could make connections during my in-between visa time. After that I started to collaborate with Klaus Badelt and built up my own studio.


Thanks so much for the insight. Have a great week Anne and everybody!


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## Leo Brennauer (Aug 5, 2022)

A.Dern said:


> I was at UCLA studying when I was hired as an assistant at Cinesamples and Hollywood Scoring. So I didn't actually intern there (though Chris Lennertz' Sonic Fuel Studios where we were located does have an internship program). I interned much later in the process at RCP. I had been doing tech work for Steve Jablonsky and as the movie was wrapping up my work permit was running out. There were some delays of a few weeks so I couldn't legally work for money. So Steve's team and Hans' former head of sampling (the current and previous manager at Cinesamples) got me an internship at RCP where I could make connections during my in-between visa time. After that I started to collaborate with Klaus Badelt and built up my own studio.


Hi Anne-Kathrin and everyone else around L.A.

Do you know how the situation evolved lately? I’m just around in Santa Monica for some months and I wondered if it’s possible to talk to people yet again, or is it still impossible for „extrateresricals“ like me to get an internship?? For shure Not on my Visitors status, I would have to go back to Switzerland and do the proper paperwork, I’m just curious!


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## A.Dern (Aug 5, 2022)

Leo Brennauer said:


> Hi Anne-Kathrin and everyone else around L.A.
> 
> Do you know how the situation evolved lately? I’m just around in Santa Monica for some months and I wondered if it’s possible to talk to people yet again, or is it still impossible for „extrateresricals“ like me to get an internship?? For shure Not on my Visitors status, I would have to go back to Switzerland and do the proper paperwork, I’m just curious!


Hey there! It's certainly possible to talk to people again. Plenty of in-person meetings are taking place again and I think most work places, especially the studio lots, have gone to a permanently mixed on-site off-site schedule (like 3 days at the office, 2 days work from home and such). As far as internships go, I haven't heard anything. Plenty of paid opportunities have been coming up though, a lot of them even offering fairer pay than before the pandemic. I may be wrong but it feels like there's currently a bit of a mentality shift going on across all industries due to the pandemic of the past years, the high inflation rate, high cost of living, and Millennials / GenZ being very uncooperative when it comes to working for low wages or for free at this point.  And also because due to the whole work from home thing, a lot of people need more flexibility and better work-life balance. But we'll see how this develops going forward. Maybe everyone getting loud and uncomfortable made a positive change for once.  Let me ask around a bit. If I forget to update in a few days, just tag me here.


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## A.Dern (Aug 5, 2022)

So far I got info that Bear McCreary's studio (Sparks & Shadows) is having paid interns at the moment. Also, the music prep services JoAnn Kane and Fine Line Music are often looking for help. You would need an appropriate visa for the above opportunities though since they are paid.


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## A.Dern (Aug 5, 2022)

From what I'm hearing from RCP, they haven't officially restarted their internship program. There might be select composers in the buildings that do take interns but it seems the overall RCP internship isn't happening at the moment. But since that one was unpaid, you'd need college accreditation as well. Otherwise it would violate labor laws since unpaid internships are only allowed for college credit at this point - a change that came a few years ago because too many people in Hollywood were abusing unpaid internships to get free labor.


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## Leo Brennauer (Aug 6, 2022)

A.Dern said:


> From what I'm hearing from RCP, they haven't officially restarted their internship program. There might be select composers in the buildings that do take interns but it seems the overall RCP internship isn't happening at the moment. But since that one was unpaid, you'd need college accreditation as well. Otherwise it would violate labor laws since unpaid internships are only allowed for college credit at this point - a change that came a few years ago because too many people in Hollywood were abusing unpaid internships to get free labor.


Thank you so much! I didn’t know about the VISA for unpaid interns but that’s interesting. That actually means there is no possibility for Swiss/German to come to US, do a several months lasting intern and live from their savings? I mean that’s not what this threat is about, but it seems you know quite a lot about that subject? I might suggest that also comes from the background that you know quite a few German people, as you’re from the same country as I am.


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## A.Dern (Aug 6, 2022)

Leo Brennauer said:


> Thank you so much! I didn’t know about the VISA for unpaid interns but that’s interesting. That actually means there is no possibility for Swiss/German to come to US, do a several months lasting intern and live from their savings? I mean that’s not what this threat is about, but it seems you know quite a lot about that subject? I might suggest that also comes from the background that you know quite a few German people, as you’re from the same country as I am.


I don't think so. For unpaid internships you'd have to be here on a student visa and enrolled in a full-time college program that allows you to take internships for college credit. For paid internships you'd need a work permit with an appropriate visa. Maybe there's a third option I don't know about, like an exchange program or similar types. I haven't looked into it in a while. The rules have drastically changed over the past 20 years and immigration has become much more complicated than it used to be. On a tourist visa you're technically not even allowed to look for any work as far as I remember - if caught, you could be banned from entering the country again for 10 years or so.


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