One student composer at SFCM set the beat for the San Francisco Dance Film Festival this year.

Technology and Applied Composition student (TAC) Caroline Feitosa created the sound logo in use at this year's SFDFF, saying of the experience, “I love going to film festivals and being a part of one in this way was so exciting.” She added, “It was really cool to see how one operates, and what the process is like in developing something like a sound logo.”

The SF Dance Film Festival, a nonprofit that aims to bring dance to new audiences, celebrated its 15th year with a new logo and animation, and reached out to SFCM for help crafting the accompanying music. SFCM faculty Jonathan Bingham organized a compositional contest among TAC students and “Caroline Feitosa’s submission fit the bill beautifully,” Executive Director of the SF Dance Film Festival Judy Flannery said. “All in all, a wonderful experience and we look forward to another opportunity to engage with SFCM students.” Bingham also moderated a Q&A for one of the films.

Caroline Feitosa and Jonathan Bingham.

The sound logo was featured heavily during the festival, playing before every film—and Feitosa was compensated for her work. For inspiration designing the sound, Feitosa said she relied on her intuition. “I watched it a lot, and sounded out different ideas with my voice,” she said. “I loaded up some synthesizers that fit what I was visualizing, timed them to the logo, and voilà.”

The TAC program gives students a direct path into the worlds of not only sound design, but film and video game scoring, live performance, popular music production, and other musical avenues. “I would not have known how to use synthesizers if I didn't go to SFCM! I wouldn't know which ones I liked, or how to get the certain sound I wanted,” Feitosa added. 

“The teachers at SFCM also taught me how to research certain musical styles, which is more valuable than learning how to write for every style of music,” Feitosa added. Using these skills, graduates of the TAC program have composed music for Super Bowl commercials, popular video games, and are employed by companies like Dropbox, Spitfire Audio, and Electronic Arts.

In 2023 the program celebrated its 100th graduate, with 90% of alumni working full-time in the field of their choice. The program has also expanded its curriculum to include tracks for students who have a stated interest in one area, such as film scoring. 

After graduation Feitosa plans on joining those alumni and becoming a composer full-time. “Working with directors and composing their concepts and ideas out of thin air is so fulfilling to me,” Feitosa said. “I’m translating their thoughts from speech to sound. I feel like Mickey Mouse from Fantasia with the wizard hat every time I send them a cue!” 

Learn more about studying Technology and Applied Composition at SFCM.