It’s being called the biggest short film of the year, and SFCM talent set the score. 

Graduate Michelangelo Rodriquez co-scored “Sweet Revenge,” the latest entry in the Friday the 13th franchise and the first since 2009. 

“I’ve loved movies, especially horror, for as long as I can remember,” Rodriquez said. The opportunity came to fruition through his co-writer on the project Matthew Compton, who had a connection to the film's director Mike P. Nelson. “We knew we had to create a fresh sound while also paying homage to Harry Manfredini’s iconic scores,” Rodriguez continued. “My favorite part was figuring out how to capture the spirit of the originals while still bringing something new and unique to the franchise to make it our own.

Rodriguez graduated from SFCM 2019 after studying Composition with David Garner. “Midway through my time at SFCM, I started leaning toward film and TV scoring. I felt that the style David helped me develop naturally had a ‘movie sound,’ and with my love of movies, it just clicked.” Rodriguez said. “Ever since I started writing music in high school, my sound gravitated toward a more ‘tonally traditional’ style of writing. David Garner never tried to change that style—instead, he helped me refine and polish it. That was incredibly encouraging.”

In addition to his film scoring work, Rodriquez is a composer at Squeak E. Clean Studios in Los Angeles, where he’s gotten to work on video game projects as well as spots for companies like Xfinity. He even scored music for a Super Bowl commercial in 2022.

“Before SFCM, I had never taken a composition or music theory lesson, nor had any formal training—other than piano lessons,” Rodriquez said of the start of his music career. “But taking private composition lessons for four years with David Garner gave me the musical backbone I needed ten times over.” 

His advice for current students? Stay on time, and stay creative: “Tight deadlines are a constant in this field,” he continued. “But it's also important to never lose sight of the spark that made you want to write music in the first place. If you love what you’re doing and you’re having fun doing it, that’s the most important part.”

Learn more about studying Coomposition at SFCM.