In 1997, Michael Giacchino, a producer at a video games studio who was studying music composition in the evenings, was casually asked to provide temporary music for The Lost World, the tie-in video game for Steven Spielberg’s movie sequel to Jurassic Park.

“The next day, I am sitting at my desk and my boss calls and says, ‘Steven would like to talk to you if you aren’t doing anything’. I said, ‘Steven who?'”

It was Spielberg, of course – who was so enthusiastic about Giacchino’s temporary score that he insisted it be recorded with a live orchestra.

The Lost World became one of the first video games to boast an original live orchestral score and, for Giacchino, opened the door to a career composing music for video games, television and film. As a direct result of that gig, Giacchino had the meetings that led him to score the Medal of Honor video game series, the television series Alias and Lost, and The Incredibles for Pixar.

To read the rest of the story please visit the Sydney Morning Herald.

Read an earlier Q&A interview with Michael Giacchino.