MUSIC MASTERCLASS REPORT
photos courtesy of Plymouth Music Zone
The South West’s leading screen composers teamed up for a master class in making music for the movies and TV, hosted by Plymouth Media-Partnership at he Plymouth Music Zone on the 26 October 2006. The event was one of many for the Orange Plymouth Music Week, which ran from October 20 to 29
The masterclass connected the area’s music makers with music professionals who have worked in film and television. The composers taking part were:
ED WELCH, whose TV and movie credits include:
The Thirty Nine Steps; The Snow Goose; The Shillingbury Tales; Blockbusters;
Catchphrase; New Faces; The National Lottery; One Foot in the Grave; Thomas the Tank Engine; The Hoobs and who has been thrice-nominated for the Ivor Novello Award.
HOWARD DAVIDSON, whose TV and movie credits include:
Alive: Caveboy and Kayakers - Channel 4/Discovery; Titanic: Birth of a Legend – Granada/ITV; One Life - BBC 1 (titles); Battlefield Detectives - CH 5; In Search of Shakespeare - BBC2; The Queen's Story - ITV; Secrets of the Dead - Channel 4; Equinox: Black Box - Channel 4; Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure - BBC 1; Savage Planet - Granada Television/ITV; History Lab: Real Lives: Goldsmith - Channel 4; Sister Wendy's Grand Tour - BBC2.
WILL BOWER, from Unforscene, whose recent projects include:
music for a free-climbing documentary for X1sports.com and Mojofuel featuring the best free and adventure climbers in the world. Work for ITV is currently in production.
GREG MALCANGI, from Plymouth’s own Deep Blue Sound studios, whose work includes:
Music for Lynda La Plant’s series Trial & Retribution – for which he was BAFTA-nominated in 1999, and Second World War movie The Trench, starring Daniel Craig: the next James Bond.
The panel of experts was chaired by Paul Kelly, Plymouth City Council’s Principal Arts Officer, and the session covered a wide range of issues from how you get started in the business and what kind of training is available, to how technology has affected the skills you need. It also looked at the business of being a composer – the legalities, budgets, contracts, agents and publishers; and at the creative process of composing.
The session exposed the audience to the realities and expectations of trying to make it in the film & TV music world. The composers gave an insight on how they got started and where they have progressed to now, highlighting the changes within the industry due to the advances in technology and lower budgets. Tips and techniques were discussed and clips from the shows were used to illustrate particular terms such as spotting.
The evening finished with the panel answering questions from the audience. The event was a must for those wishing to enter the film and TV music composing world and a fascinating insight for those not.
