For more than two decades, the ASCAP Television & Film Scoring Workshop has nurtured emerging composers from around the globe by putting them in the room with working film/TV professionals and providing them with access to the same set of tools as A-list composers. Led since 1998 by ASCAP Board member and Emmywinning composer Richard Bellis, this intensive program has catalyzed the careers of some of today's most recognized composing stars. It is largely funded by The ASCAP Foundation Fred Steiner and Nathan East Fund.
The 2011 Workshop activities included a presentation on orchestration and composition with composer Ron Jones, a group discussion with video game composer Jack Wall, a tour of Hans Zimmer's Remote Control facilities and studio visits with composers Ramin Djawadi, Heitor Pereira, James Levine, Michael Levine and Geoff Zanelli. Emmy winner and Workshop alum Trevor Morris met with participants at the ASCAP offices; Oscarnominated composer Mark Isham and Dolphin Tale director Charles Martin Smith talked with them about the collaborative process.
Participating composers met with recording/ mixing engineer Alan Meyerson and got tips from scoring mixer John Rodd, and had the opportunity to ask questions to industry professionals from Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox, along with composer agents, a legal consultant and an orchestra contractor. Entertainment attorney/ ASCAP Board member Jim Kendrick spelled out the basics of copyright law; ASCAP Boardmember Doug Wood joined the Workshop via Skype to explain the benefits of production music; ole's Michael McCarty and John Anderson discussed the role of publishers in a composer's career.
These emerging composers practiced conducting on the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios, then visited JoAnn Kane Music Services, where Head of Music Preparation Mark Graham afforded them first-hand understanding of the role that library services play in preparing for a recording session.
The Workshop culminated with a recording session with a 61-piece orchestra, held on the historic Newman Scoring stage at 20th Century Fox Studios. Each participant composed original music for a three-minute scene from a Hollywood film, and walked away with a recorded ProTools demo mixed by legendary scoring mixer Armin Steiner
Three Workshop Composers Were Selected For Special Awards:
- Matthew Janszen - The ASCAP Foundation Harold Arlen Film & TV Award
- Sergio Jiménez Lacima - The ASCAP Foundation Steve Kaplan TV & Film Studies Scholarship and The Recording Musicians Association of LA Grant
- Chad Rehmann - The ASCAP Foundation David Rose Centennial Award