THE BIG SCORE!

The 14th Annual ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop 2002

ASCAP's Film & TV Music Department recently concluded another highly successful Film Scoring Workshop under the guidance of composer Richard Bellis (his fifth year with the program). The workshop included 15 participants from throughout the U.S. and countries including Turkey, Norway, Ireland, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.

Several new and interesting elements to the curriculum were added this year. Renowned violinist and studio concertmaster, Endré Granat, conducted an evening on techniques for string writing, demonstrating his methods on violin. The Academy Award-winning team of Myron Nettinga and Mike Minkler, re-recording sound effects/dialogue and music mixers for Black Hawk Down, discussed the post-production process. Workshop participants were also able to observe a temp dub in progress for the feature film Sweet Home Alabama at Sony's William Holden Dub Stage.

ASCAP's own Michael Kerker spent an evening, along with Kevin Bannerman (former Sr. VP of Fox Animation), discussing the ever-growing cross pollination of musical theater talents in both animation and live-action films. Other guest speakers included: Robert Kraft (President of Fox Music) and Carol Farhat (VP of Fox Television Music), Richard Jacobellis (composer agent, Ingenuity Ent.) and Gretchen O'Neal (business affairs, Ingenuity Ent.), music producer/editor Ed Kalnins, who introduced the use of ProTools to this year's recording session, and ASCAP composers Adam Fields, James Newton Howard, Mark Isham, David Lawrence, Jeff Rona and Mark Watters. The Workshop is also deeply indebted and fortunate to have the help and guidance of Segue's music editor, Michael Ryan.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Michael has contributed his time and expertise to the program. Each participant was assigned a scene from a previously released feature film to score his or her own original composition which was then recorded at FOX's Newman Scoring Stage with a Hollywood "A" list 40-piece orchestra. A screening of all clips was held at the DGA Theater on the final day of the workshop, where the work of each participant was viewed and discussed. ASCAP acknowledges the continuing support and contributions from Twentieth Century Fox, Segue Music Inc., Sabron Inc., Jo Ann Kane Music Services, the RMA and AFM Local 47, Design FX Audio, and legendary recording engineer Armin Steiner.