1st – 6th July 2024
Ulster University with Dumbworld Presents…
The NI FILM SCORING SUMMER SCHOOL
is specifically designed for early career musicians and composers looking to develop their music composition and technology skills in writing music for screen (film, games, TV, etc).
The week will consist of workshops, seminars, and tutorials that focus on the professional tools and approaches needed to create an original score. This course will be delivered by some of the most established and high-profile professional names working in film scoring, contemporary music, and music production, including Ivor Novello Award-winning composers David Holmes (Killing Eve [BBC, 2018-2022]) and Brian Irvine (The Woman in the Wall [BBC, 2023]). Seminars will also feature advice and support from an array of experienced professionals about building a career as a film music composer.
The course covers both the aesthetic and creative aspects of writing for screen as well as technical elements, software, and score preparation methodologies. It further offers the chance to connect with a network of Directors, Producers, and Sound Designers. It is a unique opportunity to experience the real-life process of composing an original score for screen.
As well as learning a huge amount of information from experienced professionals, participants will also come away with a fully mixed and mastered copy of their recorded score. Digital scoring will be strongly encouraged and supported while engaging in composing for a live ensemble will be optional.
Each participant will
- Be mentored by our internationally acclaimed faculty and visiting industry professional
- Compose an original score for a specific segment of film
- Receive copyright permission to use in their portfolio
- Receive a mixed and mastered recording of their composition
The course is a co-production between the contemporary production company Dumbworld and Ulster University. It will take place in the UU Music Department, Foyle Arts Building in Derry/Londonderry.
Schedule Overview
DAY 1
- Welcome & Introduction
- Spotting Session: Creative & Technical Analysis
- Short Film Assignment
- Instrumentation Tutorial
DAY 2
- From conception to composition: Creating and Structuring a score
- Scoring for Screen: Notation – Writing with timecode – Synchronisation of music and visual
- Orchestration as a creative tool: Texture, Timbre, and extended performance techniques
- Individual mentoring sessions
DAY 3
- Discussion and development of ideas
- Sampling technologies
- Individual mentoring sessions
DAY 4
- Individual mentoring sessions: Directions for completing the score
- The Film Value Chain: Creative relations in the Film-Making Process
DAY 5
- Individual mentoring sessions: Finalising the score and troubleshooting
- Score Delivery
DAY 6
- Recording of the Film Scores with Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble
- Feedback session and round-up of the week
DAY 7 & 8 (optional attendance)
- Mix & Mastering of recorded scores with individual composers
Criteria
Age: This course is available to anyone over the age of 18.
Musical Proficiency: While no formal qualifications are required, applicants should possess some music theory and composition skills. This could be demonstrated through previous training, experience, or portfolio submissions.
Creativity and Innovation: We seek applicants who are creative thinkers and willing to push the boundaries of traditional scoring techniques. Applicants should demonstrate an ability to think innovatively and experiment with new ideas.
Collaborative Spirit: The ability to work effectively in a collaborative environment is essential. Applicants should demonstrate strong communication skills and a willingness to collaborate with fellow students, and industry professionals.
Knowledge of Composition and Software: Applicants should have some knowledge of at least one music composition software package such as Sibelius, Finale, Logic, Protools, etc.
Professional Aspirations: While prior experience in film scoring is not required, applicants should have a clear interest in pursuing a career in the field of music composition for film, television, or other visual media.
Commitment to Attendance: Applicants must commit to the full duration of the summer school program and actively participate in all scheduled activities, workshops, and collaborative projects.
Apply Now
Due to the limited availability, we are expecting a high level of interest so early application is recommended.
Open: Now
Closing: Friday 3rd May, 12 pm (Noon)
Places Announced: Monday 6th May
APPLY HERE
Fee
£350.00
The fee does not include Accommodation but does include Lunch.
There will be campus accommodation available starting from £40 p/night. More details will be supplied if the application is successful.
We acknowledge that financial constraints can pose challenges to accessing educational opportunities. While we are actively seeking funding to offer bursaries for eligible students who require financial assistance to attend our course, we cannot guarantee availability. We encourage all interested applicants to consider this aspect when applying. There will be an opportunity in the application process to indicate if financial support would be beneficial for you.
About our Mentors
Brian Irvine
Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Dumbworld, Brian’s huge output includes operas, large scale oratorios, orchestral, ensemble, chamber, solo and dance works as well as film scores and installations. His music has been commissioned, broadcast, and performed all over the world by London Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Irish National Opera…to name but a few. His most recent operatic work Least Like the Other at Royal Opera House was the winner of the Ivor Novello Award for Best Stage Work and was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2023. His work for film and TV includes The Woman in the Wall (BBC, 2023), The Flats (2024) and Ordinary Love (2019) starring Liam Neeson and Lesley Mandeville.
Adam Melvin
Adam Melvin is a composer and lecturer in Popular and Contemporary Music at Ulster University, Derry~Londonderry, Northern Ireland. A great deal of both his compositional and research practice is concerned with interrogating the relationship between music, sound, site and the visual arts, particularly moving image.
His work has been performed throughout the UK and Ireland, mainland Europe, USA and Japan and has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, RTÉ Radio 1 & Lyric FM (Ireland), Antenna 2 (Portugal) and WFMT, Chicago.
His writing, which investigates the relationship between music, sound and screen, has been published in The Soundtrack, Short Film Studies (Intellect) and in Routledge’s Doing Research in Sound Design and Foundations in Sound Design series. He is a member of the Dublin-based Spatial Music Collective and is represented by Ireland’s Contemporary Music Centre.
https://www.cmc.ie/composers/adam-melvin
Alessandra Celesia
Alessandra Celesia trained at the École internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She worked as an actress and director throughout Europe and then launched a career as an author and director. In 2018, she created the company Curious Industries, which explores the boundary between the world of theater and documentary filmmaking by creating hybrid productions, “live films” in which the protagonists are on stage as well as on screen.
Alessandra Celesia has signed several documentaries, including Luntano (2006), The Belfast Bookseller (2012), and Miraggio all’italiana (2013). At FIT 2018 she presented Anatomia del miracolo (2017), The Mechanics Of Things (2023), and most recently The Flats which had its World Premiere at CPH:DOX in March 2024.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1313895/
David Holmes
Belfast born DJ, composer, musician & producer, David is described as one of the most creative and musically cinematic minds of the last two decades and won a BAFTA in 2019 for the soundtrack for Killing Eve. His work for film and TV includes This England (Sky Atlantic 2022) starring Kenneth Branagh as Boris Johnson, Killing Eve (BBC, 2018-2022) starring Sandra Oh, The Fall (BBC, 2013-2016) starring Gillian Anderson, Hunger (2008) starring Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands, and Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve, and Oceans Thirteen (2001, 2004 & 2007) starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon & Al Pacino.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0391794/
Declan Keeney
Declan Keeney, PhD, MA, BMus(Hons), LTCL, PgCHET, PgDIP, SFHEA, FRSA is a Professor (Chair) of Screen Technologies & Innovation at Ulster University & Director of the Ulster Screen Academy.Professor Keeney is Co-Founder & Interim CEO of Studio Ulster Ltd, a £72m ($91m) 75000ft2 commercial Virtual Production Studio complex with a dedicated UKRI AHRC funded CoSTAR R&D lab currently under construction at Belfast Harbour Studios in NI. One of the Belfast Region City Deal Pillar Innovation projects.He is a member of board of the British Film Institute acting as Northern Ireland Governor and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts. Professor Keeney is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the British Council’s Arts & Creative Economy Advisory Group and a Visiting Professor at Liverpool John Moores University. His current research in support of the screen industries represents £91.5m ($116m) worth of live grant-based research and development investments.
John McIlduff
John is a librettist, writer, stage director, producer, and filmmaker, whose work spans opera, television, film, theatre, music videos, commercials, installations and even the odd song lyric.
A graduate of L’École de Theatre Jacques Lecoq in Paris, an Edinburgh Fringe First Winner, and a Total Theatre Innovation Award nominee, John is interested in exploring how arts practice can intersect, combine, evolve, and democratise.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1455193/
Michael Keeney
Michael Keeney is an Irish producer, composer, musician, songwriter and orchestral arranger born in Donegal, Ireland in 1976 and working internationally in the music industry for over 20 years. He is now based in Bangor, Northern Ireland where he runs a suite of private production studios alongside business partner Kris Stronge for both album production and television/film music production (Keeney & Stronge Ltd). He continues to work out of larger scale studios when necessary in locations including London, New York, LA, Sydney, Dublin and Donegal.
https://www.michaelkeeney.info
Hard Rain Ensemble
Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble is a world-class group of musicians based in Belfast, dedicated to the performance of modern and contemporary music. The ensemble was founded by composer Greg Caffrey in 2013 and recently celebrated their 10th anniversary season. In addition to their well-established concert series at home, and having performed at major festivals around Ireland, Hard Rain has also featured internationally at Musicahora Festival (Chile), Nieuwe Noten concert series (Amsterdam), and at Birmingham Conservatoire (UK), often incorporating workshops and masterclasses. As Ensemble in Residence at Queen’s University Belfast, Hard Rain are dedicated Industry Professionals and are based at the Sonic Arts Research Centre, a state-of-the-art facility opened by Karlheinze Stockhausen in 2004.
https://www.hardrainensemble.com/
For General Enquires/Partnerships:
Subject Line ‘NI Film Scoring Summer School Enquiry’
