CALL FOR APPLICATIONS - GCFC-SNS Emerging Composer-Director Mentorship Program
Tuesday, August 04, 2009

29th Atlantic Film Festival – Music & Image Program
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS:
GCFC-SNS Emerging Composer-Director Mentorship Program
APPLICATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY AUGUST 14th at 5PM

The Atlantic Film Festival Association (AFFA) in partnership with the Guild of Canadian Film Composers (GCFC) and Symphony Nova Scotia (SNS) are pleased to present an innovative program for emerging film composers and directors. Four composers and four film directors will be given the opportunity to work together on the composition of an original score for an original short three-minute film cue with the participation of the 37 musician Symphony Nova Scotia. This Program will be presented during the 29th Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, NS, in September.

Both Composer and Director will benefit from hands on mentorship from established film composers, orchestrators, and recording engineers throughout the entire collaboration. Each team will be given approximately 30 minutes with the orchestra to record their cue in a fully produced recording session at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. 

This recording session will also be open to AFF delegates as an “open house” to observe the world of creating music for film. The Director and Composer will then work with an engineer to edit and mix their takes in 5.1 Surround Sound, which will then be screened at a panel discussion at the 29th Atlantic Film Festival to address the experience and challenges associated with the music creation process from their individual perspective.

Directors should submit a film clip no longer than 3 minutes in duration. This may be part of a work in a progress or a work already completed. In their cover letter/narrative, they should explain why they feel their cue would be suitable for an orchestral score. This film clip should be a locked, final cut with timecode burn-in in a Quicktime DV format.

For the purposes of the project, the jury will recognize someone as emerging if they have not worked on a feature length film as a composer or director.

An emerging composer who meets the following criteria is eligible if he/she:

• is actively looking to pursue film and media composing as a full-time career (this is not for hobbyists or students),
• has not received fair-market payment for scoring a feature-length film or documentary,
• has sufficient working knowledge of arranging, composing, and orchestration to successfully complete the project independently. (N.B.: this does not necessarily mean that the composer has worked with orchestra before, but should be familiar with basic arranging and notation.)
• has the capability of providing a synthesized mock-up score, synchronized to picture, to provide to their collaborators and mentors.
• has the capability of creating both parts and scores for the recording session.

An emerging director who meets the following criteria is eligible if he/she:

• is actively looking to pursue a full-time career in film (this is not for hobbyists or students),
• has not completed a feature-length film or documentary,
• at the time of submission, has a three minute film or portion of a film that is a locked final cut suitable for an orchestral score.

*More established directors and composers are welcome to apply, but should realize that priority will be given to those who are at the emerging stage of their career*

Applicants should note that this extraordinary opportunity is made possible with the generous permission of the Symphony Nova Scotia Player’s Committee. This project is about process, and not final product. Program participants will need to acknowledge that:

1. Absolutely under no circumstances are the cues recorded to be used for commercial purposes or for any additional public performance or broadcast,

2. If Symphony Nova Scotia deems the recordings unrepresentative of its professional standards, it reserves the right to limit the use of the cues for archival purposes only.

3. As the recordings created through this program are not intended to be final products, should your film require an orchestral recording, you will consider hiring Symphony Nova Scotia to make this recording and will request a cost estimate.

4. You will grant Symphony Nova Scotia to perform these selections in the future, either in or out of synchronization with the film, at their discretion.

SCHEDULE:
(Participants must be available in Halifax for each date listed below)

SUNDAY SEPT 20
Introductory Prep Session with Recording Engineer

MONDAY SEPT 21
Recording Session with SNS (afternoon)

WEDNESDAY SEPT 23
Mix Session with Recording Engineer

FRIDAY SEPT 25
Final Screening and Panel

Participants will be required to take part in an introductory conference call sometime in late August. Composer and Director teams will be expected to collaborate and communicate with each other, either in person, by telephone or by the Internet. Composers will be expected to submit their work to a mentor for feedback.

*Application open to Atlantic Canadian composers and filmmakers*

COMPOSER’S APPLICATION CHECKLIST:

• Cover Letter/Statement of Intent (what you are looking to get out of this program)
• CV – please include contact info (address, phone number, email…)
• 3-Minute Audio Only Demo Reel in the Form of an MP3 file.  (This 3 minute sample should be representative of your best work and demonstrate the extent of your composition ability. Although it does not need to be entirely orchestral, it should showcase your ability to write dramatic music for orchestra. It can be a one piece or a combination of many.)
• Sample Written Score.  (This score sample does not necessarily need to be of the three minute audio demo presented, but needs to confirm the composer’s abilities in music notation and arranging. The score does not necessarily need to be an orchestral score, but it needs to showcase that the candidate has the ability to write for orchestra.)

DIRECTOR’S APPLICATION CHECKLIST:

• Biography – please include contact info (address, phone number, email…)
• Filmography
• Preview Copy of 3-Minute Film to be Scored.  (This file may be compressed, but selected directors will be required to provide an uncompressed Quicktime DV file of their cue with timecode burn-in when accepted)
• Statement of Intent (what are you looking to get out of this program, why you feel your particular cue would lend itself to an orchestral score)

The jury will consist of a representative from Symphony Nova Scotia, the Atlantic Film Festival, and the Guild of Canadian Film Composers.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY AUGUST 14th at 5PM

All applicants will be notified by Monday August 24th

*The Music & Image Program, a partnership created by the East Coast Music Association and the Atlantic Film Festival Association is an ongoing collaboration designed to bridge the gap between the music and film industries. The Program manifests itself during the 29th Atlantic Film Festival from September 21-25th, 2009 as a series of professional development and networking opportunities, as well as panels, one-on-one meetings and showcases. For further information on these events or for information on how to register for a Music & Image delegate pass, please visit http://www.atlanticfilm.com/musicandimage

INSTRUCTIONS FOR UPLOADING SAMPLE MP3 AND FILM:

*You can upload your 3 minute MP3 file or film to the Atlantic Film Festival FTP site.

NOTE: YOU MUST ACCESS THE AFFA FTP FROM FTP SOFTWARE. The following instructions outline how to download and install FTP software.*

AFF FTP Server: 142.176.161.155

User Name: GCFC

Password: atlanticfilmfe$tival

(Please note the username and password are CASE SENSATIVE)

Instructions to download FREE FTP Program:

Step 1:

For Windows: Go to http://filezilla-project.org/ - on the front page there is a link to download the FileZilla Client, click this. On the next page under the Windows section choose either the .exe file or the .zip file. If you don’t know what a .zip file is download the .exe file (The one that is recommended).

For Macs: Go to http://cyberduck.ch - on the right side of the webpage there is a link to download the newest version of Cyberduck (3.2). Click on the link and the .dmg file will begin downloading.

Step 2:

For Windows: Once the file has finished downloading, double click the .exe file and follow the onscreen instructions to install the application.

For Macs: Once the file is finished downloading, mount the .dmg file, open it, and drag the Application into your Applications folder.

Running FTP Software & Uploading WAV File

Step 1:

For Windows: Launch FileZilla

For Macs: Launch Cyberduck

Step 2:

For Windows: When FileZilla opens you will see a bar near the top of the window that allows you to enter in the following information: Host, Username, Password, and Port.

For Mac: In the top left corner click on the “Open Connection” button. This will open a new window

Step 3:

For Windows: Enter the FTP information found on the previous page into the appropriate boxes. “Host” being the “AFFA FTP Server”, port is 21. Remember that usernames and passwords are case sensitive.

For Mac: In the new window be sure that the drop down menu at the top has “FTP (File Transfer Protocol)” selected.

Enter the Server information (leave the port at its default setting, 21)

Enter the username (case sensitive)

Enter the password (case sensitive)

Step 4:

For Windows: Click quick connect and you will connect to the FTP server. Once connected, you will see the files on your computer in the left pane and the files on the FTP in the right pane. On the FTP server double click the folder labeled MusicNImageFTP, this will take you inside the folder. Next, find your .WAV file on your computer in the left pane and simply drag it into the right pane. Your file will begin to upload, once completed please disconnect and close the application.

For Mac: Click connect and once connected open the MusicNImageFTP folder. Drag your .WAV file into this window and it will begin uploading.

Once uploaded please disconnect and close the application.