Envision Sound 2019-2020 - a hot opportunity for film score composers

The British Council and the National Oleksandr Dovzhenko Centre are announcing an open call for applications to participate in the third cycle of Envision Sound, the educational programme for film score composers. The programme, which includes a creative laboratory, lectures, networking, individual consultations with experts from the audiovisual sector, as well as evening film screenings with live music accompaniment will run in Kyiv, on 20–24 January.

Envision Sound 2019–2020 is open to composers from Ukraine, as well as Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Montenegro who want to improve their skill at composing film scores, widen their professional horizons and better understand the international audiovisual industry.

Together with a project mentor, participants will look at opportunities and challenges in composing music for films and work on their own soundtracks for archive footage or Ukrainian films in production.

The list of mentors from previous years includes some of the most sought-after composers in Britain, like Michael Price  (co-author of the soundtrack for BBC’s Sherlock and Emmy winner), Nainita Desai  (composer for film and television and leading broadcasting companies like BBC HBO, ITV, С4; Music+Sound Award and BAFTA Breakthrough Brits 2016-2017 winner), Neil Brand  (one the best piano improv film accompanists in the world), as well as Ukranian composer Alla Zahaykevych (winner of the Ukrainian Film Academy Golden Dzyga for Best Composer).

For the first time in the programme, participants of Envision Sound 2019-2020 will have the chance to record their music with the Kyiv Fantastic Orchestra as part of the creative laboratory. Watch a short video of the orchestra, under the guidance of conductor Natalia Stets, performing Neil Brand’s soundtrack to Hitchcock’s Blackmail in February 2019. Participants will have the opportunity to work with solo musicians too.

As always, after the programme is completed, the British Council along with the Dovzhenko Centre will offer grants to further support some of the projects developed by composers during the creative laboratory.

Envision Sound 2019-2020 will be curated by Alla Zahaykevych.

‘We’ve built a fruitful working relationship with a great film director during the workshop, we are working with him on an amazing movie right now, it’s already on imdb. Also, we got very useful advices from the mentors of the programme,’ Luka Lebanidze and Zviad Mgebrishvili, Envision Sound 2018-2019 participants from Georgia.

Requirements

  • be aspiring composers at the beginning of their careers who have completed at least two pieces for any kind of film or television genre;
  • have an English level of at least B2;
  • be citizens of Ukraine, or one of the other eligible countries: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Uzbekistan or Montenegro;
  • be able to attend workshops and other programme events on 20-24 January 2020.

We would love to see people with diverse experiences in different musical styles and film genres in our programme. The main requirement is the desire to write music for films.

How to apply

Fill out the applicatin form in English, attach 2-3 of your recent musical works with notes and send them in. At least one of the pieces has to be done for film/video. The maximum length of a composition is 15 minutes. Please find the apllication at the link .

More details you can find here.

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