Project Soundwave: Music and Scoring in Film

Musical scores that accompany film create a mood and reinforce the Director’s style and theme. To gain insight and provide an interactive experience, WCFF Educational Workshops this year focus on Music and Scoring in Film. Throughout the weekend, our presenters and panelists will discuss the history of music in film. Workshop attendees will receive instruction on using software scoring tools to actually score a film.

Friday Night

Panel Discussion:
The Creative and Technical Process of Scoring in Film
Don Kinnier, Mike DeMirjian, Rodney Whittenberg, Brian Dickman, Len Miller
7:00-9:15pm • The Masonic Lodge • 10 South Church St. • 2nd fl

Our panel of distinguished professional composers and editors will discuss their experiences and provide their insights to guide you through the process of creating original music to accompany a visual medium. They will review the aesthetics, terminology, procedures, and technical aspects of film scoring. Attendees will learn how to develop concepts and synchronize them to the visual events on film.

Saturday

SmartSound® and Sonic Fire Pro Audio Software for Film Scoring
Brian Dickman • VP of SmartSound Software, Inc.
9:00-10:30am • The Masonic Lodge • 10 S. Church St. • 2nd fl

SmartSound Software, Inc., is the leading provider of music and scoring technology for the film and video industry. The company’s Sonicfire Pro 4 solution is the most powerful and flexible option available to filmmakers who want full control over their music scores. Accessing a diverse library of music created by leading film and TV composers, Sonicfire Pro 4 gives filmmakers a range of customization options which allow them to quickly get the perfect score for their scenes. Filmmakers have access to multiple arrangements of any track from SmartSound’s library with Sonicfire Pro 4, and have full control over the mix of individual instrument layers. More information can be found at <http://www.smartsound.com> .

Brian Dickman will introduce and demonstrate their flagship Sonicfire 4.5 product for professional videographers and multimedia creators. This software takes their original patented technology and combines it with a new, professional, streamlined interface and adds video importing and powerful audio editing and marker features for the ultimate soundtrack creation tool for professionals. Along with their selection of over 100 CDs of the industry's top-quality music and sound effects, including “The Film Score Series”, puts the work of top film and television composers into the hands of anyone looking for a professional-quality, royalty-free soundtrack for their project.

The Movies Before They Spoke:
History of Scoring Composition in Film
Don Kinnier • Conductor Extraordinaire
noon-1:00pm • The Masonic Lodge • 10 S. Church St. • 2nd fl

• Learn about the History of film and how it was (or wasn’t) accompanied from its simple start, as a proof of a millionaire’s wager, up through the teens & 1920’s.
• Discover how music not only affects our emotions, but learn how to choose or compose music that fits (and forwards) the film.
• Revisit the films presented at the WCFF November 2007 Gala. Discover how the musical choices came about, the mechanics of getting a live orchestra synchronized with the films, and making the final cue sheets.
• Witness a live accompaniment to a silent short film. Discover the differences between live vs. computer edited synchronization.

Project Soundwave: The 2008 WCFF Interactive Competition
Scoring Competition with Coaching and Instruction
Mike DeMirjian, Don Kinnier, Rodney Whittenberg, Brian Dickman
9:00-10:30am • 1:30-4:30pm • The Masonic Lodge • 10 S. Church St. • 2nd fl

Put your new-found knowledge and insight to use! In this Interactive Workshop Series, attendees will participate in the 2008 Film Scoring Competition. Intended for filmmakers, musicians and avid film viewers alike, 10 teams (1+ individuals) will experience this new scoring software, receive instruction on its use and applications, and actually score a short film. (how exicting is that?!) Industry professionals will provide one-on-one coaching to each competing team, who will create a score for “Stunt Friend” (a short film written for and produced during the 2005 WCFF Interactive Workshops). Each score will be judged by our esteemed panel and the winning score will be presented at the Closing Night Awards Party.

With generous support from our sponsors and presenters, the WCFF is pleased to be able to provide the computers, software and coaching that will allow attendees to work within this fascinating process. Our winning team will receive SmartSound audio software and accompanying cd’s of royalty-free music.


From WC to LA
Tim Chambers • Director, Producer, Filmmaker
4:45-5:30pm • The Knights of Columbus • 110 W. Market St. • Theatre

West Chesters’ own Tim Chambers, is readying his return to the big screen as producer, writer and director of "Our Lady of Victory". As President of Quaker Media Productions, Tim has encountered the trials and tribulations which accompany the process of taking a local story and transforming it into a feature film. Set to engage audiences all around the world, Tim will share his entertainment industry experiences which have taken him from West Chester to LA (and everywhere in between) while keeping an eye out for that next great story.

Sunday

Project Soundwave: The 2008 WCFF Interactive Competition
Scoring Competition with Coaching and Instruction
Mike DeMirjian, Don Kinnier, Rodney Whittenberg, Brian Dickman
noon-3:00pm • The Masonic Lodge • 10 S. Church St. • 2nd fl

In our 3rd day of this interactive workshop, teams will put the finishing touches on their scores, and wrap up the process in time for judging by our esteemed panel. Not able to be a team member? Be sure to drop in to experience the film scoring process as it unfolds.

Workshops are subject to change at the discretion of the presenter(s).
In some venues seating is limited so make sure to get there on time!

Workshop Presenter Bios

Tim Chambers is an experienced entertainment executive who has spent 18 years in the film, television, and technology industries. His unique ability to combine creativity, execution, and business acumen is demonstrated by his long list of accomplishments. Chambers recently produced, wrote, and directed "Our Lady of Victory" - an inspirational feature film based on the improbable true story of tiny Immaculata College winning the first national championship in women's basketball. He has served as the Director of the Pennsylvania Film Office for Governor Tom Ridge. He's a former partner in Solaris Entertainment (Miracle), and former VP of Development for Stuart Benjamin Productions (La Bamba). Along with his movie industry accomplishments, he produced and launched the "Real Estate on Demand" Channel for Comcast. He is the founder of Quaker Media and is based in Philadelphia, PA.


Mike DeMirjian is a national Emmy Award winning editor whose work spans from the testosterone-laden turf of NFL Films (ESPN et al.) to the über-estrogenic abode of Brini Maxwell (Style Network). He has also cut numerous commercials, as well as programs & vignettes for HGTV, VH1, HBO and CBS Sports.

He regularly checks beneath the sofa cushions in his apartment for spare change and, from time to time, collects enough to produce & direct short pictures. One of those pictures,“When Dancers Go Bowling,” has enjoyed worldwide festival screenings & awards and has been dubbed a cult favorite back in hometown Philly.

Michael now makes New York his home, but still returns every so often to visit his folks & friends and to run up tabs at various local pubs.

Brian Dickman - His bio is yet to come

Don Kinnier began his musical studies on the organ at the age of 9. While a student at Drexel Institute of Technology he was introduced to the theater organ and was ultimately coaxed to try his hand at silent film accompaniment. That was a sea change moment in his musical life. Don fell in love with film accompaniment and has been actively involved in film music for all the intervening years.

In addition to his on-going work with Montgomery County Community College’s Betzwood Fim Festival, he has also accompanied classic films at the Philadelphia Film Festival and continues providing original scores for a broad selection of unique silent films at More College of Art and University of Pennsylvania. Most recently Don accepted the position of Music Director of The New Reading Theater Orchestra, a thirteen piece salon orchestra specializing in the accompaniment of silent films. In this incarnation, he took part in the West Chester Film Festivals Silent Film Gala in November 2007.

Len Miller - A multi-Emmy-winning composer and the owner of DreamScape Music, he has created scores and sound design for all facets of film and television. DreamScape scores can be heard on Comcast SportsNet (all show themes), numerous feature films, CBS affiliates, National Geographic, MSNBC, and in many other projects. Len’s currently scoring a 13-part crime series for the Discovery Channel.

Rodney Whittenberg is an Emmy Award-winning Philadelphia composer and filmmaker. He is the founder and president of Melodyvision Entertainment Group, a full-service music, sound and recording facility providing production services, content, and education for the arts and entertainment communities since 1985. To find out more about Melodyvision: <http://www.melodyvision.com>  and rodneywhittenberg.com