2nd BASCA Media Composer Conference
The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) has organized a day dedicated for media composers named ‘BASCA Media Composer Conference’, which will bring together industry experts and high profile composers from the worlds of film, TV, adverts and gaming, with the attendance of Rachel Portman, Joris De Man, Richard Jacques, Jessica Curry, Stephen Baysted, Nainita Desai and many more.
This event, that celebrates its second year now, will be held at the Milton Court Hall – Guildhall School of Music & Drama (London, UK) on Friday 20th of April 2018 from 9:15 am to 6:30 pm, and will consist of panels, discussions, and interviews throughout the day, ending with a keynote interview with Academy Award-winning film composer Rachel Portman.
There, leading media composers and industry experts will cover video game music, the booming production music industry, music supervision, and share invaluable advice for music creators, with plenty of networking opportunities, where attendees will be able to speak with many of the panelists and composers.
The schedule will be the following:
9:15 am – Registration and Refreshments
9:50 am – 10:00 am – Introduction to BASCA and Day Overview
10:00 am – 10:50 am – The Composer Team
It will feature a roundtable discussion with the team of people that creatively and technically support the composer. Speakers include film and TV composer and arranger/conductor Andrew Skeet (Black Mirror, ITV’s Victoria), film music mixer Rich Aitken (Silent Witness, Killzone 2) composer, sound designer and producer Simon Ashdown (Britannia, Ex Machina), composer for film, TV & concert works Laura Rossi (Battle of the Somme, London to Brighton) and BAFTA award-winning music editor John Warhurst (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Les Misérables).
11:00 am – 11:50 am – Video Game Music
The panel will discuss topics such as how do I break into this industry? What are the specific challenges of working in the interactive medium compared with other entertainment forms?
Speakers will include Ivor Novello Award winning composer & sound designer Joris De Man (Horizon Zero Dawn, Killzone), award-winning British film, TV and video game composer Stephen Baysted (Project Cars, Need for Speed: Shift), BAFTA–winning contemporary classical composer Jessica Curry (Dear Esther, So Let Us Melt), award-winning Bristol based film, TV and video games composer Tess Tyler (LEGO Group games, Dead and Burried) and panel chair Richard Jacques, who is a multi-award winning, BAFTA and Ivor Novello nominated composer for film, TV and video games (James Bond 007: Blood Stone, Alice in Wonderland).
12:00 pm – 12:50 pm – Meet the Music Supervisors
An in-depth panel discussion examining the current landscape of the industry, the relationship between the composer and director, full of tips and advice on what music supervisors are looking for and how best to secure sync deals.
Speakers include Managing Director of Native Music Dan Neale, Music Director of Soho Music Laura Harrison, international music supervisor Michelle De Vries and moderated by BASCA board director Mark Ayres.
12:50 pm – 2:00 pm – Lunch (included) and networking
2:00 pm – 3:20 pm – Surviving as a Media Composer: Tips + Tricks
From publishing, networking, pitching and communicating with directors, this panel will look at the art of navigating a career as a professional media composer with BASCA Media Executive Committee member and BAFTA-nominated composer Kevin Sargent (Ordinary Lies, The Wrong Mans), composer and collaborator Tom Hodge (McMafia, Vodafone, Sky Formula 1), BAFTA Breakthrough Brit Nainita Desai (Earth’s Natural Wonders, The Confessions of Thomas Quick), BAFTA and three times Ivor Novello Award–winner Rob Lane (Channel 4’s Elizabeth, The A Word) and composer of some of the biggest entertainment programs on British TV Paul Farrer (The Weakest Link, Dancing on Ice).
3:30pm – 4:20pm – Production Music
This panel will address writing production music with Sarah Pickering, Head of Promotions at Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Natalie Dickins, MD and owner of Felt Music (The Grand Tour, Pepsi), Caspar Kedros, Director of Production at BMG Music UK (The Shape of Water, BBC Sport Relief), Dan Graham, owner of Gothic Storm (Black Panther, Blade Runner 2049) and BASCA board director Marc Sylvan (Pointless, Million Pound Drop).
4:30 pm – 4:45 pm – Tea/coffee break
4:45 pm – 5:45 pm – IN CONVERSATION WITH… Rachel Portman – Interviewed by Nainita Desai and Q+A
The conference will star British composer Rachel Portman, who became the first female composer to win an Academy Award for her score of Emma. She has received two further Academy Nominations for The Cider House Rules and Chocolat, which also earned her a Golden Globe Nomination. Writer of stage and concert works, among them commissions from the BBC Proms and Houston Grand Opera, in 2010 Rachel Portman was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
5:45 pm – Networking (drinks included)
Tickets for this very interesting event, with prices between 35-79 GBP (40-91 €), are available here:
https://basca.org.uk/basca-events/basca-presents-media-composer-conference/
