Program Guide & FAQs
WHO IS THIS PROGRAM FOR
The GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program, Spain is designed for composers, musicians and creative innovators, of any age, nationality and country of residence, who are or could be able to work as a composer in the global film and visual media industry. We seek passionate, focused and motivated participants who are innovative and ready to learn, contribute and create. Composers who feel they can take on the creative challenge to tell an original story through music.
If you want to learn from amazing Award Winning Hollywood Composers. If you want to meet inspirational new friends and take your career forward. If you want to share your music with an award winning composer during a mentor session. If you want to hear your composition played live and recorded by a professional 65 piece orchestra, then we look forward to welcoming you to the
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program,
Spain 2020
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
Software Requirements
If you are attending the
full program with the
65 piece
orchestral recording you will require a computer with
DAW software such as
Logic. Also, importantly a scoring software such as
Sibelius to create your score and parts for the
65 piece orchestral recording and to share your score for review with
Pete Anthony during your
Orchestration Program.
Our faculty provide
technical support for
Logic and
Sibelius.
You can get free 30 day trials for
Sibelius
You can get free 90 day trials for
Logic
If you are attending just the
Christopher Young Film Scoring Program, you will require a computer with
DAW software to present your
mockup assignment at the end of the program.
If you are attending just the
Pete Anthony Orchestration Program, you will need a computer with a scoring software such as
Sibelius to create your score for review during the program.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE INDIVIDUAL PETE ANTHONY PROGRAM
What's Included:
Pete Anthony Orchestration Program
Awards, scores, t-shirt, certificates
Visiting Artists MasterClasses from the main program that coincide are included
YOUR 65 PIECE ORCHESTRA
2.2.2.2
2 flutes (one player can also play piccolo)
2 oboe (one player can also play english horn)
2 clarinets (one player can also play bass clarinet)
2 bassoon (one player can also play contrabassoon)
8.2.4.1
8 french horns
2 trumpets (in B flat or in C)
4 trombones (1 bass trombone)
1 Tuba
1 Harp
12.10.8.6.2
12 first violins
10 second violins
8 violas
6 celli
2 double basses (4 strings)
1 player for 4 timpani (32”, 29", 26", 23")
2 players for orchestral percussion maximum 2 instruments for each player
Bass drum, snare drum, congas, bongos, drum set (BD, Snare, Hi-hat, 1 12” high tom, 1 16” floor tom, 1 Ride Cymbal, 2 Crash Cymbals). Cymbals a 2,1 tam tam Xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel, marimba, tubular bells
Triangle, wind chimes, sleigh bells, finger cymbals, 2 cowbells, tambourine, guiro, castanets, 3 temple blocks, ratchet, claves, cabasa, maracas, whip, vibra slap Various whistles
Sufficient time must be provided in your score for players to switch instruments during the recording of your composition.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE ONE DAY PASS
What's Included:
Tripple A pass
Any classes on any one day
Personalised Official Program T-shirt
Official Photograph with Tutor/s
HOW CAN I REGISTER
You can choose to either pay the full tuition fee including the deposit
here and register your contact details and supporting materials afterwards, or complete your registration on the
home page and submit your deposit to secure your place and be sent a link to complete your tuition payment by June 1st 2020.
Prepare your registration requirements:
1 enter your contact details
2 select your chosen program
3 enter a URL link to your music
4 select your gender if you wish to apply for a GEMS scholarship - (not obligatory)
5 include a tax ID number if you require a company invoice
6 upload your CV and Personal Statement
7 select if you wish to apply for a GEMS scholarship
8 click register, then on the following page, submit your deposit via paypal or credit card
Once completed you will be sent a letter of confirmation and welcome. An invitation to join our GEMS Facebook group where you will meet other participants joining the 2020 program as well as participants from previous programs, faculty and tutors. If you register on the home page, you will be sent a URL link to complete your tuition fee payment, by JUNE 1st 2020. If you pay the tuition fee directly you will be sent a registration form to complete.
APPLICATION CHECK LIST
Your application check list items we require are:
1 A URL link to your music
2 A self photograph
3 Curriculum Vitae
4 Your Personal Statement
Please submit your required portfolio items ready for your one to one mentoring session with Christopher Young. Prior to your one to one mentoring session, Christopher Young will receive & review your work, read your personal statement, your CV/Resume, put a name to a face and above all, listen to your compositions, ready for your one to one mentoring session.
You can submit additional material such as a bio as separate items on your PDF.
APPLICATION TUITION FEE
Film Scoring Program with the 65 piece orchestral recording · 3600€
Film Scoring Program without the 65 piece orchestral recording · 2800€
Individual Program · 960€
One Day Pass · 350€
Hollywood Composers Residency · 1 month in LA · The Experience Tour · 3300€
Hollywood Composers Residency · 2 months in LA · The Elevation Tour · 6600€
Hollywood Composers Residency · 3 months in LA · The Residency Tour · 9300€
SCHOLARSHIPS
ScoreLive Scholarships
Film Scoring Program with the 65 piece orchestral recording · 2600€
One Day Pass · 100€
GEMS 6 Scholarships
Film Scoring Program with the 65 piece orchestral recording · 2600€
HOW WILL I GET MY RECORDING
Your 65 orchestral recordings will be sent via wetransfer as Pro Tools Sessions to each composer within 48 hours after the recording.
HOW WILL I GET MY VIDEO RECORDING
The video footage of your 65 orchestral recordings will be sent via wetransfer as .mov files
to each composer within 7 working days after the recording from the production company.
NEED TO TALK?
If you still need help, don’t hesitate, don't wait, email us music@gems.courses
PROGRAM TIMES, DATES & LOCATION
The GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program and 65 piece orchestral recording will take place in Valencia, Spain in July 2020. Dates and program location are to be confirmed (TBC)
Due to the Global Coronavirus Pandemic GEMS may
change, move, delayed,
postponed,
rescheduled or cancel the
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program, Spain 2020.
GEMS 6 SCHOLARSHIPS
6 scholarships are shared between, 3 Contemporary Female Composers and 3 Contemporary Male Composers.
The 6 scholarships will be awarded during April 2020 to 6 composers who have registered and deposited for the GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program, Spain 2020. The scholarships can only be used for the full GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program including the 65 piece orchestral recording. The 1000€ scholarships are deducted from the GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program tuition fee for the full program.
To qualify you need to submit all the required supporting documents and deposit, register for the full program, and select I would like to apply for a scholarship on the registration form.
If selected you will be notified by GEMS.
GEMS Scholarships recipients must complete the tuition fee payment by June 1st 2020. Unclaimed
scholarships will be redistributed in May 2020. GEMS Scholarships are only accepted for the full
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program. ScoreLive scholarship recipients are not eligible. One scholarship per individual.
YOUR PERSONAL STATEMENT
Your personal statement is your chance to tell the GEMS Board of Scholarships & Admissions, and the tutors, all about you, your music and your musical career to date, in about 500 words.
Try breaking your personal statement in to three parts:
The Opening Statement:
This is the first paragraph that will be read, so make it count. A strong introductory synopsis about you and your career goals will show you have begun to identify who you are, what you have achieved and what you are aiming towards.
(guide 100 words)
The Main Content
Here you can blend a mix of personal, creative and academic development with relevant professional experiences, demonstrate your musical strengths and skills or your music business experiences.
(guide 300 words)
The Closing Statement:
Your opportunity to close with a powerful message focusing on where you aim to be, how you can professionally contribute to the industry and where you can take your career.
(guide 100 words)
We do not require any personal financial information in your personal statement.
THE SUMMER PROGRAM MAGAZINE
All participants will need to send in a brief paragraph about themselves and a photo for the GEMS magazine by June 1st 2020. The GEMS magazine is for our Tutors, Faculty, Participants and selected music industry GEMS contacts. You will be sent a URL link to upload your info once you have paid the tuition fee.
YOUR CURRICULUM VITAE
Writing a CV can be a daunting challenge. What to include? What to leave out?
As the first former
Graduate Admissions, Scholarships and International Careers
Manager at Berklee, I created a simple first step guide for masters and undergraduate applicants to use as a stepping stone towards creating a great CV.
The purpose or objective of any CV (resume in the USA) is to demonstrate clearly to the reader, how you meet the requested skill and experience requirements. It is a start, an introduction, that you can then amplify in person, as you move forward in the selection process.
So try this approach - break your CV down in to the following 3 areas of interest and aim to keep your CV on a single A4 page.
1
Personal details - up to date
2
Education and training - your top 2 qualifications with a brief description
3
Professional experiences - your top 3 experiences/credits/awards with a brief description
That is all we require from your CV, and it is a super starting off talking point for your one-on-one with
Christopher Young, where you can expand and build upon what you wrote in person during your mentor session on the
GEMS summer program.
You can submit your own type of CV if you prefer.
WHAT MUSIC SHOULD I CHOOSE
It’s all about the music, so let’s start with choosing the right music to share with GEMS Board of Admissions and Scholarships. Which ever composition you select, make sure that represents and reflects you and your current style as a composer. From a musical sketch to a completed piece. From a duet to full orchestra.
You can share a URL link to a single audio composition track created with a visual idea in mind.
You can share a URL link to a score to video, film, game or visual media.
We do not require a supporting score. You can submit additional music later if you wish for your one-on-one. This should be sent to us one month before the start of the program
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE FULL PROGRAM
What's Included:
GEMS Christopher Young Film Scoring Program
GEMS Garry Schyman Video Game Scoring Program
GEMS Pete Anthony Orchestration Program
65 Piece Orchestral Recording
Lunch with the Tutor/s
Video of your Orchestral Recording
Pro tools session
Full copyright and ownership of your recording
Mentoring 1 to 1 session with Christopher Young
Additional MasterClasses
Awards, scores, t-shirt, certificates
End of Program Flamenco Party
YOUR SUPPORTING MATERIALS PDF
Your Supporting Materials listed below, must be made in to a single PDF file titled with your full name, and uploaded on the registration form. The following 3 items should be attached:
1 Your Curriculum Vitae
2 Your Personal Statement
3 A photograph of yourself
WHERE ARE THE TEACHERS FROM?
Our tutors are from the Award Winning Hollywood film scoring community, including being tutors at the esteemed University of Southern California (USC) film scoring program. Our faculty are both experienced composers and established academics. Check out past and present faculty and tutors
WHO WILL BE ATTENDING THE PROGRAM
To date almost 100 people from 27 countries around the world, have attended various GEMS programs since our launch in summer 2017.
Inspirational and talented composers from all over the world have joined us, so you will be working in a true global village, meeting fellow composers bringing new, exciting and different skills and processes. Almost half of the participants last summer were women composers.
Each year, undergraduates and masters students, new composers entering the industry to award winning established professional composers attend the
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program, Spain. You are about to make new
friends for life, from our diverse international community, building creative, cultural and professional relationships and work opportunities.
One way to get an idea about the type of composers who will be joining the program is to look at who has previously joined and also returned. Meet the 2017, 2018, 2019 participants are hear their thoughts about the program.
Interviews here
WHAT TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT IS IT
On our annual GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program, Spain we create a warm, kind, friendly, welcoming positive vibe in a supportive environment.
We are a creative laboratory for the contemporary musician and creative artist by constantly developing, stimulating and improving our educational experiences and environment each year.
We know that you have made a big effort to attend and we want you to feel you made the right choice joining us. So please do check out our participant interviews from 2017, 2018 and 2019 to find out what they thought about the program and see if it is the kind of program you would want to join.
Interviews here
WHAT CAN I RECORD WITH THE ORCHESTRA
Participants on the full summer program have a 65 piece orchestral recording included in the program. During the Christopher Young Film Scoring Program you are given an assignment to score a mail title or cue from a selection of features scored by Christopher Young.
You can record your original score from that assignment with the 65 piece orchestra.
Check out the participants who recorded a mail title
here
Alternatively, you can bring in another original composition you have written to record with the orchestra. It must use some or all of the orchestral lineup advertised. Check out some participants who brought in a different piece of music to record
here
CAN I CONDUCT THE ORCHESTRA
Yes! If you are proficient and want to conduct the orchestra you can. In previous summer programs a few composers have conducted. Check out the participants who conducted their mail title here
PROGRAM POLICY & GUIDE
Coronavirus Refunds
If the program is
cancelled due to the
Coronavirus pandemic, you will receive a full refund at what ever stage of the application process you are at. If the program is
delayed,
postponed,
rescheduled, due to the
Coronavirus pandemic you can either continue to secure your place on the
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program with your tuition fee or deposit payments, or if you are unable to attend a new date, have a full refund.
GEMS reserves the right to remove without refund any participant who fails to comply with our
behavioural code of conduct.
For
rights reasons, the music you submit, compose during the program and record with the orchestra, must be your own original composition.
If you are under 16 and joining us, you will need to make arrangements to have a parent, guardian or accompanying adult responsible for you, before and after the daily classes. You can attend the classes without supervision with written confirmation from a parent or guardian.
GEMS have the rights to use any content we make from the
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program. The video of the recording session, interviews, blogs, all photographs and videos taken during the program, for promotions, marketing and publicity for future GEMS programs.
Blogs: If you are awarded one of the
6 GEMS Scholarships, you will be asked to write a daily blog during the program. This must be completed and published each day. Include a
150 word minimum text and
2 photos relating to the text. Videos are not included in the Blog. The full tuition fee is liable should the Blog not be completed.
The recordings will last approximately 20 minutes. Recording times are guided and managed by GEMS and our conductor. If you have successfully recorded your composition and have a few minutes remaining we will move forward with the next recording. If you have not successfully completed your recording in the 20 minutes, no additional recording time above 20 minutes is provided.
ScoreLive Winners and 2nd Place Winners: Due to the
Coronavirus Pandemic, they are now warmly invited to record their compositions on the
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program ScoreLive Competition
ScoreLive Scholarships for the
24 ScoreLive 1000€ scholarship runner ups can be used towards the tuition fee for the full GEMS summer program.
Your Program
ScoreLive Scholarships. All non selected participants can be used the
250€
ScoreLive Scholarship to attend any of the GEMS summer programs through the
one day pass. They can be used towards any program except the individual Christopher Young Program.
GEMS 6 1000€ Scholarship awards are made towards the tuition fee for the full
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program. GEMS scholarships are limited to one award per participant. Recipients will be named in our marketing and promotions. ScoreLive winners, 2nd place winners and the 24 runner up recipients are not eligible for the GEMS scholarships. All other entires to the ScoreLive Competition are eligible to apply for the GEMS scholarships. The scholarship will reduce the tuition fee by the amount awarded.
Programs
Transfer Charges: GEMS will return your admissions and deposit fee with deducted bank, credit card or PayPal transfer charges we incurred upon receipt. Any return fee charges incurred by the recipient will not be included. Admissions fees will be returned via the same platform from which they were issued.
If sufficient registrations are not received by May 1st 2020, the
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program may be closed and full refunds made to all those who had registered. This date is subject to change depending upon the
Coronavirus.The published date for the
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program, may be subject to change, due to the Coronavirus.
Due to limited time, participants on the full
GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program are priorities for the one-on-one sessions. Participants on the individual Christopher Young program, will be offered a one-on-one session afterward, in order of their joining date, dependant upon availability.
Hollywood Composers Residency is not transferable to another person. Dates to attend Upstart are subject to availability of Upstart. Rooms are gender orientated. It is not an offer of employment, nor a recruitment or employment agency.
GEMS reserve the right to make all changes to the program, add updates, remove and cancel items on the program without replacement, replace tutors and faculty, change the dates of the program, change the location of the program and the recording, change the orchestra, change the orchestral lineup, delay, postpone, reschedule or cancel the program. All GEMS scholarships are nullified should the program not take place.
All decisions by GEMS are final.
TUITION FEE & DEPOSIT PAYMENTS
To pay your complete Tuition Fees
Pay the complete program tuition fee, that includes your deposit for your chosen program can be made via our website using Credit Card or PayPal here: Tuition Fees. Tuition fees can also be made by bank transfer. Contact us for our bank transfer details. You will then be sent a URL to complete your registration details.
To just pay your Deposit
You can register on the home page and simultaneously pay your 500€ deposit to secure your place on the GEMS Film Scoring Summer Program. Once your deposit has been received you will be sent a URL link to complete your tuition payment by either credit card, Paypal or bank transfer by JUNE 1st 2020.
For free transfers in Spain we accept Bizum
For Bank Transfer payments, please Contact us for our bank transfer details
REFUND POLICY
Deposits & Tuition fees are fully refundable 60 days prior to the program start date.
Deposits & Tuition fees are half refundable between 59 to 30 days before the program start date.
Deposits and Tuition fees are 25% refundable between 29 to 0 days before the program start date.
Tuition fees are used 3 months prior to the start of the program, to pay for and pre book all the activities on the program, therefore, we are unable to provide full refunds 59 days or less from the start of the program.
The above refunds policy is null and void during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Please refer to FAQ 29 PROGRAM POLICY & GUIDE - Coronavirus Refunds
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE INDIVIDUAL GARRY SCHYMAN PROGRAM
What's Included:
Garry Schyman Video Game Scoring Program
Awards, scores, t-shirt, certificates
Visiting Artists MasterClasses from the main program that coincide are included
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE INDIVIDUAL CHRISTOPHER YOUNG PROGRAM
What's Included:
Christopher Young Film Scoring Program
Mentoring one-on-one session with Christopher Young*
Awards, scores, t-shirt, certificates
Visiting Artists MasterClasses from the main program that coincide are included
*see FAQ 28
WHEN CAN I REGISTER
Now! Registration is open now here
Registration closes June 1st 2020
Due to the Coronavirus, registration may be extended.