Aaaaand I'm back with GEMS! Did you miss me? I sure hope so - but in case you're new to the GEMS course, let me introduce myself. I'm Maria, and I attended the GEMS Christopher Young Film Scoring program in Madrid last year and loved every second of it.
Well, I'm here to tell you - it's back; bigger and better! Have a look below so I can walk you through this exciting film and visual media scoring program that will be taking place on the 1st-11th July 2019.
So last year, the focus was mainly on film-scoring with Hollywood composer Christopher Young and guest masterclasses, right? Well, next year is going to include film scoring, AND video-game scoring, AND orchestration! What a triple threat, holy canoli!
Check out the GEMS Film & Visual Media Scoring Program here
FILM
Alright, let me explain, so 1st-5th July, we're going to have: film composer Christopher Young, who's scored for Drag Me to Hell, Spiderman 3, The Grudge, Hellraiser and many more. That's right, who hasn't heard of those movies?! Every attendee will be composing for a cue from one of Christopher's selections as the final of the 3 assignments that will be given to us. You'll then be recording the film cue (if you choose to do so) - here are last year's recording (including mine, I had chosen Drag Me to Hell!):
6-7th July will also include private mentoring sessions with Chris!
Check out the Christopher Young Program here
VIDEO-GAME
On the video-game area, we will be having video-game composer Garry Schyman, from the 6-7th July, who's composed for Bioshock, Bioshock 2, and Bioshock Infinite (and others) - if you're an avid gamer like I am, you must already be shakin' in your boots right now. But hold on, there's more!
Check out the Garry Schyman Program here
ORCHESTRATION
Next, we will have orchestration masterclasses - because we all know how important timbre and colour are when writing for an orchestra, am I right? These will be on the 8-10th July, by conductor and orchestrator Pete Anthony who's conducted and orchestrated for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Hunger Games (Parts 1&2), Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, The Huntsman: Winter's War, and many many more! If I tried to list all the movies this guy's worked on, jeez, I'd be here all week.
Check out the Pete Anthony Program here
RECORDING
To top this all off, attendees will have the chance to record the piece that they write during the course (or any piece of your choice) with a 50-piece studio orchestra called Mad4Strings! This is of course an amazing addition to anyone's portfolio; whether you want to send this to directors, universities, conservatories - this will most definitely put you above the rest.
Check out the Mad4Strings Orchestra here
PRICE
Alright, so by now you're probably wondering 'Yeah okay but that probably costs sooo much money...' Right? Wrong. You can have all of this for just €2500 with our early bird discount! The original price is €3500, so you're saving a whole €1000! This offer will be ending 31st December - and there's only 8 spaces left, so hurry up! Go get it here!
If money's still a problem with you, that's okay too - you can pick and choose which course you'd like to attend, so you'd just have to pay for that part of the program, or just the recording with the 50-piece orchestra (early bird price: €1200). That's cool too - you do you, man. For the rest of the individual prices, go here.
WHAT TO EXPECT
This course is an all-rounder; you'll get the chance to learn, compose and record your piece. But you will also have a great opportunity to network with other composers, possibly older or younger than you are. You'll also be gaining how-to knowledge from experienced veterans in the sector you want to get into.
You'll be composing for a film-cue, chosen by yourself with a selection of films that Christopher Young has done, you'll be learning how to improvise to action cues. Christopher Young will also individually mentor you to help you improve your weaknesses and strengths, as well as give you career advice on how to really make it out there.
If you're still not convinced, check out some interviews from last year's course: Damian Mizzi
Full program specifications, here
Last of all, let's not forget the one behind all this: Nigel Ashley Lees! You can find out more about him, right here
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