Hello my friends, and welcome to tutor tales! This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Juanjo Molina; one of the tutors in the GEMS program and also a Spanish film/video-game composer himself. Join up for the 2019 GEMS summer program in Madrid, Spain. July 1st- July 11th.
During the course, he will also be working hand-in-hand with Francesco, particularly to make sure the students’ orchestration are at top-notch, for both the listener and the orchestra players. Check out Juanjo conducting students work on all our previos programs here
So Juanjo, how did you become a tutor on the gems program in the first place?
Since I already knew Nigel after doing my MA in Film Scoring in Dublin, he talked to me about bringing Chris to Spain for a new program and said he needed help…so because I also met Chris in Dublin, I offered my help to assist him and help with the recording sessions, conducting and supervising orchestrations for students. Ah, so you 2 sort of built the course together? Yes, kind of, at the moment I help as much as I can but of course Nigel is the boss.
So can you tell us a bit about yourself? Other than being a tutor in the course, what do you do?
Well, at the moment I live part time teaching composition, music production and so on, and the rest of my time composing mainly for theatre, video games and films.
Interesting! Would you like to mention any projects you’re currently working on?
I have different upcoming projects to be finalised, but I can’t speak much about them at the moment. I’m also currently working on a pilot episode for a comedy to be broadcasted on TV, but the rest…we’ll see…You know how unpredictable this business can be.
Definitely. How would you describe your past experiences in the last 2 years of the course, particularly when conducting the students’ compositions?
Personally, I think the energy that you can feel from the students throughout the program is amazing. Of course, it’s since they’re learning from one of the top composers in Hollywood. Especially when their work crystallizes in the recording session, you can feel the illusion of the people listening to the piece they have been working on, performed by such an orchestra – it’s wonderful. Obviously, it is my responsibility to do my best while conducting all the pieces, but it is also such an honour.
Why should film composers go into this course in your opinion?
Whether you’re starting out or you’re an experienced composer, you’ll definitely learn new things to better your craft and learn new skills as a film composer. It’s not everyday that a top Hollywood composer is teaching you, listening to your music and giving you advice on how to improve your skills while also passing on what he’s learned through his experience of working with some of the other top people in the film and video-game industry. Let’s also not forget the opportunity to record a piece with a wonderful orchestra such as Mad4Strings which will then be added to your portfolio.
Definitely highly recommended!
Well, you heard it from Juanjo, folks! What else can I say? The course will surely be of use to you if you’re interested in film/video-game composing, so go ahead and apply!!
What program will you choose, find out here
See ya next week!
Maria
Writen by the one and only Maria Borg
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