After the World Soundtrack Awards ceremony, the Flemish Radio Orchestra, conducted by Dirk Brossé, performed film music by Mychael Danna (Little Miss Sunshine, Capote, Monsoon Wedding, Ice Storm), Harry Gregson-Williams (Man of Fire, Shrek, Chronicles of Narnia), Evanthia Reboutsika (My Father & My Son), Mikis Theodorakis (Zorba) and Jef Neve (Dagen Zonder Lief). Harry Gregson Williams conducted his own music. 

The Ghent Film Festival (Flanders International Film Festival-Ghent) was established in 1974 as a students' film festival, and has since developed into one of Europe's most prominent film events. Every year in October, the festival presents some 170 feature films and 70 short films from all across the world. A range of different film programs is showcased, attracting over 110,000 viewers each year. The International Federation of Film Producers Associations (IFFPA) recognizes this festival as a competitive festival primarily geared towards the 'impact of music on film.'

Gustavo Santaolalla	Sheryl Crow	Seal

Among the Best Original Score contenders was 2006 Golden Globe winner Gustavo Santaolalla, who picked up a nomination for his score to the Brad Pitt thriller, Babel. Composers Alexandre Desplat (SACEM) and Clint Mansell rounded out the score category, with the music to The Painted Veil and The Fountain, respectively.

Pop superstars Seal and Sheryl Crow also made the nominees list, with Seal's "A Father's Way" from Will Smith's The Pursuit of Happyness earning a nod for Best Original Song. Crow, who wrote the music and lyrics to "Try Not to Remember" from Home of the Brave, is also up for Best Original Song.

Additional Best Original Song entries include the Anne Preven co-write "Listen" from the highly anticipated Dreamgirls soundtrack, and "Never Gonna Break My Faith" from Bobby, with music and lyrics co-written by Eliot Kennedy (PRS).

Talk about reinventing yourself.

In just seven years, Clint Mansell has gone from success in a popular British rock band to sought-after status as one of Hollywood’s fastest-rising composers of cutting-edge musical scores.

Perhaps best known for his music for Requiem for a Dream, in recent months he has also composed the large-scale orchestral-and-choral music for the Matthew McConaughey adventure Sahara and the rock/electronic soundtrack for the big-screen version of the videogame “Doom.”

Reached in New York, where he is working for the third time with Requiem director Darren Aronofsky on their forthcoming epic The Fountain, Mansell seems both modest and content.

“I’ve been really lucky,” says the 42-year-old Coventry native. “I’ve learned so much. Every film I do requires something different. I’m not yet experienced enough to knock out a film in three weeks, but I don’t really get offered those films anyway. The directors who come to me like the fact that I’m going to be dedicated to that one project for three, four or five months.”

In the case of The Fountain — which stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz and spans a thousand years, from an ancient Mayan civilization to the far-flung future — Mansell has actually been writing music for the past five years.

“Darren first told me the story before Requiem came out,” he says. “I’ve written music based on the ideas of the story, and the very first draft he gave me. So when Darren started shooting at the end of last year, we had a catalog of music that we could just start putting up against the dailies. Some of it worked and some didn’t. We’ve tried many different styles, different ideas, against the picture — and as often happens, your initial ideas are the truest.” Mansell expects to refine his ideas and record the final score (possibly with a “neoclassical rock band,” Mansell suggests) sometime in early 2006. Warner Bros. will release the film.

Aronofsky’s critically acclaimed 1998 indie film Pi marked Mansell’s entry into the film world. Formerly vocalist and guitarist with the groundbreaking British electronic rock band Pop Will Eat Itself, he was living in New York when he was approached to contribute music to Aronofsky’s first film. “We sort of fumbled our way through it, discovering what we liked and what worked for us,” Mansell concedes.

The director brought Mansell onto Requiem for a Dream — his 2000 film about drug addiction that won Ellen Burstyn a Best Actress Oscar nomination — before shooting began. One of Mansell’s 20-odd “demo” pieces, a haunting and melancholy minimalist figure, was so effective in the unfinished film that it became the main theme.

“We tried it against every pivotal moment in the film, and it just locked in,” the composer recalled. ”I said, `My God, this is amazing.’ There’s a sort of synergy between the way Darren edits and the way I write. I can only put it down to pure chance, really.”

They signed classical music’s renowned Kronos Quartet to perform the string segments of the score. “They breathed life into it,” says Mansell, still enthused five years later. “The performance is as important as the writing, and it was a wonderful performance,” he notes.

Requiem, hailed by astute critics as much for its music as for its imagery, opened doors for the composer. Director Barbet Schroeder hired him to score the Sandra Bullock thriller Murder by Numbers and Stephen Gaghan engaged him for the Katie Holmes suspense drama Abandon, both released in 2002. He even scored the pilot for CSI: NY, although he has mostly resisted the small screen, believing that episodic TV makes him feel like “a little laboratory rat just trying to get my piece of cheese at the end of the maze.”

Mansell’s resume has also included the Vin Diesel comedy Knockaround Guys, the Ben Kingsley thriller Suspect Zero and the upcoming Julianne Moore comedy Trust the Man. After scoring The Fountain, he looks forward to a reunion with
director Joe Carnahan (with whom he did a BMW commercial) on the Las Vegas action-comedy Smokin’ Aces.

For now, he is enjoying the diversity of the work. “I can do maybe two or three jobs a year that are substantially different from each other. I hope over the coming years that I can be true enough to myself to recognize the projects where I feel that I can flourish — so that the career becomes what I want to do rather than just where the career takes me.”]]> 2006-03-09T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233803 Artists, Clinton, George S., Corea, Chick, De Gli Antoni, Mark, Golub, Peter, Gregson-Williams, Harry, Kent, Rolfe, Mansell, Clint, Ottman, John, Revell, Graeme, Shearmur, Ed, Tin, Christopher, Wide Range, Awards, Musical Styles, Dance, Film-TV, Jazz, Rock, Musicworld, Feature, Type, Important, International The lab kicked off on July 22 and will run through August 6. During the two-week lab, Fellows participate in workshops and creative exercises under the guidance of leading film composers and film music professionals. The Composer Lab participants also collaborate with filmmakers from the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program to create accompanying scores for scenes shot by the Filmmaker Fellows during the June Filmmakers Lab.

The Composers Lab is a major component of the Sundance Institute Film Music Program, which is dedicated to supporting emerging film composers and enhancing the role of music in independent film. Originally running from 1986-1989, the Composers Lab was re-introduced in the summer of 1998 to provide a collaborative and supportive environment where composers could experiment and expand their musical language. The Composers Lab provides valuable first-hand experience in composing for film and enhances the musical understanding of independent filmmakers participating in the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program.

"We have a very exciting and eclectic group of composers coming from a wide range of styles and backgrounds and selected from hundreds of applicants," explained Peter Golub, Director, Sundance Institute Film Music Program. "The composers write and record music, work with the filmmakers, and in general participate in the artistic community at Sundance Institute. There is much 'cross-pollination' and an invigorating flow of ideas."

"This is a program that we've always been involved with - from its inception to its reintroduction in 1998. By supporting and educating composers who have unique and independent vision we're helping to foster a new community of original and important music. By pairing it with the Directors and Producers labs at the Institute, we're able to foster relationships and understanding of the creative process and help both sides understand the process behind each art."

In addition to their work with the Filmmakers Lab Fellows, Composers Lab participants will work under the mentorship of a distinguished group of film composers and filmmakers. This year's Creative Advisors include: composers Carter Burwell ("Fargo," "Adaptation"); George S. Clinton ("Austin Powers In Goldmember," "Joe Somebody"); Rolfe Kent ("Nurse Betty," "Legally Blonde 2" "About Schmidt"); Clint Mansell ("Pi," "Requiem For A Dream"); Ed Shearmur ("Charlie's Angels," "Wings Of The Dove"); Robert Kraft, President Of Fox Music; Music Supervisor Tracy McKnight; Director Peter Medak ("The Ruling Class," "Let Him Have It"); Film Music Agent Robert Messinger (First Artists); Doreen Ringer Ross, Vice-President, Film/TV Relations at BMI; and music editor Adam Smalley.

2003 Sundance Institute Film Music Lab Fellows

Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli
Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli is a Los Angeles-based composer of film scores and concert works. His most recent credits include "Revolution Os," which screened on the Sundance Channel; "Regresso A Casa," an official selection at the Los Angeles International Short Film Fest; and the forthcoming feature film "Lazarus."

Billy Childs
Billy Childs is an orchestral composer with a long list of commissions for organizations including the LA Philharmonic, LA Master Chorale, and is a jazz pianist who has worked with Dianne Reeves, Bobby Hutcherson, Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard and Buster Williams.

Ronit Kirchman
A composer, songwriter, instrumentalist and electronic artist, Kirchman composed music for "Come Nightfall," a short-film shown at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. She has written numerous concert works, produced a string tribute to Jane's Addiction, and has worked with composer Harry Gregson-Williams.

Courtney Von Drehle
Courtney Von Drehle is a composer, bandleader, and accordion player. He is a member of the band 3 Leg Torso and has written music for numerous short films, dance pieces, and instillations.

Mark De Gli Antoni
Mark is a member of the rock group Soul Coughing. He composed music for "Cherish," which screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival; "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness," a short film screened at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, as well as several short films directed by William Wegman.

Christopher Tin
Christopher Tin is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship at the Royal College of Music. He has written additional cues for "X-Men 2", and composed the score for the South African film "A-ZU-RE." He has worked with film composers Graeme Revell, John Ottman, Joel McNeely, and Klaus Badelt.]]> 2003-08-04T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233784 Artists, Clinton, George S., Mansell, Clint, Revell, Graeme, Musical Styles, Dance, Film-TV, Type, International Los Angeles Film Festival. The panel, moderated by BMI's Vice President of Film/TV Relations, Doreen Ringer Ross, featured talks by BMI composers George S. Clinton (Austin Powers trilogy, Wild Thing), Graeme Revell (Daredevil, Blow), Clint Mansell (Requiem For A Dream, Abandoned) and Mychael Danna (Ice Storm, Antwone Fisher).

The Los Angeles Film Festival, which took place in June at various venues throughout Los Angeles, showcases the best of American and international independent cinema. With an attendance of over 40,000, the festival screens over 200 narrative features, documentaries, shorts and music videos.

Shown after the panel are composers George S. Clinton and Graeme Revell, BMI's Doreen Ringer Ross, and composers Clint Mansell and Mychael Danna.

]]> 2003-07-15T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/233547 Artists, Mansell, Clint, Musical Styles, Film-TV, Pop, Rock, Musicworld, Hitmaker, Type, Important Moving from a cutting-edge rock band to scoring film music might not seem like artistic liberation, but Clint Mansell would beg to differ.

"I find it a better process," says Mansell. "If you can be involved with the right people, you've got enough time, then there's lots of chance to experiment, and try different things. It can bring things out of you that you didn't even know were there."

These days the former singer/guitarist for defunct British act Pop Will Eat Itself calls New Orleans home, is signed as a solo artist to Trent Reznor's nothing records, and is slowly plugging away at creating an album he's happy with. What really turns him on, though, is the work he's done for films like director Darren Aronofsky's acclaimed Pi and Requiem For A Dream.

For Mansell, film scoring is hardly a matter of simply churning out what the director asks for, but rather a meeting of the artistic minds. "There is a definite collaborative feature to it," he explains. "You bring your style and your outlook and the things that you've created in response to what you've seen and [heard]. But you've got to take in what the director wants, and what he sees, and you've got to really flow with that."

Having an established relationship with Aronofsky helped Mansell get inside the director's head for Requiem, but while he thinks it made for a better end result, it didn't make it any easier getting there. For Mansell, the time to understand the material and figure out how best to complement it is a necessary luxury, but long-standing ties to the director are not.

Case in point: The upcoming movie Knockaround Guys, with Dennis Hopper and John Malkovich. "I had no relationship with [directors Brian Levine and David Koppelman], but they're very good communicators," he says. "It's the communication that's the important part. Being very open about what you're doing, and the director being very open about what he wants, and knowing what he wants."