GoldSpirit Awards 2007 - First Round

Once again we return with a new edition of the GoldSpirit Awards, which BSOSpirit concedes since the creation of the website in 2001. And we are just at a year that seems more open than ever. In 2007 harvest has not been excellent at the eyes of the fans and no score excels above others to make a sure bet on the winner. Well, that is what you are going to decide.

In this seventh edition there will be some changes over previous years. As you know, and this does not change, the winners will not be known until the gala for GoldSpirit Awards, to be held in July under the IV International Film Music Conference "Ciudad of Úbeda". The secret will be kept by the organizers in order to give emotion to the ceremony and even grant the prizes in hand to those winner who have been invited. Think that while there are already guests announced, your votes can also determine the Conference Organization to try to bring some of the winners.

The vote, open to all visitors to the site, will consist of two stages. In the second stage, the voting public will determine the winner in each category.

To refresh your memory and not forget potential candidates, use our Spirit Guide. All soundtracks listed as released on 2007 are eligible the awards. And even those others not in the guide, provided that they have been released in 2007.

After this first stage, we will announce the nominations and we'll begin the second stage, which will have closed lists of candidates in each category. The second stage of voting will determine the winners, and as said, they will be known in Ubeda.

Bases:

• Each participant can only make a single vote. Therefore we ask you that, at the end, please enter your first and last name. The anonimous or pseudonyms votes are not valid.
• For each category can be three selections maximum. The first count 3 points, the second 2 and the third, only 1 point. It is not allowed to vote at the same candidate twice within the same category. It is not necessary to vote in all categories.
• Voting finishes on Sunday, March 2nd, of 2008, at 23:59 GMT+1. All votes received after that date will be disregarded.

BSOSpirit reserves itself the right to cancel those votes that do not comply with these bases.

GoldSpirit Awards 2007 are now open!

2007 IFMCA Awards: Dario Marianelli's Atonement named Best Score of 2007

2007 AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED BY INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION

Dario Marianelli's Atonement named Best Score of 2007

February 15, 2008. The members of the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) have announced the winners of the 4th Annual IFMCA Awards, honoring achievements in film and television music in 2007.

The Score of the Year award goes to Italian composer Dario Marianelli, for his score for director Joe Wright?s ATONEMENT, which is based on the best-selling romantic novel by Ian McEwan. Marianelli spent the majority of his early working career in the United Kingdom and Ireland before coming to international prominence in 2005 with his scores for THE BROTHERS GRIMM and PRIDE & PREJUDICE, the latter of which received an Academy Award nomination.

In addition to the main award, ATONEMENT picked up two other awards, including Best Original Score for a Drama Film, and Film Music Composition of the Year for Elegy for Dunkirk. ATONEMENT has been one of the soundtrack successes of 2007, winning the Golden Globe for Best Score, receiving Academy Award and BAFTA nominations, and being mentioned by numerous film critics organizations in their annual reviews. ATONEMENT is available on CD from Decca Records.

Alexandre Desplat, who led the 2007 nominations, wins two awards: Composer of the Year, and Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science-Fiction film for his score New Line Cinema?s adaptation of Philip Pullman?s convention-challenging children?s fantasy THE GOLDEN COMPASS. The French composer, who was also IFMCA?s Composer of the Year in 2006, enjoyed a similarly stellar year in 2007. In addition to THE GOLDEN COMPASS, his works included director Ang Lee?s controversial political drama LUST, CAUTION, the whimsical fantasy MR. MAGORIUM?S WONDER EMPORIUM (co-composed with Aaron Zigman), and the French language feature L?ENNEMI INTIME, which received the Best Score award at the 2008 Cèsar Awards, France?s version of the Oscars.

Other winners in specific genres include Alan Menken, who wins the Best Original Score for a Comedy award for his tongue-in-cheek homage to classic Disney on ENCHANTED; John Powell, who wins Best Original Score for an Action/Adventure Film for his score for THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, the third film based on Robert Ludlum?s best-selling spy thrillers; David Shire, who wins Best Original Score for a Horror/Thriller for his return to mainstream scoring after almost 20 years on director David Fincher?s ZODIAC; and Michael Giacchino, who wins Best Original Score for an Animated Feature for his Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated score for the gastronomic delight RATATOUILLE.

The Best Original Score for Television award goes to Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi and his work on the Korean television series TAE WANG SA SHIN GI (THE STORY OF THE GREAT KING AND THE FOUR GODS), while the inaugural award in the new Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media category goes to John Debney for his epic score for LAIR, and recognizes the increasing level of compositional excellence for this exciting and popular media.

British composer Ilan Eshkeri is named Best New Composer of 2007, for his score for Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of the classic Neil Gaiman fantasy adventure, STARDUST. Eshkeri, a former protégé of the late Michael Kamen, helped complete his mentor?s score for the German animated film BACK TO GAYA after Kamen?s death in 2003, and also worked alongside Shigeru Umebayashi on the high-profile Silence of the Lambs prequel HANNIBAL RISING in 2007, cementing his place as one of the most exciting new composers to emerge in recent years.

The Film Music Label of the Year honor again goes to Oakland, California-based Intrada Records, who somehow managed to surpass their own high standards by re-releasing a number of classic, groundbreaking scores in extended versions with re-mastered sound and expansive packages. Amongst their 2007 releases were a pair of Jerry Goldsmith?s finest - ALIEN (Winner of Best New Release/Re-Release/Re-Recording of an Existing Score) and THE WIND AND THE LION ? as well as Alex North?s rejected score from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and the third installment in their anthology of scores from the groundbreaking AMAZING STORIES TV series from the 1980s (Winner of Best Film Music Compilation Album). Douglass Fake is the Owner and President of Intrada.

Despite it not being eligible for competition (as it was not an original 2007 composition), the IFMCA also elected to give special recognition to composer Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott Wittman for HAIRSPRAY, the big-screen version of their own smash hit Broadway show, which was itself based on John Waters? cult 1988 film. A good-natured yet bitingly satirical look at rock and roll in Baltimore in the late 1950s, the film was one of the musical highlights of 2007.

The complete list:

A - SCORE OF THE YEAR
* Atonement, music by Dario Marianelli

B - FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR
* Alexandre Desplat

C ? BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF 2007
* Ilan Eshkeri for Stardust

D - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM
* Atonement, music by Dario Marianelli

E - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM
* Enchanted, music by Alan Menken

F - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM
* The Bourne Ultimatum, music by John Powell

G - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM
* The Golden Compass, music by Alexandre Desplat

H - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM
* Zodiac, music by David Shire

I - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE
* Ratatouille, music by Michael Giacchino

J - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
* Earth, music by George Fenton

K - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION
* Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi (The Story of the Great King and the Four Gods), music by Joe Hisaishi

L - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA
* Lair, music by John Debney

M - BEST NEW RELEASE/RE-RELEASE/RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE
* Alien, music by Jerry Goldsmith; Douglass Fake, Michael Matessino and Nick Redman (producers)

N - BEST FILM MUSIC COMPILATION ALBUM
* Amazing Stories: Anthology 3, Douglass Fake (producer)

O - FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR
* Intrada, Douglass Fake

P - FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
* Elegy for Dunkirk from Atonement, music by Dario Marianelli

Q - SPECIAL AWARD
* Hairspray, music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

==================================

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing about original film and television music. The IFMCA Awards are the only awards given to composers by film music journalists.

The IFMCA was originally formed in the late 1990s as the Film Music Critics Jury by editor and journalist Mikael Carlsson, a contributor to filmmusicradio.com and filmmusicweekly.com, and the owner of the Swedish film music label MovieScore Media. Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise 43 members from countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The IFMCA presented its first awards in 2004.

The IFMCA strongly feels that a film score?s strength lies in the combined impact of two important elements: the effectiveness, appropriateness and emotional impact of the score in the context of the film for which it was written; and the technical and intellectual merit of the composition when heard as a standalone listening experience. As such, the membership votes for the best scores of each year with these two criteria in mind, and strives to recognize scores which excel in both these areas. As an international organization, the IFMCA also makes conscious efforts to celebrate the best film music, not just from mainstream Hollywood productions, but world-wide, wherever it may originate.

Previous winners of the IFMCA Score of the Year Award were James Newton Howard?s LADY IN THE WATER in 2006, John Williams? MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in 2005 and Michael Giacchino?s THE INCREDIBLES in 2004.

For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association, please visit http://www.filmmusiccritics.org or contact press@filmmusiccritics.org.

New CD Release: Highlander, The Source

The CD of "Highlander 'The Source' -The Original Score-" is now available.

It's an exciting modern large orchestral film score composed by George Kallis for 'The Source'; the 5th film in the Highlander dynasty which will be released internationally on DVD in January and February.

The CD also included the End Title song 'The Sun is Gonna Shine' performed by John Sloman (ex Uriah Heep) and Tamasin Hardy with lyrics by John, music by George and orchestrated and performed by Chris Cawte of The Gutter Brothers.

For more information and to listen to a selection of soundbites, please go to http://www.motionpicturerecords.com/ where you will also find a link to the iTunes download page.

Enjoy.

Motion Picture Records Ltd
http://www.motionpicturerecords.com/
http://www.themusic-bureau.com/
http://www.filmusic.biz/

Nominations for the IV IFMCA Awards

NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 4th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS

January 18, 2008. The International Film Music Critics Association announces their 2007 nominees for excellence in scoring for film and other visual media.

Alexandre Desplat leads the nominations with seven, including two for Best Score of 2007: Ang Lee's romance drama LUST, CAUTION, and the fantasy adventure THE GOLDEN COMPASS. Dario Marianelli, who recently won the Golden Globe for Best Score for ATONEMENT, is nominated for four awards for the Joe Wright-directed World War II drama. Tied with Marianelli with four nominations is Michael Giacchino, who is up for Best Score for the animated film RATATOUILLE, as well as for his nomination in the newly-formed Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media category for his MEDAL OF HONOR: AIRBORNE score.

Other composers with multiple nominations include John Debney (2), David Shire (2), newcomer Fernando Velázquez (2), Christopher Young (2) Aaron Zigman (2) and Hans Zimmer (2).

Since the focus of the group is international, many films that received nominations have yet to be released in the United States, including Philippe Rombi's score for François Ozon's English language film ANGEL; legendary composer Ennio Morricone's score for Simona Izzo's romantic comedy TUTTE LE DONNE DELLA MIA VITA (ALL THE WOMEN IN MY LIFE); Joe Hisaishi's score for the Korean television series TAE WANG SA SHIN GI (THE STORY OF THE GREAT KING AND THE FOUR GODS), and Jane Antonia Cornish's score for Danish director Nikolaj Arcel's DE FORTABTE SJÆLES Ø (ISLAND OF LOST SOULS), for which she received a Breakthrough Composer nomination.

The winners will be announced on Friday, 15 February 2008.

==================================

INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC CRITICS ASSOCIATION
2007 Award Nominations

A - SCORE OF THE YEAR

* ATONEMENT, music by Dario Marianelli
* THE GOLDEN COMPASS, music by Alexandre Desplat
* LUST, CAUTION, music by Alexandre Desplat
* RATATOUILLE, music by Michael Giacchino
* ZODIAC, music by David Shire

B - FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

* ALEXANDRE DESPLAT
* MICHAEL GIACCHINO
* JAMES NEWTON HOWARD
* MARK ISHAM
* DARIO MARIANELLI

C ? BREAKTHROUGH COMPOSER OF 2007

* JANE ANTONIA CORNISH for De Fortabte Sjæles Ø (Island of Lost Souls)
* ILAN ESHKERI for Stardust
* JONNY GREENWOOD for There Will Be Blood
* FERNANDO VELÁZQUEZ for El Orfanato (The Orphanage)
* CHRISTOPHER WONG for Journey to the Fall

D - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DRAMA FILM

* ANGEL, music by Philippe Rombi
* ATONEMENT, music by Dario Marianelli
* EASTERN PROMISES, music by Howard Shore
* THE KITE RUNNER, music by Alberto Iglesias
* LUST, CAUTION, music by Alexandre Desplat

E - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A COMEDY FILM

* ENCHANTED, music by Alan Menken
* EVAN ALMIGHTY, music by John Debney
* HOT FUZZ, music by David Arnold
* REIGN OVER ME, music by Rolfe Kent
* TUTTE LE DONNE DELLA MIA VITA (ALL THE WOMEN IN MY LIFE), music by Ennio Morricone

F - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ACTION/ADVENTURE FILM

* THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, music by John Powell
* GHOST RIDER, music by Christopher Young
* LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, music by Marco Beltrami
* PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, music by Hans Zimmer
* SPIDER-MAN 3, music by Christopher Young

G - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A FANTASY/SCIENCE FICTION FILM

* BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, music by Aaron Zigman
* THE GOLDEN COMPASS, music by Alexandre Desplat
* MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM, music by Alexandre Desplat and Aaron Zigman
* STARDUST, music by Ilan Eshkeri
* SUNSHINE, music by John Murphy and Underworld

H - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A HORROR/THRILLER FILM

* EL ORFANATO (THE ORPHANAGE), music by Fernando Velázquez
* FLOOD, music by Debbie Wiseman
* I KNOW WHO KILLED ME, music by Joel McNeely
* SLEUTH, music by Patrick Doyle
* ZODIAC, music by David Shire

I - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED FEATURE

* BEE MOVIE, music by Rupert Gregson-Williams
* BEOWULF, music by Alan Silvestri
* GEDO SENKI (TALES FROM EARTHSEA), music by Tamiya Terajima
* MEET THE ROBINSONS, music by Danny Elfman
* RATATOUILLE, music by Michael Giacchino

J - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

* DARFUR NOW, music by Graeme Revell
* EARTH, music by George Fenton
* IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON, music by Philip Sheppard
* LA PLANÈTE BLANCHE, music by Bruno Coulais
* LE PREMIER CRI, music by Armand Amar

K - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR TELEVISION

* BATTLESTAR GALACTICA [SEASON 3], music by Bear McCreary
* DOCTOR WHO [SEASON 3], music by Murray Gold
* LOST [SEASON 3], music by Michael Giacchino
* TAE WANG SA SHIN GI (THE STORY OF THE GREAT KING AND THE FOUR GODS), music by Joe Hisaishi
* TIN MAN, music by Simon Boswell

L - BEST ORIGINAL SCORE FOR A VIDEO GAME OR INTERACTIVE MEDIA

* BIOSHOCK, music by Garry Schyman
* CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE, music by Stephen Barton and Harry Gregson-Williams
* LAIR, music by John Debney
* MEDAL OF HONOR: AIRBORNE, music by Michael Giacchino
* WARHAWK, music by Christopher Lennertz

M - BEST NEW RELEASE/RE-RELEASE/RE-RECORDING OF AN EXISTING SCORE

* ALIEN, music by Jerry Goldsmith - Douglass Fake, Michael Matessino and Nick Redman (producers)
* GODZILLA, music by David Arnold - Ford A. Thaxton and David Arnold (producers)
* THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, music by Howard Shore - Howard Shore, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Paul Broucek (producers)
* THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, music by Miklós Rózsa - James Fitzpatrick (producer)
* THE WIND AND THE LION, music by Jerry Goldsmith - Douglass Fake and Lukas Kendall (producers)

N - BEST FILM MUSIC COMPILATION ALBUM

* AMAZING STORIES: ANTHOLOGY 3, Douglass Fake (producer)
* THE KARATE KID BOX SET, Robert Townson and Bill Conti (producers)
* MAD, MOD & MACABRE: THE RONALD STEIN COLLECTION, Taylor White (producer)
* MIKLÓS RÓZSA: A CENTENARY CELEBRATION, Robert Townson (producer)
* THE UNFORGIVEN: CLASSIC WESTERN SCORES FROM UNITED ARTISTS, Lukas Kendall (producer)

O - FILM MUSIC RECORD LABEL OF THE YEAR

* FILM SCORE MONTHLY, Lukas Kendall
* INTRADA, Douglass Fake
* LA-LA LAND RECORDS, M.V. Gerhard and Matt Verboys
* MOVIESCORE MEDIA, Mikael Carlsson
* VARÈSE SARABANDE, Robert Townson

P ? FILM MUSIC COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

* "Elegy for Dunkirk" from ATONEMENT, music by Dario Marianelli
* "Graysmith Obsessed" from ZODIAC, music by David Shire
* "Last Shift" from LIONS FOR LAMBS, music by Mark Isham
* "Up Is Down" from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, music by Hans Zimmer
* "Wong Chia Chi's Theme" from LUST, CAUTION, music by Alexandre Desplat

==================================

The International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA) is an association of online, print and radio journalists who specialize in writing about original film and television music. The IFMCA Awards are the only awards given to composers by film music journalists.

The IFMCA was originally formed in the late 1990s as the Film Music Critics Jury by editor and journalist Mikael Carlsson, a contributor to filmmusicradio.com and filmmusicweekly.com, and the owner of the Swedish film music label MovieScore Media. Since its inception, the IFMCA has grown to comprise 43 members from countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The IFMCA presented its first awards in 2004.

The IFMCA strongly feels that a film score's strength lies in the combined impact of two important elements: the effectiveness, appropriateness and emotional impact of the score in the context of the film for which it was written; and the technical and intellectual merit of the composition when heard as a standalone listening experience. As such, the membership votes for the best scores of each year with these two criteria in mind, and strives to recognize scores which excel in both these areas. As an international organization, the IFMCA also makes conscious efforts to celebrate the best film music, not just from mainstream Hollywood productions, but world-wide, wherever it may originate.

Previous winners of the IFMCA Score of the Year Award include James Newton Howard's LADY IN THE WATER in 2006, John Williams' MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA in 2005 and Michael Giacchino's THE INCREDIBLES in 2004.

For more information about the International Film Music Critics Association, please visit http://www.filmmusiccritics.org or contact press@filmmusiccritics.org.

New Book: Composing for Film by Jack Smalley

COMPOSING MUSIC FOR FILM

By Jack Smalley (176 pages)

Top USC film scoring professor Jack Smalley has combined his over forty years of experience arranging, composing and orchestrating for film and teaching into one crystal clear book ? Composing Music for Film.

With his years of experience and his modern, up to date teaching methods he?s consolidated the information he?s given to thousands of students into a one stop shop for getting a head start with the reality of film composition ? in fact, all composition.

** Order Your Copy of "Composing Music For Film" Today

http://www.gmdgstore.com/view-FMW1402.html

Reading this book is like taking private lessons for a year with Jack Smalley. With over 125 examples, the chapters cover:

• Section 1: The Elements
• Section 2: Composing a Theme
• Section 3: Writing a Cue
• Section 4: Consonance and Dissonance
• Section 5: The 20th Century

"Composing Music for Film contains precious information from structure through the mechanics of writing a cue and out the other side where the murky business of dissonance and bi-tonality reside."- Harry Gregson-Williams

"Jack Smalley's book is a dense survey of the techniques of film scoring - enjoyable and informative."- Carter Burwell

Reader Comments:
"..it is really universal and will help any composer at any level..."
"...it's great to finally have a practical book on composition out there..."
"...I'm adapting your ideas on "functional exchanges" for my master's thesis..."
"...I used one of your techniques and was delighted with the result. The piece was a finalist sponsored by the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin and was performed in Moscow, then at Carnegie Hall..."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - JACK SMALLEY

Jack Smalley studied composition at the Conservatoire de Musique in Paris France with Edmond Marc and Darius Milhaud. Studied Serial Composition with George Tremblay in Los Angeles. He is currently Professor of Film Composition at University of Southern California and member of permanent faculty at the Aspen Summer Music Festival. Jack also headed the Composition Program at the Henry Mancini Institute.

Jack Smalley has served as orchestrator on films including The Assassination of Richard Nixon, The Mothman Prophecies, Last of the Mohicans, Curley Sue, The Gladiator, The Peacemaker, Red Dawn, Conan the Barbarian, Steel Magnolias, The Pickup Artist, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, Popeye, and Oh God.

His work composing and orchestrating for episodic television includes Charlie's Angels, Murder She Wrote, The Love Boat, Law and Harry McGraw, Streets of San Francisco, Knight Rider, Twilight Zone, and the animated series Captain Planet, Tom and Jerry Kids, Where in the World is Carmen Santiago, and The Wizard of Oz.

** Order Your Copy Today

http://www.gmdgstore.com/view-FMW1402.html

Source: Film Music News

New Book: From the Classroom to the Scoring Stage

FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE SCORING STAGE:
The College Student's Guide to Landing a Job in the Film Scoring Business

($19.95 - 77 pages, Downloadable)

** Download Your Copy Now At:
http://www.gmdgstore.com/view-FMW1116.html

Author Sean McMahon has created a unique and valuable resource for anyone looking to gain experience working with a film composer. The book has a singular goal: to get the reader working for a composer as soon as possible.

McMahon spent the last three years deep in the trenches of the film music scene as a composer?s assistant developing hands-on experience finding work with different film composers and maintaining that work. He recently began his own career as a composer and orchestrator and wants to share the knowledge he acquired along the often bumpy and turbulent road as a composer?s assistant in hopes that it can provide a much more direct path for aspiring film composers on the cusp of beginning their careers.

In his years of working as a composer assistant he worked with four different composers, spending the majority of his time working for composer Christopher Young on films including "The Grudge," "Beauty Shop," "The Exorcism Of Emily Rose," "Lucky You," "Ghost Rider," "The Grudge 2," and most recently, "Spider-Man 3."

This insightful book discusses an insider's perspective about what composers are looking for in assistants and is invaluable to those looking to begin or expand their careers by working with composers.

Here's what some assistants to top film composers say about this book:

"To the best of my knowledge there is not a book out there that focuses on the multi-tasked life of a film composer?s assistant. You will soon discover that Sean worked for me for three years, and as a consequence I have been blessed to become close to him. He did a fantastic job for me as my assistant, and has done a fantastic job once again in putting together this, his first book."- Christopher Young

"Sean McMahon is well qualified to provide advice on such an elusive subject as how to get work as a composer's assistant. This book provides useful insight and relevant anecdotes on how to be successful when you do get your shot. Recommended reading for anybody wanting to work in the film music world."- Christian Bacon Assistant to James Newton Howard

"Utilizing his education and professional experience, Sean McMahon gives the aspiring film composer an insightful go-to guide. From must-have technical skills, to interviewing techniques, to developing relationships with others and much much more, Sean explains in a clearly written manual what it takes to break-in to the film scoring world. I highly recommend this book to emerging film composers and also those already working in the industry who may want to expand their knowledge. I wish this book was available when I moved to Los Angeles!"- Chandra Cogburn Assistant to Steve Jablonsky and Harry Gregson-Williams

** Download Your Copy Now At:

http://www.gmdgstore.com/view-FMW1116.html

Source: Film Music News

DemoCheck.com Online Music Review Service Launched

New online service allows composers, songwriters and musicians worldwide to get their music heard and reviewed by industry professionals.

Global Media Development Group announces the launch of DemoCheck.com (http://www.democheck.com/) a new online service where composers, songwriters, musicians and others can have their music professionally critiqued by professional industry reviewers.

The new service allows people who write or perform music to select a reviewer and submit recordings of music for professional critique and review. The site features professional reviewers including film and television music agents, veteran industry composers, songwriters, orchestrators, instrumentalists, vocalists and more who provide professional reviews and constructive critiques of submitted music.

"In the music industry, one of the most important things a musician can have is perspective from a seasoned professional about how that musician?s writing or playing is progressing," said DemoCheck.com founder Mark Northam. "Now composers, songwriters, musicians and vocalists from across the world can get a valuable perspective and critique on their music directly from industry professionals."

DemoCheck.com reviewers can provide reviews of the writing or performance of submitted music. Writing reviews are designed for composers, songwriters and others who write music, while reviews of music performances are appropriate for musicians and vocalists who can gain perspective on their performance abilities through the service.

"In many ways, DemoCheck.com is like a one-shot music lesson delivered worldwide over the Internet by an industry professional. In addition to giving advice on writing music, our reviewers can provide valuable perspective on music performances of everything from classical music to jazz and popular music," said Northam.

The new service welcomes industry educators, performers, and other professionals to join the service as new reviewers in addition to the initial group of reviewers. New reviewers provide references which are used to establish the reviewer's credentials in the music industry, and each reviewer sets their own review fee and turnaround time for text or audio reviews which are delivered by email.

For additional information on DemoCheck.com including reviewer information, rates and more, visit http://www.democheck.com/ or contact Global Media Development Group at 800-774-3700 ext 702.

Source: Film Music News