NZ Films get big boost from soundtrack sponsorship

NEW ZEALAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Media Release

FILM SCORE SPONSORSHIP

More New Zealand films could feature lush, full orchestra soundtracks thanks to a film scoring sponsorship scheme led by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

The first film to benefit from the scheme, Vincent Ward’s new feature Rain of the Children, is to be recorded on August 21, with a score by New Zealand composer Jack Body.

The NZSO scoring sponsorship will make the orchestra available for several days of film soundtrack recording for one New Zealand-based film annually.

The NZSO aims to put a full orchestral soundtrack within the reach of New Zealand composers and filmmakers.

The NZSO is glad to be providing encouragement to the New Zealand film industry to draw on the talent available amongst New Zealand composers and to utilise the magnificent performance quality available from our orchestra, NZSO CEO Peter Walls says. “Our sponsorship is designed to illustrate that the kind of technical brilliance for which our film industry in New Zealand has become famous, could also be there in the quality of the musical scoring.”

Supporting partners in the scheme are Park Road Post Production, which will provide its world-class sound mixing facility to complete the music mix ready for the final film and will provide a mentoring service to train music engineers in this field. The post production facility will also provide consultancy on technical matters and equipment for the recording sessions.

Radio New Zealand will provide recording equipment, music engineering and mixing expertise and the New Zealand Film Commission will help identify suitable film projects.

NZFC CEO Ruth Harley welcomed this fantastic opportunity to partner with some of New Zealand’s premiere arts and film industry organizations. “I see that this collaboration between the orchestra, Park Road and our filmmakers has the potential to take the sound dimension of filmmaking to a new level of accomplishment. Having the richness and beauty of live orchestral music to work with will be a great joy for the composers as well as the whole filmmaking team.”

Also within the proposal is a series of “buddy schemes” aimed at giving training opportunities for New Zealand composers and sound engineers to work in the specialised field of film scoring. Currently there is a shortage of composers and sound engineers who are highly practised at working on full symphonic film scores. This sponsorship will offer hands-on experience and mentorship to develop more composers and sound engineers with the high skill levels required to work on orchestral film scores.

“This is a fantastic association of creative talent providing huge opportunity for local filmmakers, the NZSO and composers,” says General Manager of Park Road Aimee McCammon. “Vincent Ward is one of New Zealand’s biggest talents and his film Rain of the Children will gain an extra dimension from an orchestral score. The NZSO must be congratulated for providing this opportunity for local filmmakers who may otherwise be restricted by budget. In addition, scoring experience also makes the NZSO, and New Zealand, even more attractive to international filmmakers.”

The scheme can be seen as further support to the growth of the New Zealand film industry, as it should encourage local filmmakers and composers to use the NZSO as a recording orchestra, helping retain post-production within New Zealand.

By demonstrating its ability as a scoring orchestra, the NZSO should become an obvious choice for film work in New Zealand, says NZSO artistic planning manager Rachel Hyde. The orchestra is already highly experienced at the recording process due to its long association with recording company Naxos, Ms Hyde says. “The musicians are very used to reading and playing complex, modern scores, which they do for Naxos and which they also do as part of our ongoing commitment to performing New Zealand composers,” she says.

The orchestra already fields enquiries from local and overseas film projects wishing to work with them, but finding suitable spaces to record a full orchestra can be hard. “I don’t know how many film offers I have had to turn down because all the venues we could use are booked out.”

Wellington City Council is offering its support to the scheme by making one of its venues available for the first film scoring sponsorship recording.

ENDS

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