I thought I'd share this pic, which captures the satisfaction after the screening of our little gem El Tiempo de la Luz, at the Britten Theater, Royal College of Music. Left to right: me, Juan Vasquez (crew) and Daniele Mercanti (writer/cinematographer). I just love screenings. More, MORE!
February 09, 2012
The Outsider, having had two very successful private screenings in London and Tallin, Estonia, has now been improved further (my score included) and is ready to be submitted to film festivals. In my slightly biased opinion, the end result looks and sounds stunning! The above image is of sound designer Janis Balodis and myself, putting the finishing touches on the mix. For more information, media and images regarding The Outsider, see http://nikkalorak.com
January 25, 2012
Composition work has now started intensively on an exciting feature film called HotSpot. This 90 minute psycological thriller/sci fi requires 30 cues, totalling almost an hour of music, which will be recorded in late March at BSS studios. The story? A man trying to change his life discovers that he's trapped in a social network. The trailer can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfa9hazKGis (trailer music by Wallace Valadāo). HotSpot is written & directed by Vitor Vilela and produced by Natasha Marburger.
January 11, 2012
If you're in London on February 1, why not come to this screening of short films, many with live music? My contribution to the event is the (pre-recorded) score to El Tiempo de la Luz, a cinematic poem with light as its central metaphor. The poster says the rest!
December 19, 2011
Work is now complete on the score for The Outsider, a 16 minute short film directed by Nikka Lorak. This is the story of two people who struggle to fit in but form a unique friendship in a remote Moroccan village. They are a travelling European photographer and Mohammed, a lonely boy who is alienated by the local football gang. The score includes performances by oud player Soufian Saihi and guitarist Andrew Simmons, and the film is set for its first screening on Janurary 21.
June 06, 2011
Marbella International Film Festival has bestowed the "Official Selection" badge on Money Can't Buy, a film I scored last winter. This prestigeous Spanish film festival is scheduled for 14-16 October 2011. Money Can't Buy is a short film set in Malaysia and directed by Nusrat Howard-Moore. "In a society where women are coveted for the fairness of their skin color, culinary skills and demureness, Jelita is not a great catch. But Johan, the kind of man women would desire, learns what Jelita has that money can't buy." My soundtrack takes some inspiration from the melodramatic scores to Malaysian films of the 1940s. However, like John Barry's Out of Africa score, it is more concerned with conveying a depth of romantic longing than the exotic non-western setting.
June 02, 2011
From September 2011 I will be studying full-time at the Royal College of Music, working towards a Master of Music degree in Composition for Screen. This is an amazing opportunity for me to spend one or possibly two years focussing entirely on the craft of film composing, with expert guidance! For directors seeking to colloborate with me it will be business as usual, although the quality of my work is likely to leap forward, thanks to the new training and the availability of world-class RCM instrumentalists and studio facilities.
My first year's study has been made possible by two generous scholarships. They are an RCM Scholarship, for which I am deeply grateful to the Royal College of Music, and the Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship, for which I am deeply grateful to the Edwin Carr Foundation and Creative New Zealand. Edwin Carr, who died in 2003, was a hugely prolific and successful composer of concert works. Like myself, he attended Otago Boys' High School, studied in London and even tried his hand at film composing. The Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship is the only grant made annually to a NZ composer seeking to advance their career, so it is truly humbling to be the first film composer to recieve the award.
The RCM course in Composition for Screen is lead by Vasco Hexel and co-taught by Joseph Horowitz, Michael Oliva and Howard Davidson. It also attracts guest lectures from high profile film composers, with recent examples being Oscar-winners Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings) and Dario Marianelli (Atonement).
I will update the site periodically as things progress, so watch this space!
March 31, 2011
My composition Reverie (2000) for soprano, clarinet and piano is set to receive its eighth performance. Hear Wellington's SMP Ensemble at 7:30pm, Saturday 9 April, St Andrew's on The Terrace, Wellington. For info on the other exciting pieces in the concert, see http://www.smpensemble.com/concerts.php.
March 30, 2011
Welcome to the new look website! A huge thanks to Mark Van Rij (back-end) and Jamie Turnbull (design) for the time and expertise that have gone into this site. For more info on Mark's work, see http://mark.vanrij.co.nz.
February 28, 2011
The Truth About Tigers, a conservation documentary I co-scored, has been inspiring tens of thousands of Indian young people to help save their national treasure! Quoted from www.truthabouttigers.org: "The first Youth for Conservation road show [in November 2010] had an incredible response. Here are the statistics sent in by YFC Director Ramnath Chandrasekhar: 7 days, 10 schools, 20 screenings, 33400 students, 440 teachers, 202 DVDs were sent to those who requested a copy." A second road show has been taking place in February.
The documentary can be watched in three parts on YouTube. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoGuud-vIaU&feature=related.