COMMERCIAL SECTOR: Likely commercial-sector beneficiaries include film composers, orchestrators and others in the film-music business. Additionally, those in the film industry, both in the UK and internationally, may be interested in the research since it will enable them to reflect on the development of their own practises and procedures in a rapidly changing industry. Music is perhaps the part of film production least well understood by directors and production companies, and the findings of this project will shed new light on the changing processes, procedures and requirements of the business of film-scoring in the UK. Accordingly, the research will strengthen the position and competitiveness of UK film and those working within the industry (directors, production companies, composers, orchestrators, etc.) within the global marketplace, by helping to develop new insights, ways of working and understanding of what happens during this phase of film production. Musicians employed in other collaborative professional contexts such as musical theatre (in its various guises) or ensemble performance (be it classical or otherwise) are also likely to be interested in, and benefit from this research. The project's repository framework may also be of value to professionals in the arts for the secure storage and use of their own materials.
PUBLIC SECTOR: The project will capitalise on impact opportunities provided by neighbouring Bradford's status as UNESCO's first City of Film, and the CI has met with David Wilson, Director of City of Film (CoF), and Michael Terwey, the Deputy Director and Head of Public Programmes at Bradford's National Media Museum (NMM) in this regard. CoF (http://bradford-city-of-film.co.uk/) is keen to integrate some of the research findings into its education work with high school children through its 'Learn' agenda, and also to assist with communicating the importance of the findings to film-makers (as outlined above) via its 'Make' strategy. The NMM is a large regional public-sector organisation, and discussions have centred around large-scale, high-profile events to be held as part of the 2015 Bradford International Film Festival (BIFF). These events, which will link into the Museum's existing cultural and educational programme, will bring the research findings to widespread public attention, and will also help the NMM achieve its stated aim of being the best museum in world for inspiring people to learn about, engage with and create media (see http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/AboutUs.aspx). Initial discussions have also taken place between the CI and both the Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) and the British Film Institute (BFI), the latter of which is the lead body for film in the UK, regarding exhibitions and events held as part of their respective film festivals based on the project materials, research and findings. Additionally, the materials created in conjunction with CoF may be of interest to the BFI, which runs a series of educational programmes and schemes and also provides resources for primary and secondary teaching.
WIDER PUBLIC: Film is a global enterprise, and the consumption of film is a part of British culture; similarly, the British film industry has been in existence for over 100 years in various forms, and has become a part of our cultural heritage. The wider public will benefit directly from this project through the events run in conjunction with the LIFF, the NMM as part of BIFF2015, and at the BFI, as outlined above. These public events will bring cultural and social benefits to attendees and develop awareness of the way in which the film industry operates within the UK, as well as increasing public knowledge and quality of life. The events will offer a new dimension to the Film Festivals, which normally focus primarily on the visual aspects of film, helping to increase visitor numbers to Leeds, Bradford and London and boosting the economy.
Active
AH/K003828/1
With a career spanning nearly 40 years, Trevor Jones is one of the most successful contemporary British-based composers of film music and is seen by peers as an influential figure in the industry. He is distinguished by the range of projects he has worked on, the directors he has collaborated with, and his development of novel approaches to the creation of film music. His output includes scores for the groundbreaking animatronic films of Jim Henson ('The Dark Crystal', 1982; 'Labyrinth', 1986), films with significant cultural impact such as 'Brassed Off!' (1996) and 'Notting Hill' (1999), and those dealing with political issues both in the UK and abroad. The latter include 'In the Name of the Father' (1993) which investigates the wrongful arrest and treatment of the Guildford Four, and 'Mississippi Burning' (1988), which deals with the struggles of black civil-rights activists and the Ku Klux Klan in the southern US in the 1960s. Many of the films he has scored retain currency and continue to appear regularly on British television schedules many years after their theatrical releases.
Jones has been active in an industry that has experienced a prolonged period of major technological change, including the switchover from analogue to digital production and post-production techniques, and developments in computer software for score production and sound recording/editing. In the audio sphere, this period saw the development of the digital audio workstation, the digital synthesizer and other electronic instruments that significantly impacted on the collaborative process of film-score production. Jones has been in the vanguard in his use of such technology and continues to operate at the forefront of the profession.
In 2005 Jones donated a very large collection of materials relating to his film scores to the University of Leeds, which already had an established reputation for film-music study, with an agreement that they may be used exclusively for research and teaching. The donation consisted of more than 400 multi-track analogue tapes, including session recordings and demonstration mock-ups of cues, as well as an array of paperwork such as spotting notes, mixer settings and other records of communication between members of the music and production teams, and Jones has continued to add to the holdings through the provision of digital files for recent film projects, and notated scores (which often include drafts and sketches). In 2010 he made a second donation of archival materials, around 300 items, including rough and fine cuts for several pictures (on video), additional multi-track and demo recordings, and some final mixes.
The approach to scholarly investigation of film music and its composers has developed over time as researchers have gained access to resources that permit more detailed study, progressing from the aural analysis of the music as heard in the theatrical release of a film to the use of additional materials to supplement the soundtrack, notably the composers' manuscript scores. Continuing this development, the value of archival resources relating to the film-score production process has recently begun to be recognised by researchers, since these materials can often establish the context of the notated score, enabling scholars to evaluate previous incarnations of musical ideas and structures, and to chart the ways in which musical and filmic decisions have impacted on the composer's music. The proposed project will utilise the Jones Archive to create public events, educational materials, a monograph on Jones (the first significant publication devoted to the composer) that investigates and evaluates key phases in his career within the context of developments in both the British and global film-music industries, conference papers and proceedings, a PhD dissertation, and a digital archive of materials relating to Jones's film work for use in research and teaching (as per the University's agreement with Jones).
The Professional Career and Output of Trevor Jones
http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk:80/projects?ref=AH%2FK003828%2F1
The Professional Career and Output of Trevor Jones