TCM 2007 Winners
Betsy just pointed out that TCM has finally posted the clips from the winners of the 2007 competition.
Enjoy!
Much Metta,
John
Composers Expo
The Expo was a blast and I’m totally worn out! I spent the day getting inspired, challenged, meeting and learning and I loved every minute of it. As I was driving home I was thinking about my day and had two thoughts I’d like to share.
First is the realization that there are SO MANY great composers out there, and you know, I’m honored to be one of them. This year the first place winner was one of the top twenty last year who didn’t make it to the final round, even though I did. So even though I didn’t make it this year, I really feel like I can write right along side some very talented people.
And secondly, after the ceremony I decided I was done and needed to get back to the hotel to rest. 30 minutes later, I’m still at the event trying to say goodbye to everyone I wanted to, which helped me realize that even though I’ve only been here in LA twice, I really do have the start of some really interesting friendships. I hope they continue to grow and that it won’t been too long before I can see everyone again. Maybe next year…
Hope you all are doing well! It’s bed time for me. 
Much metta,
John
TCM News
Lots of things going on lately, so it’s update time.
TCM news: I just found out yesterday that I didn’t make it in to the top 20 for the competition this year. I’m pretty bummed. Betsy and I both have been lamenting the things we’re going to miss by not being able to go. She put it best in that we feel like we’ve been kicked out of a very cool club. We’ve made some friend and had some incredible experiences, and all of that goes kind of on hold for another year.
But I really think things happen for a reason, even if I don’t know what that might be. And the good news is just today I started working on some new music that’s got me totally pumped. Since I still love to write music, I guess I’ll just have to keep on writing, right?
So, the piece I’m working on today is the intro to our flag videos, and I’m so excited about how it’s coming along, I just had to post some of it here. The video and the audio are all original content, courtesy of myself, with a little help from a great Apple Motion template. Check it out:
It’s getting late so I’m off to bed. Thanks for following along. Oh, and please keep the families of the VT students in your thoughts and prayers. My brother and a good friend from high school are both alumni, and I know this tragedy has been hard on everyone.
Much metta, John
Want to see my TCM YFCC entry?
For those of you who’ve been asking about my entry to the Turner Classic Movies Young Film Composers Competition, I did indeed finish my entry and submitted it last night. I even went so far as to create an almost complete written score, just so I could look at what I’d written and make sure there wasn’t anything really odd in there. Anyway, enough babble from me. Check out the clip on my music page:
And yes, there is still a password on it, so if you need the password, let me know.
Thanks again to all of you who’ve been so supportive through this process and who gave me their thoughts and ideas about the clip. Let the adventure begin!
Much metta,
John
DONE!
My clip has been sent to TCM!!!
I’ll post it here tomorrow but for now, it’s time for bed.
Much Metta, John
Almost done
Almost.
Sorry the link wasn’t working today, by the way. It was fine on my Mac so I didn’t even notice it wasn’t working for PC users. Needless to say, it’s fixed now, so if you want to listen to version 3, it’s on the music page.
I think I’m finally finished composing and I wanted to thank everyone for their great feedback. I can honestly say I tried almost every suggestion I got, and the ones that felt right I went with and the ones that didn’t, I didn’t. The fact that so many people gave such thoughtful suggestions means a lot to me.
I’ll post a final version in the next day or two with the changes I’ve made tonight. I want to sleep on the mix and check it tomorrow with fresh ears, and then it’s uploading time!
Thanks again for your love and support.
Much metta, John
Help!
My first draft is ready for some help. Check out my music page:
http://www.mettaaudio.com/music.html
The file is a QuickTime file, so you have to have a free QuickTime player to play it. (www.quicktime.com) Oh, and it’s password protected, so if you need the username and password, email me.
I’m at the point where I need some feedback so I’m asking for some help. Please leave a note on my blog or drop me an email and let me know what you think. What do you like? What don’t you like? What would you do differently? I especially what to hear from those of you who aren’t biased by formal musical training.
All for now. Much metta!
John
Hello? Is this thing on?
I’ve been silent for a long time, but if any of you are still out there, have I got some news! Ok, I know most of you have already heard, but I’m a daddy!
Check out Miles Aledander King
It’s been life changing, to say the least. Instead of trying to recap everything that’s happened, I thought I’d just post the latest. Miles is 6 weeks old and mostly an eating, sleeping and pooping machine. But I heard that newborns start to learn to mimic facial expressions, so I put him down in our boppy and starting making faces. Not 2 minutes in I busted into a huge clown-ish grin and suddenly so did he! I was so overtaken with delight and amazement that I yelled for Betsy, who brought the camera. This isn’t the full grin he originally gave me, but what a great pic!
Today’s adventure involves poo. As an aside, new parents are obsessed with the stuff, by the way. And it’s not our fault, because in the parenting classes they even give you a chart so you can track everything you’d ever want to know about his bowel movements from color to consistency. Being a dad is fun.
Back to my story. To keep it short and simple, I made a classic new parent bumble. Betsy was changing Miles but doing so just a bit too early. He’d just woken up from a nap and was in the middle of grunting and groaning. The problem is she’d already removed the used cloth diaper and because he wasn’t done, he’d already soiled the clean one sitting under him. In an effort to help expedite the process, I’d learned that lifting his legs helps him move stuff along. So I did. And he did. That little boy covered a two foot line across clean diapers, blankets and clothes. Not in my wildest dreams did I imagine he would spray poo that far. Live and learn.
TCM? Anyone? I’d written enough music for the 4th clip. Then scrapped it. Did it again. And scrapped it again. Finally I think I’m closer to having the right mood, and just in time, because it’s due at the end of next week. Time to really get crackin. I’ll be posting password protected versions over the next couple days, so be sure to check back.
All for now. Thanks for all your love and support!
Much metta!
John
TCM YFCC competition update page
Interested in following along as I work through the TCM competition? I’ll be posting updates, sketches and samples of my work here: TCM YFCC Page
Note: This page is password protected. If you need to know the username and password, send me an email.
Be Metta,
John
Young Film Composers Competition
It’s UP!!!
Young Film Composers Competition
Check out those clips. I’ve got my work cut out between now and March 31.
Much Metta, John