Queensland Conservatorium and Griffith Film School are joining forces for an evening of music and movies.
FilmHarmonic features world premiere films, classic movie soundtracks and student collaborations as part of the Brisbane Festival program.
Griffith Film School (GFS) graduate Julen Goñi’s animated short film, Welcome to Winton, will be among the new works showcased.
It was created during the film school’s annual moviemaking bootcamp in the outback and submitted as Julen’s graduation film as part of the Bachelor of Animation.
“It’s so cool that a film that my friends and I made at uni is now taking on a new life.”
“To see it up on the big screen with a new score and live music will be amazing. It’s quite an honour.”
GFS animation graduate Julen Goñi
Since graduating from GFS in 2019, Julen has worked as an animator on shows commissioned for HBO, the Cartoon Network and Netflix.
“The connections I made at film school have made all the difference, and it’s great to be able to work on a project like this with Griffith, because animation really is a collaborative effort,” he said.
“It’s great to have the backing of the university to bring different creatives together and provide these opportunities.”
Young Conservatorium musician Amy Choung
Julen’s film was scored by Young Conservatorium musician Amy Choung, currently in Year 11 at the Queensland Academies Creative Industries (QACI).
Amy said being selected to score the film had allowed her to dream of studying composition at the Queensland Conservatorium.
“Composition has always been something I was passionate about and this has motivated me to start composing more,” she said.
“I’ve never had my work played by a live orchestra before — I can’t wait to her the piece I worked on for weeks brought to life.”
Composition student Ray Lin
Queensland Conservatorium Bachelor of Music (composition) student Ray Lin will premiere a new work, Waltz No. 007, that pays tribute to the James Bond films.
“The Bond films are very cool and stylish, but I wanted to capture the air of danger and menace that lurks beneath the surface,” he said.
“Music expresses what cannot be said in films and adds so many extra layers.”
The young composer collaborated with second-year GFS student Eyasu Church, who edited a stunning movie montage featuring the seven different faces of James Bond.
“I was so lucky to work with Eyasu — it was a truly positive collaborative experience and I learned a lot about scoring for film,” Ray said.
“I also learned so much from sitting in the rehearsal with the Queensland Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra — I was able to get instant feedback and revise the piece.
“Film scoring and orchestrations are what I want to do after I graduate so this has really helped me grow as a musician.”
Assoc. Prof. Peter Morris
Queensland Conservatorium Deputy Director Associate Professor Peter Morris said the concert was an opportunity to collaborate across art forms.
“This concert is a passion project and a chance to celebrate our collective creativity at Griffith,” he said.
“Everything on the program is either a world premiere, or has an element that has been reinvented, recycled or reimagined.
“Beyond being great fun, this event demonstrates artistic research in action–telling stories, inspiring creativity and making connections that will fuel our community into the future.”
A still from Liquefazione directed by Prof. Herman van Eyken
Also on the program is the world premiere of a short film by Head of Griffith Film School Professor Herman van Eyken.
Inspired by the idea of a ‘liquid society’ marked by rapid change, Liquefazione follows the journey from the analogue to the virtual world through solo choreography.
The film was made in collaboration with the Beijing Film Academy and features a haunting score by Chinese composer Qi Yu with additional orchestration by Queensland Conservatorium alumnus Ryan Walsh.
Griffith Animation senior lecturers Dr Peter Moyes and Dr Louise Harvey will also screen their work, AscenDance, an award-winning immersive ‘visual music’ experience.
The 360-degree audio-visual work was a collaboration with composer Mark Douglas Williams, and brings the musical elements to life through 3D animation, virtual reality and surround sound.
FilmHarmonic will be held on Friday 24 September, Queensland Conservatorium Theatre, South Bank.
