Film Music Guild Conference
RESULTS: PASSED ON 9/22/09 FOR $700
15 September 2009 MEMORANDUM FOR A.S. SENIOR VP / SENATE
FROM: Ian Perry, President of Film Music Guild; Tim Zalk, Vice-President of Film Music Guild
SUBJECT: Film Music Guild Conference 2009
Proposal: The Film Music Guild Conference has been a very active member of the AS Student Clubs and vibrant part of campus life for Film and Music students for 3 years now. We are putting on the first-ever Film Music Guild Conference 2009 on October 3 at Biola, and will be hosting attendees from all over the world, including Indonesia and Turkey according to most recent registration info. The conference is primarily for students, of which we expect nearly 100, with limited seating for general admission. Our guest speakers include Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera (Director and Producer of Pixar’s UP), John Ottman (Editor and Composer on Valkyrie, Usual Suspects), Christopher Young (Composer for Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Grudge), Allison Wright Clark (Score Coordinator, Pirates of the Caribbean I), and several others. The conference will serve to connect student filmmakers and composers with each other and with students from other universities, as well as with professionals in the industry. For more info on the conference, please visit www.filmmusicguild.com.
Amount Requested: $1000
Problems with Status Quo: We are still raising money for the conference, and have some costs that have not yet been met. Corporate industry-related sponsors are largely unwilling to spend money for advertising and representation on a small, first-year conference, and so we have begun turning to private donors for money. We expect to generate about $6,000 from ticket sales (general admission $65, Student admission $65, Biola students $50), but we will need about $3000 more to put on a good conference. We have cut our budget from $16,000 down to $11,500 as of our last tally, and are still making every effort to continue to cut costs. We are requesting this money specifically for speaker honoraria, a banner for branding, and attendee programs. These are invaluable investments to help brand Biola and the FMG, and to treat our speakers well. Our guests have volunteered their time, and we would like to thank them with a small gift for gas and time.
Miscellaneous: This conference is a tangible, recognizable effort to consolidate Biola’s place in the film music industry. There is no conference like this going on anywhere, as far as we have been able to discover. We have been approved by IMC and endorsed by the CMA and Music departments. They are unable to give any money to the conference, but Biola is donating the facilities and several small amenities for our attendee gift bags. Thirty-four Biola students have signed up so far (we expect several more) and 25 student volunteers will be on our staff on the day of the conference. This may be the highest-profile industry-related event to happen at Biola in years, if not ever. We have been carried as a feature in 2 trade magazines (Film Music Magazine and The Mix Magazine), and have attracted the attention of top industry organizations such as the National Assn of Record Industry Professionals, The Society of Composers and Lyricists (the oldest composers’ association in Los Angeles), and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (The Oscars).