Meet The Film/TV Composers and their Team

Hosted by the Music Publishers Association of Ireland (MPAI) and the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO), “Meet The Composers and their Team” is a seminar aimed at exploring the multifaceted world of composing for film and TV.  Join us as we bring together acclaimed composers and industry experts to shed light on various aspects of this craft.

Composers Stephen Rennicks and Sheridan Tongue will share their journeys, discussing their career paths to date in the dynamic world of scoring for film/TV and the crucial role a supportive team plays in this process.

In addition to exploring the creative aspects, we will delve into the technical side of scoring for visual media. Understanding the nuances of scoring for visual media is essential for any aspiring composer, and our panellists will provide valuable insights into scoring techniques and the collaborative process.

Furthermore, Sarah Liversedge Platz and Juliet Martin will provide invaluable insights into the role of a publisher/agent in the life of a composer. They will discuss the dynamics of the composer-publisher relationship, the importance of effective communication, and how to navigate the business side of composing.

Sarah Glennane will offer her expertise on the composing community in Ireland and the important role played by the Screen Composers Guild of Ireland (SCGI). Understanding the international landscape and being part of a supportive community can greatly enhance a composer’s career, and Sarah will highlight the resources and opportunities available to composers.

Whether you’re an aspiring film/TV composer, a seasoned professional, or simply interested in the world of film and TV music, this seminar promises to be an enriching experience. Join us as we uncover the art, craft, and business of composing, and gain valuable insights into the collaborative relationships between composers, publishers, directors, producers, and music supervisors.

Panel:

Sarah Liversedge Platz | Director A&R, Bucks Music Group / Managing Director, BDi Music

Sarah has a First-Class Composition degree from Bath Spa University. Following graduation, she embarked upon a media career at BBC as Floor Manager for UK Television before side-stepping into a TV Researcher role in Entertainment. She then moved over to the commercial arm of the BBC as Programme Liaison Executive to then be appointed as Deputy Head of Music Publishing and then promoted to Head of Music. In this role she played a major part in developing and expanding what became one of the leading media music publishing companies in the UK. In 2004, Sarah founded her own independent music publishing company BDi Music which celebrates its 20 year anniversary this year – a thriving multimillion-pound music publishing business garnering many accolades including a Grammy and three Ivor Novellos Awards. She is Co-Director & Director A&R at Bucks Music Group, Co-Director of The Movement London (a co-venture publishing company with multi-platinum producer Jake Gosling) and sits on the Board of Directors for The Music Publishers Association, Ireland. In 2013 she was nominated for a Music Producer’s Guild Award in the Unsung Hero category and she also received an ASCAP Award in recognition as exclusive publisher of Ed Sheeran’s hit song ‘Lego House’. In 2014 she was included on the Roll of Honour at the Women in Music Awards – she is also the proud co-publisher of 2016 Grammy award winning Song Of The Year, ‘Thinking Out Loud’. Sarah has received global representation recognition at the ASCAP Awards as publisher of ‘Thinking Out Loud’. In 2017 Sarah was presented a Gold Badge Award from the Ivors Academy and in 2022 she received an honorary doctorate from Bath Spa University. Sarah is a passionate and experienced music publisher who develops the careers of unbeatable, innovative and creative Artists, Producers, Songwriters and Composers.

Stephen Rennicks

Multi-award-winning composer Stephen Rennicks has been crafting inimitable soundtracks for the best of Independent Cinema and Television for over twenty years. Projects include Small Town, Big Story starring Christina Hendricks and Paddy Considine – the warm, witty, dramatic comedy created and directed by Chris O’Dowd will air on Sky Originals in 2024; and Alice and Jack, starring Oscar-nominee Andrea Riseborough and Golden Globe-nominated Domhnall Gleeson and written by Victor Levin (Mad Men, Mad About You). The Channel 4 drama tells the heart-wrenching story of imperfect lovers trying to navigate the highs and lows of a 16-year relationship. An Cailín Ciuín/The Quiet Girl is adapted from a short story by Claire Keegan and directed by Colm Bairéad. The mesmerising Oscar-nominated feature tells the story of a neglected girl sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with foster parents for the summer. Best Interests is the four-part drama series by Jack Thorne, which stars Sharon Horgan and Michael Sheen as a married couple fighting for their disabled daughter’s medical care. Good Luck To You, Leo Grande; written by Katy Brand and directed by Sophie Hyde, the sex-positive tale of empowerment and self-discovery stars Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack. And Conversations With Friends. The 12-part TV Drama directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Leanne Welham and produced by Element Pictures. Rennicks also scored ‘Normal People’, continuing his long-standing working partnership with director Lenny Abrahamson. The 12-part adaptation of Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel tells the coming-of-age story of two young people moving from adolescence to young adulthood against the backdrop of Ireland during the global economic recession. It was one of the most-watched shows on the BBC and Hulu, with the music on the show receiving outstanding reviews in publications such as Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Vice, The NY Times and The Hollywood Reporter. Prior to Normal People, Rennicks and Abrahamson collaborated on Room, based on Emma Donoghue’s bestselling novel of the same name starring Brie Larson (who picked up the Oscar for Best Actress), Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen and William H. Macy. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Abrahamson’s first Oscar nomination for Best Director. And the breakout cult hit, Frank, starring Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Domhnall Gleeson – a film with music at its heart saw Stephen’s stand-out songwriting, score and musical direction unanimously praised. Rennicks won the ‘Best Technical Achievement in Music’ award at the British Independent Film Awards for his incredible work on the film. In addition, the soundtrack was named number three in Mojo’s soundtrack albums. Among Rennicks’ other credits include Death of a Ladies Man – a feature about a carousing college professor played by Gabriel Byrne, whose life becomes blighted by surreal hallucinations; Maya Zinshtein’s Forever Pure, an extraordinary feature-length documentary on the transfer of two Chechen Muslim soccer players to Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem FC; Spanish language film Viva, directed by Paddy Breathnach and set in the crumbling beauty of Havana, is an emotionally-charged drama about a hairdresser who is forced to quit performing at the local drag club by his boxer father; Muse, a psych-thriller about an academic who slips into a world controlled by the ancient spirits of inspiration, the Muses; while Birthmarked, starring Toni Collette, is an off-the-wall comedy about genetics and destiny.

Sheridan Tongue

Sheridan Tongue is internationally acclaimed for his incredible soundtracks for Silent Witness, Wonders of the Universe, and in June 2023 was nominated for an EMMY for his work on the film Mavericks. He won an EMMY in 2021 for his work on The Last Artifact film from the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Sheridan has just completed the soundtrack to the documentary feature Race To The Summit for Netflix and Pitch International. It tells the incredible story of Swiss free climbers Dani Arnold and Ueli Steck. He is currently scoring a 10 part crime drama series for BBC1. Recent work also includes scoring the soundtrack for the BBC Studios and Sky TV three part series The Great Rhino Robbery. In November 2022 Sheridan was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the Northern Ireland Music Prize in Belfast presented by PRS for Music. Belfast born, Sheridan is not only one of the UK’s most successful film and TV composers, he is also an artist and songwriter through his pseudonym IN-IS. Tracks from his IN-IS albums have been used in syncs on CBS, BBC and Netflix. He released his second IN-IS album 2068 in 2020, which draws upon his wide range of musical experiences, from orchestral and electronic to folk-influenced global music. Seven Days, Sheridan’s first IN-IS album was released in 2016.

Sarah Glennane | CEO Screen Composers Guild of Ireland

Sarah Glennane is CEO of the Screen Composers Guild of Ireland, the representative body for Irish and Irish based composers of original music for Film/TV/Advertising and Games. In 2017 Sarah authored the IMRO/MCPS report entitled: Music for Screen in Ireland, which was instrumental in the formation of the SCGI. Sarah also works as an independent music supervisor on Film and TV productions, she is passionate about creative music supervision and the role music plays in the development of narrative and depth in audiovisual productions. Sarah has delivered module’s on music for film and the business of music for film, as guest lecturer at Dublin’s Pulse College; Scoring for Film and Visual Media (MA) and Film Base; Film Production (MA).Sarah’s background is in music management and arts marketing, She has worked with many notable Irish musicians over her career in the performance music industry.

Juliet Martin | Silverstream Music

Silverstream works with some of Ireland’s leading composers for film, TV and advertising including Stephen Rennicks (‘Room’, ‘Normal People’), Sarah Lynch (The Dry) Michael Fleming (‘The Queen of Ireland’, ‘Katie’) and artists Donal Lunny, Zali and Rocstrong. Recent sync success includes campaigns for McDonalds, Global Seat Car Campaign, Rimmel London, Hahn Beer in Australia, Tesco, and many more. Juliet brings her extensive knowledge and background in the music industry to her role as a music supervisor. She currently provides music supervision services for some of Ireland’s and the UK’s biggest production companies. Clients include Element Pictures (Poor Things), Deadpan Pictures, Metropolitan Films and Two Brothers Pictures.  Film/TV work includes ‘Conversations with Friends’ (Element Pictures) for Hulu and the BBC,  ‘The Tourist Season 2′ (Two Brothers Pictures) for the BBC & Netflix, ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ for Amazon Studios and the Emmy, Golden Globe and Bafta nominated ‘Normal People’ for Hulu and the BBC . She also regularly guest lectures and contributes to industry panels.