Professional LIVE Recording

Score Recording

With Joe Kraemer, Conrad Pope, Dimitrie Leivici

August 9-13, 2021

As a new highlight for this year’s workshop, we are proud to announce that the recording sessions at Austrian MG Sound in Vienna (www.mg-sound.com), will be presented as a live event, both in person and via Zoom, in whichever way a participant might choose to attend.

Either way, the following steps must be followed in order to make this possible:
Applicants will be contacted by renowned Hollywood composer Joe Kraemer, who will be leading this course and guide them through the sessions.  He will be working with them on preparing for the event, be at their side during the recording process and be available for conducting their compositions should they need help in doing so, or be unable to attend live.

Each one of the students will be entitled to three private online meetings (30 minutes) before the course begins with renowned Hollywood composer and orchestrator Conrad Pope, these are to be held between June 15-30: 1.meeting/ July 1-15: 2.meeting / and July 15-30: third meeting.
Compositions should not exceed the duration of 2 minutes.  If longer ones are planned, the purchase of additional recording time by the participant will be required.
All compositions will be recorded to click.  Participants will conduct their own pieces.

It is advised to keep certain aspects of the composition as simple as possible (i.e. tempo and meter changes).
The instrumentation for the 35-piece orchestra will be the following:

35 piece Orchestra

Strings
8 Violins I
6 Violins II
6 Violas
4 Cellos
2 Double Basses

Brass
2 Horns
1 Trumpet
1 Trombone

Woodwinds
1 Flute (one player can also play Double Piccolo)
1 Oboe (player can also play English horn / Core Anglais)
1 Clarinet
1 Bassoon

1 Percussion

Dates for session preparations will be from August 9 through August 11, to be held in Baden/Austria. They will include introduction and course description by Joe Kraemer as well as the sound engineer, plus lectures, opportunities for one-on-one tutoring, and familiarization with such considerations as recording location and music preparation.

By the end of the second day (August 10), compositions must be submitted to music prep.
On the third day of class, everyone will be present with their mock-ups and will be coached in regards to conducting their selection.
The Recording Session will take place at the internationally renowned scoring studio MG Sound, where recent movies like “Borat 2” and “The Mauritanian” have been recorded. Date of Recording: August 12.

Since we are providing (for the first time) the possibility of Zoom participation, a secure location with the best possible setup for SOURCE CONNECT was of the utmost importance.  This particular studio is world famous for its high connectivity, and thus can guarantee the best possible scenario – a must in today’s volatile environment, where due to a variety of circumstances, remote recording possibilities with the best professional results are of the utmost importance. That is the reason why we have selected this highly recommended studio complex.

The day following the recording session (August 13) will be dedicated to a “debriefing”, where we will return to the classroom and discuss with lecturers and concertmaster the experiences gathered the day before.

In case of Zoom attendance, circumstances such as video and audio feed will be set up accordingly in order to insure the most present experience possible.  All the same access to lecturers, recording facilities and class room events will be facilitated so that a reassured feel of presence can be conveyed to each of the Zoom participants.  Please feel free to contact us for further information should you require it (office@hollywoodmusicworkshop.com)

Tools, Process and Skills

SOFTWARE:  Your most important tool here will be a professional notation program, such as Sibelius or Finale. You will also need a DAW, such as Cubase or Logic, to create the necessary midi files for the booth staff -this will insure that your clicks will be correct, and that your different takes will be editable.  The preparation class will provide you with all the necessary instruction for this.  (Please note – all recordings will be done to click tracks).

While it is not required that you have a particularly good sound-set or sample library for your notation program (as it is all about providing a professional score to the orchestra), you will be working with your mock-up during the prep class, so the better your sounds, the better your experience will be.

HARDWARE:  You will need a computer to run your notation and DAW software.  There is no requirement for a specific platform (PC or MAC).

CONDUCTING:  As this class is a learning experience, you will be required to conduct your piece during the first half of the session.  If the session is drawing to a close and you still have not gotten usable elements, the course instructor can step in at your request to conduct.  Time during the prep course will be dedicated to conducting practice.

MUSIC PREPARATION: The composers will be responsible for creating their own score and parts in the notation software of their choice. If the participant provides usable PDF files of the score and parts to the Hollywood Music Workshop, we will print and tape the scores and parts as needed, as well as providing librarian services at the recording session.

THE FINISHED RECORDING:   Our team is professionally skilled in music editing and will make sure that your entire piece will be recorded at the optimal quality level.  We will have a qualified score reader in the booth making sure you get a good take of every bar of your music.

Within a week or so of the recording, we will provide you with the full set of usable elements from your session.  The audio files will be compatible with any DAW (Pro-Tools will NOT be required for you to use them).  The HMW will provide you with a written tutorial on how to get the most out of your finished audio files.

Please note: we may not be able to provide you with every single take you record (i.e. takes with bad notes, performance errors, etc).  To ensure a final product consistent with the professionalism of the HMW, MG Studios, and the musicians, we reserve the right to employ diligent quality control.

The final recording is yours to use for demo purposes.  It can be informally shared on the internet as a showcase of your work.  As the musicians and studio personnel are participating at a special student rate, the recording cannot be sold or used in any professional context.  Violation will revert all rights of the recording to the HMW.

Kraemer would leave high school behind to attend the renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston to study film composition.  Kraemer’s first real ‘industry’ gig was scoring the NBC/Warner Brothers pilot The Underworld, written and produced by Christopher McQuarrie, shortly following McQuarrie’s Oscar win for The Usual Suspects.  Though the series was not picked up, the pilot was ultimately repurposed as a TV movie, where it has gained a cult following.

Kraemer and McQuarrie would team for the latter’s debut as a feature film director, The Way Of The Gun. A modest showing at the box-office relegated the film to cult status, but the film would be a favorite for ‘temp-scoring’ by music editors.  Ron Howard relied on the score heavily as temp music for his Best Picture film A Beautiful Mind, so much so that he included Kraemer’s music in the deleted scenes on the DVD and Blu-Ray.

In the years following The Way Of The Gun, Kraemer carved out an eclectic career scoring all manner of films, from documentaries to television movies to action and horror films.  He has written music for over 100 films, TV movies, episodic television, and film shorts, some 40 films just for The Hallmark Channel/Larry Levinson Productions alone! Strong melodic writing and superb dramatic sensibilities have kept him at the forefront of their rotation, and highlights include his scores for John Putch’s The Poseidon Adventure and A Time To Remember, the Mystery Woman series of ten films, and westerns such as Hard Ground, Lone Rider and The Trail To Hope Rose.  He has also written the music for The Hitcher II and Joyride 2 for director Louis Morneau, and six films with writer-producer Mark Altman, including House Of The Dead 2, The Thirst and All Souls Day.

Kraemer’s close artistic partnership with Altman led to scoring duties for Altman’s TV series Femme Fatales, a sexy homage to film noir and other genres for HBO/Cinemax. Kraemer also wrote the score for the prestigious documentary An Unreasonable Man, an Oscar-shortlisted feature about Ralph Nader for directors Steven Skrovan and Henriette Mantell.

2015 has proven to be a brake out year for Joe Kraemer, with the release of Dawn Patrol and the box office hit Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, in which Kraemer reteamed with Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise.

Conrad has contributed to the scores of more than a hundred films. The list of the many iconic films on which he has worked includes the recent Star Wars films, the Harry Potter series, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Matrix films, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Moonrise Kingdom, Godzilla, and the final two Hobbit films: The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of Five Armies.

Over his career, Pope has worked side by side with many of Hollywood’s finest directors, including Peter Jackson, Mark Romanek, Walter Murch, Scott Hicks, Gary Ross, Joe Johnston and Wes Anderson. His ability to work effectively with filmmakers and concretely translate their vision into music has made him a valued collaborator.

As such, he has scored numerous independent films. One of his recent original scores,

Penn &Teller’s TIM’S VERMEER, has garnered attention and praise from directors and critics alike. Awarded the International Film Critics Award for Best Score to a Documentary in 2014 the score has won fans in the worlds of art, art music, and filmmakers.

The music Pope composed to Harvey Weinstein’s production of Simon Curtis’ film MY WEEK WITH MARILYN”. The soundtrack, featuring Lang Lang on piano, is available on Sony Classics.

Most recently, Conrad worked with director Mark Romanek to compose the music to the pilot for the upcoming DreamWorks/ABC television series “THE WHISPERS”, Steven Spielberg, executive producer.

The American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers in 2015 awarded Conrad their prestigious GOLDEN SCORE AWARD in recognition of his career as composer, arranger, orchestrator, and conductor in film music.

Pope holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and Princeton University. After receiving the George Chadwick Medal, the New England Conservatory’s highest honor, upon his graduation, Pope went on to study at Munich’s Hochschule fuer Musik and at the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, before completing graduate studies at Princeton University.

Subsequent concert tours with violin concerti by Beethoven, Sibelius and Tschaikovsky led him throughout Europe, including solo performances with leading orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Rumanian Philharmonic as well as numerous appearances throughout the continent of North America (San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Washington, D.C.).

Dimitrie J. Leivici held the position for violin instructor and chamber music at the California State University as well as being chairman for strings and Chamber Music for the »California Association of Professional Music Teachers«.

He is one of the most sought after Hollywood studio violinists, having participated on over 1.000 movie scores and sound tracks including projects such as Avatar, Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean, Toy Story, Indiana Jones, etc.

He has organized Master Classes for world famous artists such as Paul Badura Skoda and Ruggiero Ricci. Dimitrie J. Leivici was also featured as master clinician in workshops and violin master classes including at the University of Vienna in 2008.

Being a teacher and mentor for young talents, Hollywood Music Workshop is one of his big projects that connects him closely to his homeland of Austria.

HMW partner for the Live Recording MG Sound

Founded in 1990 and located in the very heart of Vienna MG-SOUND specialises in almost all aspects of
sound. Both owners, Martin Böhm & Ludwig Coss enjoyed a classical education at Vienna Conservatory
and have expanded their acoustic horizons from there. With MG-SOUND they set out to provide an all-
encompassing homage to sound, that evolves constantly.

Technical: Member of the World Studio Group (an institution committed to electing the world’s top twenty-five studios every year)
Studio Credits – All Things POP: Pearl Jam, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Jim Steinman, Rolling Stones, MJJ, Queen, Scorpions, Marian Faithful, Marius Müller Westernhagen, Lady Gaga, Depeche Mode, Bon Jovi, Ryan Leslie, Milow & m.m.

HitSquad Records:
The freedom of an in-house record label guarantees dedicated love and care for projects through each part of the production line. Founded in 2000, it was named most successful production
company in the annual charts in its very first year. MG-SOUND Music Supply followed as an associated music distributor.

Other productions in Austria:
The Who’s Tommy (Landestheater Linz), Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark (West End’s Vaudville Theatre) or Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins.

Crossovers – Vienna Symphonic Orchestra: The most beloved classics of music history, re-imagined. A production that celebrates and makes visible the timeless, intimate aspects of music –Vienna Symphonic Lounge: A Trip To The Core.

Musical Direction – Multimedia + Events: Wiener Festwochen, Opening Ceremony (2003-2006): in cooperation with the likes of Chaka Khan, Nina Hagen or Marian Faithful, Omara Portuendo – Life Ball, Opening Ceremony (2003-2008) – The New Wiener Prater (May 2008): acoustic design of the renovated area, sound design of an exclusive flight board – Re-Opening of the Viennese Sofiensäle (2013) – Grand Opening of Vienna Central Station (2014) – Life Ball Red Ribbon Gala (2013-2016)

For more, visit us at: www.mg-sound.com