Emerging regional screen composers Finn Clarke and Crystal Wilkes will benefit from six weeks of one-on-one mentoring from Leah Curtis and Kevin Penkin after being selected for this year’s Screenworks’ Screen Composing Bootcamp.
Delivered in conjunction with APRA AMCOS and supported by the Australian Guild of Screen Composers, the mentorships are designed to assist with skills development and help build confidence and capacity to compose music for screen content.
Clarke, who will come under the guidance of Curtis, is a Tasmanian multimedia composer, location sound recordist, and post-production audio engineer that has created original music and sound for film, TV, documentary, advertising, installation and contemporary art music applications. He has been commissioned by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra, SBS Insight, Parks Australia, ANZ Bank, the Hobart City Council, and various independent filmmakers and artists.
Pairing with Penkin is Wilkes, an aspiring producer of music based in the Northern NSW town of Mullumbimby. Originally from Melbourne, she grew up immersed in the city’s music, theatre, and performing arts scene. After a stint in Europe, she returned to the Byron Shire and is currently working on a portfolio of works for sync licensing, while also completing a Bachelor’s degree.
Screenworks CEO Ken Crouch hoped the six-week bootcamp would allow the pair to make their mark on the wider industry, both domestically and internationally.
“We’re really proud to be running this mentorship program for emerging composers again this year,” he said.
“We love to support and encourage talent from regional Australia across all screen disciplines and we’re looking forward to seeing how Finn and Crystal grow and develop their composing talents with the expert guidance of Leah and Kevin.”
Screenworks’ Screen Composing Bootcamp will commence in the coming months with weekly and fortnightly exercises being set and assessed by the mentors.