Video Games Music Composers Panel Luncheon – January 20, 2010

This luncheon presented composers who have found a place in Video games. They discussed what led them to this particular media, the special compositional considerations video game composition entails, also other avenues they are still be exploiting to make a living in this very competitive and volatile marketplace. The was time for some very interesting questions from the audience at the end of the program.

Following are credits from the panel members:

KAVEH COHEN

A veritable force in the world of motion picture trailers, Kaveh and co-composer Michael Nielsen, have taken the advertising industry by storm. Since the debut of his blockbuster trailer music library Full Tilt, with it’s intense and cutting edge sound, Kaveh’s compositions have thrilled audiences on both large and small screen in hundreds of advertising campaigns for Hollywood’s biggest films including: G.I. Joe, Twilight New Moon, X-Men Origins Wolverine, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, Terminator Salvation, Race to Witch Mountain, The Dark Knight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and countless others. Not stopping at trailers, Kaveh has scored numerous commercials for clients including Sony, SEGA, NBC, Mattel, Six Flags and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Kaveh has also composed scores for dozens of television shows including award winning and Emmy nominated shows and mini series such as Ocean Adventures, The Science of Star Wars, The Crash of Flight 191, Biography: John Travolta, Red Flag, Wolverine and the X-men and many others. He’s also been a contributing composer for several top rated network prime time reality shows.

MICHAEL DAVID NEILSEN

A composer and producer for motion picture advertising, video games, television, and records.  His music appears regularly on the big screen as the sonic propulsion to some of Hollywood’s biggest movie trailers, including Twilight: New Moon, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Terminator Salvation. In addition to writing and producing Full Tilt trailer music, Michael, with partner and co-composer Kaveh Cohen, are scoring the highly anticipated video game Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: ConViction. Recently, Michael worked on the score for the animated series Wolverine and the X-Men, is programming for Cat’s & Dog’s 2, and co-wrote and produced all of the songs for Another Cinderella Story featuring Selena Gomez.

BILLY MARTIN

Whether conducting a 60-piece orchestra on a sound stage or crafting an electronic score in his own technically appointed studio, composer Billy Martin creates music to tell stories. It may be music that mirrors the drama of a feature film, annotates the hyper-kinetic motion of an animated network series, or delivers the apocalyptic doom of a futuristic computer game; in all projects, Martin’s music moves in sonic counterpoint to the on-screen action.  His outlets include Walt Disney Pictures, Universal, Fox, the Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and ABC, among others. Simultaneously, he composes for new media with a range of projects for companies including Ubisoft and Disney. As a songwriter, he has contributed songs to feature films including Outside Providence and Selena while television series from Touched by an Angel to Murphy Brown have also featured his lyrics and music.

SHAWN K. CLEMENT, Panel Moderator

From TV to film to videogames, Shawn Clement has established himself as a multi-faceted composer in a wide variety of genres and styles. Clement’s most notable TV series, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, came in the midst of his reality TV period including shows like WORLD’S WILDEST POLICE VIDEOS, to AMERICAN IDOL and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. His music has set the gaming tone for hit titles including Sony’s OPEN SEASON, Electronic Arts’ THE SIMS 2 and BATMAN: VENGEANCE for Warner Brothers.