To strengthen NFCN and lift the HARPA activities, to ensure the flow of information and the consistency of activities, the Nordic Film Composers Network apply for support for Nordic Film Music Day, 2016-2018. The Nordic Film Music Day will be followed by a strong Nordic network with an yearly budget of approximately 38.000 euro. The expenses will partly be covered by the funding organizations of NFCN, partly through funding from outside.
Since 2009 the Nordic film composers from the five Nordic countries have met twice a year.
Through workshops, seminars, lectures and face-to-face meetings the aim has been
- to strengthen artistic interaction between the Nordic countries
- to develop the organisation’s internal skills through seminars
- to strengthen public awareness of a significant contribution to the experience of a film: film music
- to increase understanding about and raise awareness of film music within the film business
- to contribute to the creation of a better climate of collaboration between composers and other film makers by means of the exchange of ideas and skills
- to strengthen and develop fellowship with fellow composers, to get to know each other and stimulate healthy competition.
- to help Nordic film composers to gain increased access to the European and American market.
- to unify our voice and strengthen the Nordic position in EU and through our European network organizations, FFACE and ECSA
As part of the strategy to put more attention to Nordic Film Music the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award was invented. Each of the Nordic countries has been given a free hand to develop an individual profile, collaborative partners and arena for the award ceremony. The other countries supply with an amount between 2000 – 4000 euro.
The price has been handed out five times; once in each of the Nordic countries. What the five countries have in common is that they so far have decided to hold the award ceremony in conjunction with a film festival. Furthermore, as the budget reveals, we’ve made substantial changes to the award in order to spend more money on marketing the event and less on the event itself.
After five years of ‘living together’ we have put spotlight on film music, furthermore we have a good possibility of sharing information (also on a European level, where we can speak as a Nordic voice). We have those possibilities, and we can do it even more.
This was the intention when we initialized our network, and we aim to further this effort.
In a rapidly changing branch we must be constantly ready to shift our focus. Right now we can see that the market is shifting from feature film towards television and gaming industry. It is therefore not sufficient to keep on talking about film music. The network must also include other genres.
It is also very important that we start using the network to put focus on coercive publishing and streaming (among other). Matters which are putting the author rights even more at a risk. We have to be better to coordinate our efforts. Both inside and outside the Nordic countries.
If we don’t start showing results in these important political and economic issues we will lose our legitimacy – and our funding. But if we succeed in implementing a strategy that can confront the attacks at our authors rights, the media-composers will also be acknowledged as being in the frontline in that important battle.
So far, the meetings and the handing out of the HARPA, and the professional exchanges and seminars have been organized through the respective national composer organizations and their secretariats. The work has been passed on from country to country, from organization to organization, from person to person.
The national organizations are different – all have their own specific ways of working, with different histories and different capacities. There is a constant risk of losing valuable information and experience. This lack of consistency also implies the communication with the general public and with our mother organizations.
To strengthen NFCN and lift the HARPA activities, to ensure the flow of information and the consistency of activities, the Nordic organizations need manpower working on a constant basis. We also need support on a more constant basis – this implies both the network and the HARPA events.
In 2015 the network had planned to arrange a Nordic Film Music Day in connection with the Berlinale, February 2015. Due to personal circumstances we had to cancel that arrangement.
The arrangement is now planned for Sunday February 7th 2016 as a three hours brunch arrangement in connection with the Nordic House.
The day will be arranged in cooperation with Nordische Botschaften and some of the national Music Export Offices. One of the activities will be speeddating between Nordic composers and German film-industry.
At the Nordic Film Music Day 2016 the HARPA Nordic Film Composers Award will be awarded for the 6th time. For the first time the award will be handed out without any money-prize.
Nordic Film Music Day will be the main-activity of the network. It will be accompanied by skypemeetings and a meeting every fall.
The expenses for these meetings will be covered by the national organizations.
Danish