Brighter Day Music

London Business School Annual Fund 2007

I've just completed work on the Annual Fund Film for London Business School. This is sent out to all alumni via an email link to encourage them to maintain their ties to the school and to donate to the annual fund. I was recommissioned by London Business School having scored the film for 2006. I again worked with design agency Consider who created the animation.

To view the film as a flash animation please click on this link, there will be a volume control on the top left of the screen

LBS Annual Fund 2007

Flowers Don't Grow Here screening at Riverside Studios tomorrow

I've just found out that "Flowers Don't Grow Here" is screening at Riverside Studios, London tomorrow evening.

I worked on this in 2005. It tells the story of a gang of Ukrainian, glue addicted street kids.

For tickets please go to

Riverside Studios

Last autumn Flowers Don't Grow Here won the prestigious Big Issue Social Care Award at the Document 4 International Human Rights Film Festival. The chair of the vendor panel who selected from six shortlisted films, said he and fellow judges were struck by an uncompromising and harrowing view of a world that few had seen before. He added that it was "remarkable, tough but moving piece of film-making."

Way to Blue with RDF and Absolutely Cuckoo

I've been working again with the creative house Absolutely Cuckoo on another childrens series. "Way to Blue" combines animation and live action, and has a strong spiritual element. It's currently being developed with RDF Media and is being presented to UK broadcasters. I was asked to provide a score for the showcase sequence used in pitch meetings

John Lewis Partnership

I've just finished work on a film for the John Lewis Partnership, produced by Met Film and TV. This was a real joy to work on, as it celebrates one of the UK most progressive organisations. The democratic nature and profit-sharing basis of the business were developed into a formal partnership structure by its founder and Spedan Lewis bequeathed the company to his employees. The music is in a contemporary classical style and uses interweaving piano lines, staccato strings and even some medieval wind instruments. For fans of Michael Nyman and Yann Tiersen.

Mimi & Bibi

I've written the title song for a "Mimi & Bibi" a childrens cartoon series. The inspiration of Dan Good and Lucy Chesher at the creative house Absolutely Cuckoo, Mimi & Bibi is being developed at Target TV and is currently being presented to several American networks. The song was commissioned to be a central part of the pitch package. A slice of Kelly Clarksonesque nostalgic pop rock it features the vocals of myself, two guest female vocalists acting out the sisters Mimi & Bibi and plenty of guitars. I also wrote the lyrics.

Target Television

London Business School Proteus Programme

I've provided music for a flash animation advertising London Business School's Proteus Executive Education programme. We went for a minimal, spacious ambient approach in keeping with the mind opening conceptual benefits of the programme.

To view the animation please click on the link below, then click on the watch the video link below the image of the earth.

Proteus Flash Animation

Enila

James has scored a flash animation for the Swiss Luxury watch company Enila. Produced by design agency Consider it will be used by Enila Sales Reps to showcase their unique bespoke design process.

The music combines orchestral swells, pizzicato strings, sound design and breakbeats to mirror the combination of prestige and modernity at the heart of the Enila brand.

The Initiation of Kim Sun

I've completed work on the drama short film "The Initiation of Kim Sun". Directed by Henry Scholfield and produced by Adrian Kowal, it tells the story of a hedge fund manager's first few days on a new job and his transformation into a robot...The score contains both disorientating, jerky percussive overload and a floaty main theme reminiscent of the likes of Air. Clips to follow, and hopefuly festival screenings later next year.

Summer Work - Channel 4, the Film Council. Department of Education, La Famiglia

Long time no update. James has been busy working on a few different formats over the summer:

Tracks for the feature film "This Is What It Is", the directorial debut of actor Cristian Solimeno (Footballer's Wives, Tunnel of Love, the Vicar of Dibley, Rogue Trader & Dead Babies). Cass, a self confessed nostalgia junkie tries to come to terms with losing the great love of his life. For more information please visit its production company website

Lafamiglia

Corporate films for the Film Council and The Department of Education.

Sonic branding and ident work for Channel's 4 Four Docs website which is will be online soon.

FourDocs wins website awards

The Channel 4 website FourDocs, for which James composed music last year, has picked up several awards recently.

It first won Revolution Magazine's "Best Online Property from a Media Owner"
Then at the IVCA's it picked up gold award in the "best website" category and silver in the "Web TV" category.

James is currently working on FourDocs again with the production company Magic Lantern, this time composing for new idents and channel branding material.

FourDocs website

London Business School Flash Animation

James has recently completed work for London Business School, scoring a flash animation for client London Business School. He worked closely with the design agency Consider.

The animation was sent out by email to alumni to encourage donations to the annual fund and is also shown on London Business School website. A clip will be will be on this site soon. For now you can see it as a flash animation by clicking below

London Business School alumni film

and clicking on the box labelled "Support the school: View our short presentation"

Theodora Children's Trust

James has just completed the music on a film for a great charity, the Theodora Children's Trust. The production company was 76 acres. He was working with previous collaborator Ginevra Elkann and 2006 Bafta Nominee Babak Jalali (for "Heydar, an Afghan in Tehran").

Since 1994 Theodora Children's Trust has brought laughter, fun and magic to hospitalised children in the UK. Their clown doctors, who are specially trained to work in the hospital environment, visit 8 hospitals on a weekly basis and 1 centre for epilepsy on a monthly basis. For more info please visit http://www.theodora.org.uk/

The music has a touch of a Yann Tiersen influence with strings, musicboxes, ealy modern keyboards, accordions and percussion. A clip will be online shortly.

Only In America showing on BBC 1

The CBBC production Only in America is currently showing on BBC 1 weekday children's slot on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at 5pm, and for the next two weeks.

James Burrell created the titles music and sound design, which accompanies an animation produced by Bravo Post, as well providing sound beds and stings. The series follows the presenters Reggie Yates and Fern Cotton on a road trip round the US, celebrating the quirkier aspects of American culture, from rodeos to superheroes.

Check out the titles sequence in the Children's television section of Showcase.

Cultural Capital Opening Film

James Burrell has scored and sound designed the film that opens the Cultural Capital one-day conference today. It takes place at the British Museum and is attended by 100 key decision makers across government, broadcasting, Ofcom and the cultural sector. Keynote speakers included the director and chairman of the bfi Anthony Minghella and John Woodward, UK Film Council Chief Executive. The film was produced by Magic Lantern for the Film Council and the bfi.

There was some beautiful imagery to work with, in part drawn from the bfi archive.

You can view the film in the Corporate section of Showcase.

Timebank commercial

Brighter Day Music has just completed the music for a TV commercial for the charity Timebank, produced through Large Blue.

Timebank UK is a national charity providing volunteers with information on voluntary work and volunteering projects in the UK & overseas. For more information about Timebank please visit http://www.timebank.org.uk/

Flowers Don't Grow Here...another great review

Flowers Don't Grow Here, for which James Burrell composed the score, has received a great review from documentary maker Hugh Purcell (One World Broadcasting Trust)

"The remarkable quality about this remarkable film is the high production value. It's a graphic documentary about the street kids of Kiev, filmed in doss houses and under railway bridges, yet it looks like a Hollywood feature film. Instead of jerkily held and badly focussed camcorder work, forgivable in these kind of films, each interview is moodily lit, each picture composed, each sound recording clear above the incessant trains. The point about this is not only that the documentary is easy to watch but that the film crew have the co-operation of the kids. This is their story, told on their terms, from the inside out. And what a heartrending story! You see three generations of drop outs, surviving on drugs, theft and prostitution; you hear unimaginable tales of violence; you understand what happens when society turns its back on its failures. But this pathetic community does have a heart. It is bound together with mutual dependence and care, all too clear when uncle dies. In this inhuman world the teenagers have not lost their humanity. That is one positive to take away from this unforgettable film."

You can view a clip from Flowers Don't Grow Here in the documentary section of the Showcase section.

Nick Jr Winter Holidays Song

James has written the lyrics and music for the Nick Jr Winter Holidays song, which is running on the children's channel throughout the Christmas period. The song accompanies a winter scene animation.

You can view the clip in the Children's television section of Showcase.

Only in America showing on CBBC this Saturday

The CBBC production Only in America starts airing this Saturday morning 15th October on CBBC and for the nine following weeks. It will air on BBC 1 next year.

James Burrell created the titles music and sound design, which accompanies an animation produced by Bravo TV, as well as the sound beds and stings. The series follows the presenters Reggie Yates and Fern Cotton on a road trip round the US, celebrating the quirkier aspects of American culture, from rodeos to superheroes.

Music for Premier Model Management

James has completed two tracks for Premier Models Management/Premier Mission Group to accompany footage from catwalk shows and behind the scenes fashion gossip. The style is moody, decadent dance music.

London Business School

James has just scored a film for London Business School produced by Joose TV, working closely with the graphics editor Jonny Stopford. The style is widescreen dance music.

You can view a clip in the Corporate section of Showcase.

To view the complete film streamed on the London Business School website please visit:
http://www.london.edu/theschool/whychooselondonbusinessschool.html and click on the image

Flowers Don't Grow Here attracting more great reviews

Flowers Don't Grow Here, for which James Burrell composed the score, has attracted another great review, this time from the List,

"A directorial debut going beyond the photogenic Orange Revolution, to reveal a harsher side of contemporary Ukraine, Flowers Don't Grow Here documents the harrowing lives of a group of Kiev street children. These range from an 18 year-old prostitute with two children and an abusive partner, to a group of squatters who have formed an ad hoc family in the home of one of their number, and a mentally ill young man living under a bridge. Proving painfully unguarded, even when talking about their complicity in murder, as they have nothing left to lose, they gleefully gossiping about each other but at the same time remain emotionally numb from maltreatment and solvent abuse. Like these children, the documentary lacks any normalising structure, such as a narrator, giving it an unmediated cinema verité feel. This is a passionate howl of rage against injustice."

You can view a clip from Flowers Don't Grow Here in the documentary section of the Showcase section.

Flowers Don't Grow Here premiere

Flowers Don't Grow Here, an hour-long documentary for which James composed the score, continues to pick up great audience responses and reviews.

It premiered at the Montreal Film festival in September, and has been selected for the FIPA market ("FIPATEL") in January.

The DocHouse ( ) gave it the following review: "a powerful film that's a damning indictment of these growing economies that are simply leaving their children behind".

Bulb Magazine () said:
"From the moment the captions of dialogue begin, you're lured into the uncompromising street lives of Kiev's lost youth; there's no comfort here, just bridges that serve as homes, bags of inhaled glue for lunch. Brutality.

Whereas most of us in the UK will drink recreationally, for Ruslan it's the only way to cope with life: vodka pours a few precious hours of it away. Consequently he occasionally beats his child by his prostitute wife as well as her child from a previous relationship. What shocks is the loving way, a few scenes back, he seemed completely in awe of his children. The film is a collage of these juxtapositions.

We see other snippets of affection, Vitalik lets 20-odd street kids live in his flat out of pity that if not, they would be freezing nightly by the local train tracks. But these moments are sporadic; more regularly visited are themes of social breakdown, tales of broken homes, broken ribs and ultimately, lives that are collapsing between gasps of glue.

Tales of drug and alcohol abuse in the aftermath of huge social change (following the fall of the USSR) reflects the Ukraine's struggle to achieve reform with stability. Widespread family disintegration is a consequence of independence; with huge implications for these individuals.

Bombarded with a non-stop sequence of realities, the viewer could well lose focus, but Director Shira Pinson has skilfully structured the documentary to allow for reflection, comprehension and eloquence.

Guided by superb cinematography and imagery from the street, Pinson holds the viewer's attention incessantly, letting the characters speak for themselves

The DVD finished, the poignant score died down, but for the rest of the day I could think only of those plastic-bag bubbles of glue."

You can view a clip from Flowers Don"t Grow Here in the documentary section of the Showcase section.

Nick Jr

James has competed several jobs for Nick Jr, a childrens channel that is part of the Nickelodeon group.

Vado a Messa to premiere at Venice Film Festival

The short film "Vado a Messa" has been selected for the 2005 Venice Film festival. James composed the score for the debut film by the very talented young director Ginevra Elkann. Using both English and Italian dialogue, it stars some wonderful Italian actors Andrea Tidona (Best of Youth), Roberto Zibetti (Stealing Beauty), Anna Maria Gheradi (Stealing Beauty), and Tara Summers.

You can view a clip from Vado a Messa in the drama section of the Showcase section.

fourdocs

James has composed the score and mixed the sound for 8 instructional films on the new Channel 4 project fourdocs for Magic Lantern productions.
http://www.channel4.co.uk/fourdocs
Using comedy drama the films guide the beginner filmmaker through many aspects of production from lighting to sound. FourDocs enables filmmakers to upload 4 minute documentaries to an instant audience. It also has fascinating interviews and an archive of full-length films documentary greats like Nick Broomfield. Check it out.

You can view a clip from a four docs film in the Grpahics section of the Showcase section.