PHOTO GALLERY BELOW
Québec’s screen composers, like their peers elsewhere in the world, work in the shadows and often alone. That’s why SOCAN showed up when Anaïs Larocque, Michel Corriveau, and Maxime Fortin – representatives of music composers in SPACQ-AE, and members of an advisory committee of a dozen screen composers from Québec – expressed their desire to create an event that would serve as a forum for dialogue and educational opportunities, as well as a chance to re-kindle a sense of community. A few months later, MTL à l’image, An Event for Professionals in the Field of Music for the Screen, took place on Nov. 14, 2024, attracting nearly 100 screen composers, and other players in the screen sector, who gathered at Centre Phi, happy to be able to see and talk to their colleagues in person.
“I’m extremely pleased and pleasantly surprised by the scale of the response we’ve received from our community… Long live this necessary event.” — Michel Corriveau
Hosted by Eric Parazelli, Editor of Paroles & Musique and Manager of Francophone Communications for SOCAN, the afternoon of discussion, education and celebration offered a packed schedule, led by SOCAN Executive Director of Québec Affairs, Alexandre Alonso, with content guided by the advisory committee.
After being virtually greeted by SOCAN CEO Jennifer Brown, the first panel talked about AI, and tried to answer the titular question, How far will artificial intelligence take us? The panelists were Stéphane Caron, a specialist in the legal aspects of intellectual property, and partner at Gowling WLG; scientific journalist and lecturer Michel Rochon (Le cerveau et la musique); Guillaume Therrien, co-founder and president of Triptyq Capital; and Marc Ouellette, chairman of SOCAN’s Board of Difrectiors, and a composer himself.
In just over an hour, they discussed the historical dimensions of this technological revolution; the legal and legislative aspects of AI in Québec and around the world; the commercial considerations and practical applications of AI in music composition; the need to adapt skills; and the ethical and moral issues raised by AI. The attendees had a chance to share with the panellists their concerns and enthusiasms about the growing impact of AI on their practice.
Next up was Robert Kraft, award-winning singer-songwriter, president and CEO of Kraftbox Entertainment, and SOCAN’s Ambassador to Los Angeles, who hosted the two English-language segments. The first was a presentation of Spitfire Audio tools, and how to maximize the use of these tools when creating music for an audiovisual production, and featured screen composer Amy McKnight and composer, and founder of Spitfire Audio, Paul Thomson.
The second segment in English was a major interview with master film scorer Howard Shore, live from Los Angeles, who answered Kraft’s questions about his impressive career, during which he’s won numerous awards, including several Oscars, Golden Globes, and Canadian Screen Awards. His legendary scores include those for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, almost all of David Cronenberg’s films, The Silence of the Lambs, the theme song for Saturday Night Live, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit and King Kong, and as his regular collaborations with Martin Scorsese. It was an interview that the audience won’t soon forget.
This was followed by two practically-oriented segments, with Pascal Genêt, project manager at the Observatoire de la Culture et des Communications du Québec of the Institut de la statistique du Québec. He presented an overview of the screen industry in Québec, while Jimmy St-Germain – a SOCAN Account Executive primarily responsible for the needs of Québec’s screen composers – shared some of the best practices in music content reporting, a crucial step in the distribution of screen music copyright revenues.
To round out the day, screen composer Anaïs Larocque – also Vice-Chair of the SPACQ-AE Board of Directors – presented the very first Prix Montréal à l’image, sponsored for this first year by the Fondation SPACQ, to composer Richard Grégoire (Les filles de Caleb, Blanche, L’Enfant d’eau, Ces enfants d’ailleurs, Marguerite Volant, Napoléon etc.), after a touching testimonial from the composer. The trophy, designed by Larocque and created by jeweller Sarah Bijoux and woodworker Romain Buisson Martineau, celebrates Grégoire’s immense contribution to film music that has enriched our musical heritage. The design of the prize is inspired by the image of a tree and its growth rings, a metaphor that resonates with the circular shape of the ring, whose texture evokes the bark of the tree.
“The presentation of the very first Prix Montréal à l’image was a very moving moment for me,” said Larocque. “Richard Grégoire’s music was very impactful on me when I was younger, notably L’Enfant d’eau and Les filles de Caleb. His compositions have left an important mark in my heart, and inspired me to dream that one day, I too would create music that could move people. I was lucky and delighted to discover, at the event, a man of great light and wisdom, and touching humility.”
Screen composer and advisory committee member Maxime Fortin was also enthusiastic about the first edition: “Relevant panelists, a lesson in wisdom from Howard Shore, an award for the revered Richard Grégoire, and warm discussions between peers; the event’s resounding success reminded us that we form a strong community, with a deep need for an annual gathering to connect, celebrate ourselves, and spread the word about the value of our expertise!”
