Scoring the Screen: The Art of Film & TV Composition
Nerve Centre, 7-8 Magazine Street, Derry~Londonderry
Admission: Free
An immersive symposium exploring the crucial role of music composition in visual storytelling.
Supported by Screen Ireland, Scoring the Screen brings together renowned composers, producers and industry experts to explore the creative and technical processes behind some of the most memorable soundtracks in Irish film and television — including Blue Lights, Normal People, An Cailín Cúin and Room — as well as discussing pathways into the music industry and screen composition.
This event includes:
Panel discussions with award-winning composers discussing their creative approaches
Masterclasses on composition techniques for visual media
Live demonstrations of scoring to picture
Networking opportunities with industry professionals
Guest speakers include multi award-winning composer Stephen Rennicks (Room, Frank, Normal People, An Cailín Cúin), Sarah Glennane (Screen Composers Guild Ireland), Eoin O’Callaghan (Blue Lights, Heyday: The Mic Christopher Story), film music specialist Tim Burden and 2025 IFTA-winner Die Hexen (Fréwaka). Nerve Centre will also host renowned music producer James Michael and special international guests for a discussion on their rich careers in music and the process of scoring for film and television.
Speaking ahead of the event, Nerve Centre Head of Film Eavan King says:
“Some of our best loved memories of stories on screen have music at their very heart and they become part of our own life soundtrack. The work of Nerve Centre in film and music is about supporting young people to explore storytelling in all its forms. Thanks to support from Screen Ireland, we've created this event to shine a spotlight on leading Irish talent in film and TV composition whose work dramatically shapes our emotional connection to what we see on screen."
Places are free but booking is essential.
James Michael
James Michael is an American record producer, songwriter, mixer, engineer, and musician. Recognised for his meticulous approach to production, he has written and produced chart-topping music for platinum artists including Kelly Clarkson, Halestorm, Hilary Duff, and Victoria Justice, while significantly contributing to the works of Mötley Crüe, Alanis Morissette, Papa Roach and Scorpions, among many others. His work has featured in films and television shows like The Avengers, The Devil Wears Prada, and Nickelodeon’s Victorious!.
James is also the co-founder, lead singer, songwriter, and producer for internationally acclaimed rock band Sixx:A.M., which he established alongside Nikki Sixx (of Mötley Crüe) and DJ Ashba (Guns N' Roses). Their debut album, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, produced and mixed by James, remained on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart for 26 consecutive weeks, and features the number one rock track of 2008 and the gold-selling single 'Life Is Beautiful'.
DIE HEXEN
DIE HEXEN is an IFTA-winning & BIFA-nominated Irish composer, sound artist, producer, performer, visual artist and filmmaker. Their Avant-garde creations exist on the edge of reality with a preternatural understanding of the union between sound and vision.
A daringly innovative composer, DIE HEXEN uses unconventional audio elements to create unique sound worlds that are haunting and textured, with shades of light and darkness. Often described as otherworldly, their boundary-pushing repertoire spans a range of mediums including narrative and experimental film, dance theatre, animation, installation, performance, documentary and games. Catching the attention of BAFTA & Ivor Award-winning Composer David Holmes, their composition ‘Gloomy Sunday’ featured on his poetically curated Late Night Tales (2016) to great acclaim.
Eoin O’Callaghan
Northern Irish composer/producer Eoin O'Callaghan is as much an architect as he is an artist. A true world builder, he effortlessly blends the realms of electronica, acoustic & classical — always experimenting and combining analogue instruments with unique methods of recording and composition.
As well as a touring artist under the name Elma Orkestra, Eoin is a composer for film and TV. Eoin's ongoing soundtrack work includes the critically acclaimed BBC series Blue Lights, created and written by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson and starring Siân Brooke (Sherlock, Good Omens), Martin McCann (Marcella, Sentinel), and Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones, Fortitude). Eoin is currently working on Series 3, due to be release in 2025.
Sarah Glennane
Sarah Glennane is a music professional with many years of experience working in the performance and recording music sector and in music for screen.
In 2017, Sarah authored An Examination of the Music for Film & TV Sector in Ireland — a report for the Irish Music Rights Organisation and The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society Ireland — and from this was instrumental in the setting up of the Screen Composers Guild Ireland (SCGI).
Sarah holds a BSc in Marketing with special interest in Marketing the Arts and a certificate in Music Supervision from Berklee College of Music. Sarah is also the CEO of SCGI, a representative organisation for professional composers for screen.
Stephen Rennicks
Stephen Rennicks is an award-winning Irish composer and musician. He has composed music for the best of independent cinema and television for over twenty years, including The Quiet Girl (2022), Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022) Room (2015), Frank (2014), What Richard Did (2012), Garage (2007) and Adam & Paul (2004). His work on Room, which starred Brie Larson in her Academy Award-winning role, received particular praise for its subtle emotional resonance.
He has also composed music for the television series Conversations with Friends (2022) and Normal People (2020) directed by Lenny Abrahamson and based on Sally Rooney's novels. Stephen's scores, typically blending acoustic instruments with electronic elements, use a restrained approach to enhance the emotional impact of scenes without overwhelming them.
Tim Burden
Tim Burden is a voice artist, presenter and event host primarily known for his work in film music. He has been involved in the recording, production, and discussion of film and television scores for over 20 years.
As a film music specialist, he's conducted interviews with numerous film composers for the Academy Awards Oral Histories Programme and has been involved with archive soundtrack releases and restorations. He has contributed to various film music publications and provides soundtrack reviews on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Radio Foyle each month with John Toal.
Tim has produced film-themed events for various orchestras, film festivals and local councils. He is also a board member of the Film Music Foundation.
