Attention musicians and film enthusiasts!
Nothing enhances the impact of the cinematic image like an iconic film score. The right music brings the emotional content of the film to life; it propels us through the story, gets our hearts racing faster and breaking easier. In the silent era of cinema, this role was performed by the theatre pianist or organist, providing moviegoers with cinematic entertainment and a live concert all in one.
Metro Cinema is dedicated to keeping the art of live accompaniment alive and relevant in the 21st century. To this end, we are seeking proposals from musicians and sound artists to compose and perform an original live accompaniment to a cinematic work or collection of works.
Considerations:
- Proposals can be from solo artists or musical groups/collectives.
- Entire event must run between 60 and 150 minutes.
- Program can be a single feature film, or a programmed collection of short films.
- Film(s) must be theatrically available. In the case of public domain films, a high-quality exhibition file will need to be obtainable.
- Accompaniment must be all new and original work and must be premiered at Metro at a mutually agreed upon date in 2026.
Application Requirements:
- A letter of intent: Tell us what film(s) you would like to screen (with up to 3 backup film options), a description of your musical act, performer(s) background (Maximum 500 words).
- Link to sample music/sound work (please highlight work that is best representative of the accompaniment style)
- A detailed list of all performers, instruments, and technical needs.
Expectations:
- Successful applicants will receive an artist honorarium of $1500 (25% of honorarium to be paid upon signing of agreement, the remainder to be paid on the night of the performance).
- Travel and accommodations are not provided.
- Artist retains all rights to the work and is free to perform it at any time at any venue following the premiere at Metro Cinema.
- Metro Cinema requires a progress update 2 months prior to the agreed upon screening date. If adequate progress has not been made, Metro reserves the right to cancel the event and withhold remaining funds.
Timeline:
Application deadline: March 16th at noon
Successful applicant contacted: by March 29th
Progress check in: 2 months prior to event date
Event: between July 30th – August 31st
Submit an application through our form here
This event and honorarium have been made possible through the support of the Edmonton Arts Council.