By Leon Ross
Hello everyone,
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank AVCAT and wish you all best health and safety.
For you all who do not know me, I’m a 23-year-old Australia Multimedia Composer. I moved across the country alone at age 17 to pursue my passion for film scoring at Box Hill Institute here in Melbourne, as it seemed this was the only specialized course in the whole of Australia. We get the opportunity to collaborate with real film students on real projects, creating industry level scenarios and experience.
Throughout my studies I struggled immensely with my personal life, financially and psychologically. One thing that kept me going was my passion for storytelling. I managed to take some time to recover and reemerge with a burning passion.
In 2018, I got the opportunity to be mentored by George Papanicolaou. He is a kind-souled and highly experienced Australian Composer and former lecturer. He trained me at the molecular level of dramaturgy and important life lessons through his brilliant wisdom. I consider him a dear friend and I will be forever grateful for his impact on my life.
In recent years I’ve put my head down and focused like never before.
In 2018, I completed my Bachelor of Applied Music and received awards for Outstanding Student and Best Film Score, film-score nominations [for awards] and the AVCAT Long Tan Bursary. This led to opportunities such as co-composer, and ongoing sound mixing work with George Papanicolaou) at Original Score.
2019, was one of the busiest years for me. I was studying a master’s degree at the University of Chichester (UK), remotely, I was also working on multiple projects simultaneously. I worked at Original Score and Audio Force- a music licensing company located in Berlin and Japan. Throughout the year I received multiple nominations and had films enter and win through film festivals all around the world.
My path inevitably leads me to Los Angeles; however, I am currently exploring avenues to support the growth of local films in Australia. A long-time composer friend and I are opening a new business to support this growth and to provide specialized private education, a record label (for Australian IDM and Scores). Our goal is to open a production house locally here in Melbourne.
All of these goals take extreme dedication, perseverance and quite possibly a lot of support in coping with rejections. AVCAT have provided me a mental stabilizer of sorts allowing me to focus on my aspirations and act on them to bring them to fruition.
Thank you AVCAT and all for the countless support throughout my growth as a composer.