Animation Competition 2013 - Animator Opportunity

Dear Animators,

This is an exciting animation commission opportunity and competition for any animators that would like to produce the visuals for a fun, catchy song and humorous 2 minute music video.  If you know anyone that might be interested please share this with them.

ANIMATION STYLE:

There are very few limitations to the look and style of the animation; i believe in leaving some creative space for the animator to "do their thing". For example, this could end up being Hand Drawn, CG, 2D, 3D, Traditional, Flash, or Stop-Motion. It doesn't have to be complex either - as long as the visuals express the mood, lyrics, setting and characters of the song. You might draw on influences from Crazy Frog, The Duck Song, Wallace and Gromit, Pingu, Walt Disney, Tom and Jerry, Happy Feet or The Family Guy etc. Above all, this is supposed to be a fun project to work on and a nice way to experiment with creativity.

CHARACTERS, SETTING and THEME:

There are two main characters. (Separate audio tracks for each character are provided if you are able to lip sync.). Both characters are Penguins located in Antarctica. Fred is a small cheeky and cocky penguin whilst Uncle Bill is a big, old, perverted, smelly, scruffy, simple minded yet wealthy and extroverted penguin.  (The lyrics will also give you a feel for the characters, their expressions and the overall theme).  The main emphasis is on the difference in characters.  Uncle Bill has always called his nephew "Fred" - but that is NOT his name!  (Even though I have labeled him Fred in the downloadable files so things don't get too confusing).

No matter how many times the cheeky little Penguin tries to tell Uncle Bill that his name is not Fred - he is unable to get the message through to him!  Fred absolutely despises Uncle Bill and is agitated and frustrated by his Uncle's ignorance.  Fred's real name (if he needs one) could rhyme and be something like Ted, Red, Ned or Jed.  That's up to you!  You could class this as a humorous nonsense song - The music track revolves around Uncle Bill thinking his nephew is called Fred.

MUSIC:

I am a professional British Music Composer, I have a BA (Hons) Music degree and an MA in Film and Television Composition (London). I have performed for the Queen of England and written music for hundreds of international television commercials, numerous animation series and orchestrated music for game consoles. Clients and credits include: Coca Cola, Kidsco, Walt Disney, KFC, Mars, Sony, XBox and Panasonic. I currently have 2653 Youtube subscribers and over 1,504,209 video views. Please have a look at my website and Youtube channel for more information about me.

This is an excellent opportunity for a skilled animator, or enthusiastic student, looking for experience whilst adding invaluable content to their demo reel.  I have contacts in the film, television and audio industry - this will be great exposure; you never know who might see our work.

BUDGET:

The budget for this commission is small because it is self funded but the winner will receive full credit, exposure, use on their showreel and $80 (USD) or £50 (GBP) (or equivalent currency depending on the applicants country of residence and the exchange rate at the time of payment).

SUBMISSION DATE and RULES:

Submit animation on or before 1st April 2013. Please send a link to your submission via email. Please DO NOT send any large attachments. There are plenty of free sites that will host and store files for free (eg. Dropbox, Skydrive, YouSendIt etc.)

All animation visuals must be original material created by you and should not infringe on other publisher's content. The judging is based on originality and creativity in relation to the audio track and lyrics provided.

WINNER:

The winner will be notified and rewarded before the winning animation is uploaded on 8th April 2013 onto my Youtube Channel and shared on Facebook, Blogger, Twitter etc. with the synchronized music track.

You can have a look at some of my work on either my website or YouTube channel here:

http://www.jonbrooks.co.uk

http://www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

DOWNLOAD LINK:

If you are interested, please find the download link here for the music and lyrics: https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=2B1B937B12AB05A0!213

I'm very excited about this project and the potential it has. Let your creativity thrive!

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks and good luck with your submission!

Kind regards,

Jon

Epic Orchestral Music - Beyond (HD)

"Beyond" - Epic Orchestral Music - Higher Quality Version (HD).  I composed, orchestrated and programmed this orchestral epic music in Logic Pro using high quality multi-samples... and a lot of editing! :-)

Download on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/beyond-single/id824428705
Download on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond/dp/B00IJ7RKQ8/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1416271622&sr=1-1&keywords=Jon+Brooks
Download on CDBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jonbrooks17
Download on Google: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Jon_Brooks_Beyond?id=Btn4rwjynq2lsifgpnixezvf6rm&hl=en_GB

Please comment, like, share and subscribe.  Thanks.
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

This music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only. © 2009 Jon Brooks.

For additional information or more music, please visit my website: www.jonbrooks.co.uk

Stills images by Paul Bica (Creative Commons license).

BIOGRAPHY:
Born into a musical family, Jon started his training on the piano at the age of six, and then took up the French Horn two years later. Now, as a multi-instrumentalist, he plays mainly the Piano, French Horn and Trumpet.

In 1993, when he was twelve, Jon won first prize in a piano competition where he performed in Manchester on stage alongside Richard Clayderman. In 1996 he was awarded the 'Excellence through Achievement - Jonathan Donaghy and Emma McManus Memorial Trust Prize'. One year later, he took first prize, the Haydn Trophy, at Macclesfield Music Festival, performing Frank Bridge's 'Rosemary' on the piano.

Jon has performed at a variety of venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Kuala Lumpur's Twin Towers and at the Vatican, Rome. He also had the privilege of performing with Anita Sarawak, M. Nasir in Malaysia and for the Queen in London during her Jubilee Tour.

He began composing and orchestrating in his early teens, and almost immediately discovered that this was the career path he wanted to pursue. Jon continued his studies in Cambridge (Anglia Ruskin University), where he was elected student president of the music department. Relocating to Kingston University, London, he gained a Master's degree (with commendation) in Composition for Film and Television.

On completing his studies, Jon set up his own recording studio, working as a freelance composer in the UK before taking up a full-time position at Wasp Studios in Malaysia as an in-house composer/sound designer mainly composing and orchestrating for film, television, radio, TVC's, theatre, mobile devices and animation.

Jon composes in a great variety of different genres, from epic orchestral scores to dance music, from jazz to canto pop, from western classical to eastern and from children's music to experimental work. Though his creativity is versatile, his real forte leans towards dramatic orchestral film scores. His music is heavily influenced by a wide range of composers spanning from the 17th century to the present day.

As well as his excellent working knowledge of music/sound production on both Apple Mac and Windows, Jon also has in-depth and extensive knowledge of recording equipment, techniques, programming and associated technologies. He is equally well versed in composing/arranging for live instrumentalists - 'keeping it live' and in producing close renditions by utilising powerful software, precision editing and the highest quality audio samples. Jon frequently combines the two.

His research into the relationship between sound and emotions enables him to approach projects with sensitivity and awareness. The function of music and sound in all media is paramount to his work, from concept to realisation.

Jon's work has enabled him to travel abroad extensively, including Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Holland, France, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Belgium, Austria and Italy as well as coast-to-coast in the United States.

Duck Squadron - Epic Music

Duck Squadron: (Make sure your speakers are on so you can hear all the action!)  This aviation squadron is a classified unit comprising of combat ducks!  Some of the combat ducks land perfectly but others haven't got the same skill and experience. The squadron is led by Wing Commander 'Mr. Quack', formerly a member of the US Air Force.

This Duck Squadron articulates its core functions in its 2012 Posture Statement as Special Feathered Operations, Command, Quack and Control, Bird Recovery, Building Partnerships (ie. Mating) and Agile Combat Support.

I did the filming, editing, sound effects and music.  Thanks for watching!  Please comment, like, subscribe and share.  Thanks!

The video footage was captured in Bramhall Park, United Kingdom.

Music: "National Day" by Jon Brooks.
Sound Design: Jon Brooks
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

Tags: Duck Commander, US Air Force, Royal Air Force, Air Combat, RAF, Duck Squadron, Squadron, Squad, Aviation, Wing Commander, Flying Ducks, Ducks on Ice, Epic Music, Dramatic Music, Sound Effects, Sound Design, JonBrooksComposer, Squadron 633, Snipers, Sniper, Squadron 42, The Duck Song, Bramhall, United Kingdom, Helicopters, Air Combat, Planes, Airplanes, Military, Army, USAF, Commander, Duck Hunting.

EPIC Orchestral Music - Ocean Odyssey - Jon Brooks

Epic Orchestral Music "Ocean Odyssey" composed, orchestrated and programmed in Logic Pro by Jon Brooks.

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer
Please comment, like, share and subscribe.  Thank you for your support.

For additional information or more music, please visit my website: www.jonbrooks.co.uk

This music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only. © 2010 Jon Brooks.

ORCHESTRA (As cited on Wikipedia):
An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus. The orchestra grew by accretion throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but changed very little in composition during the course of the 20th century.

A smaller-sized orchestra for this time period (of about fifty players or fewer) is called a chamber orchestra. A full-size orchestra (about 100 players) may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra"; these modifiers do not necessarily indicate any strict difference in either the instrumental constitution or role of the orchestra, but can be useful to distinguish different ensembles based in the same city (for instance, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra).

A symphony orchestra will usually have over eighty musicians on its roster, in some cases over a hundred, but the actual number of musicians employed in a particular performance may vary according to the work being played and the size of the venue. A leading chamber orchestra might employ as many as fifty musicians; some are much smaller than that. Orchestras can also be found in schools. The term concert orchestra may sometimes be used (e.g., BBC Concert Orchestra; RTÉ Concert Orchestra)—no distinction is made on size of orchestra by use of this term, although their use is generally distinguished as for live concert. As such they are commonly chamber orchestras.

The typical symphony orchestra consists of four proportionate groups of similar musical instruments called the woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings, and also the fifth proportionate group of similar musical instruments like the rhythm section in modern times. The orchestra, depending on the size, contains almost all of the standard instruments in each group. In the history of the orchestra, its instrumentation has been expanded over time, often agreed to have been standardized by the classical period and Beethoven's influence on the classical model.

The so-called "standard complement" of double winds and brass in the orchestra from the first half of the 19th century is generally attributed to the forces called for by Ludwig van Beethoven. The exceptions to this are his Symphony No. 4, Violin Concerto, and Piano Concerto No. 4, which each specify a single flute. The composer's instrumentation almost always included paired flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns and trumpets. Beethoven carefully calculated the expansion of this particular timbral "palette" in Symphonies 3, 5, 6, and 9 for an innovative effect. The third horn in the "Eroica" Symphony arrives to provide not only some harmonic flexibility, but also the effect of "choral" brass in the Trio. Piccolo, contrabassoon, and trombones add to the triumphal finale of his Symphony No. 5. A piccolo and a pair of trombones help deliver storm and sunshine in the Sixth. The Ninth asks for a second pair of horns, for reasons similar to the "Eroica" (four horns has since become standard); Beethoven's use of piccolo, contrabassoon, trombones, and untuned percussion—plus chorus and vocal soloists—in his finale, are his earliest suggestion that the timbral boundaries of "symphony" might be expanded for good. But for several decades after his departure, symphonic instrumentation was faithful to Beethoven's well-established model, with few exceptions.

Apart from the core orchestral complement, various other instruments are called for occasionally. These include the classical guitar, heckelphone, flugelhorn, cornet, harpsichord, and organ. Saxophones, for example, appear in a limited range of 19th and 20th century scores. While appearing only as featured solo instruments in some works, for example Maurice Ravel's orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, the saxophone is included in other works, such as Ravel's Boléro, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Suites 1 and 2, Vaughan Williams Symphony No.6 and Symphony No.9 and William Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, and many other works as a member of the orchestral ensemble. The euphonium is featured in a few late Romantic and 20th century works, usually playing parts marked "tenor tuba", including Gustav Holst's The Planets, and Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben.

"DNA" - Music by Jon Brooks

"DNA"  (Music by: Jon Brooks)

I composed, orchestrated and programmed this music in Logic Pro using high quality multi-samples.  It was commissioned for a Malaysian UMW (United Motor Works) Rebranding corporate video.

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer
Please comment, like, share, favourite and subscribe.  Thank you for your support.

For additional information or more epic, dramatic, quirky and emotional music, please visit my website: www.jonbrooks.co.uk

This music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only. © 2008 Jon Brooks.

Horn Sound

"Horn Sound"

Every sound in this composition, from the melodic to the percussive, the atmospheric effects to the bass originates from a Paxman French Horn.

Please comment, like, subscribe and share!  Thanks for your support.
www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

FRENCH HORN: Paxman 25m full double, medium bore, titanium valves, gold brass with a detachable bell.
MOUTHPIECE: Paxman-Halstead-Chidell 23mm AS Mouthpiece.
MUTE: Steve W. Lewis mute.

This composition was created for a Kingston University assignment 10 years ago.
Music by: Jon Brooks (© 2002)

Recordings for this composition were taken from three places: De Lissa Hall, the De Lissa Hall Lecture Theatre and my home studio.  The acoustic was rather different in all three locations: my home studio being dry, De Lissa Hall having a little reverberation and the De Lissa Lecture Theatre which seemed to have a short echo delay.  I found the lecture theatre's acoustic was pleasing for softer tones but not suitable for anything above mezzo forte.  I recorded over 23 minutes worth of material of which I knew a lot would be discarded.  I then transferred the material to an Apple Mac computer and began to discard unnecessary remnants using Peak (editing software).  From there I created single samples and manipulated them.

My main considerations for this composition were timbre and spacialisation.  Originally, different timbres were produced by use of dynamics, hand-stopping, glissandi and muting.  Once the samples were in the computer I manipulated them to produce more variation in tone.  Some samples were manipulated to imitate the sound of a trumpet, muted trumpets and even a tuba.

In terms of spacialisation, I recorded a range of sounds with regard to microphone positioning.  For example, the 'rattling of valves' and the 'air through the horn' have a more intimate sound due to a closer microphone position.

The composition's structure is similar to the ABA form, the A section being quite short.  The first A section realizes the horn's preparation to play.  First we hear the mouthpiece going in (this sample was manipulated to produce the rhythm heard, and then pitch shifted down an octave).  We then hear air being blown down the French Horn later combined with rattling of valves.  Section B begins with a horn glissando that evolves into other related manipulated samples.  Section B expresses the following parameters: timbre, pitch, attack, duration and amplitude.  The last section is similar to the first A section and 'bookends' the composition.

Still Images: (All under a creative commons license).
Thanks to: usarmyband, Sadie Hernandez, rmhowie, Paco Vila, congaman (Dave) and Calsidyrose.

For additional information or more music, please visit my website: www.jonbrooks.co.uk

This music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only.  © 2002 Jon Brooks.

BELIEVE IN ME - Inspirational Quotes - Dramatic Music

A video featuring some of the greatest inspirational quotes accompanied by dramatic orchestral music.  Feel free to include some of your own quotes in the comment section below.

Music: "Believe In Me"
Vocals: Doreen Tang
Music Composer: Jon Brooks

Please subscribe to my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

Please share, comment, rate and subscribe.  Thanks for your support.

Music composed, orchestrated and produced using Logic Pro with numerous sample libraries and plugins.

This music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only.  © Jon Brooks.

For more information and music, please visit my website: http://www.jonbrooks.co.uk

Inspirational Music
Inspirational Song
Inspirational Video
Inspirational Orchestral Music
Epic Orchestra
Dramatic Orchestra

James Bond - EPIC MUSIC - The Spy Who Chased Me - SKYFALL

Uploaded in anticipation of James Bond's Skyfall release on 26th October 2012.

"The Spy Who Chased Me" - (Jame's Bond pastiche)
www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

Music composed by: Jon Brooks (I have the same initials! JB) ;-)

Music composed, orchestrated and produced using Logic Pro with numerous sample libraries and plugins.

This music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only. © Jon Brooks.

For more information and music, please visit my website: www.jonbrooks.co.uk

Skyfall is the 23rd film in the James Bond spy series. It features Daniel Craig as James Bond and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the film's villain. It's the first Bond film to be released in IMAX venues and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series which began in 1962 with Dr. No.

Skyfall Plot:

James Bond is missing and presumed to be dead. Identities of every active MI6 undercover agent are leaked onto the internet. M's ability to run the Secret Service is questioned and she becomes the subject of government review. Bond reappears when the service is attacked and follows a trail from London to the South China Sea.

- Agent 007: Daniel Craig
- Directed by: Sam Mendes
- Written by: John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. (Peter Morgan left the project).
- Produced by: Eon Productions for MGM, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Columbia Pictures.
- Premiere 23rd October 2012
- Music Composer: Thomas Newman

Skyfall Soundtrack:

Thomas Newman, who worked with Sam Mendes as composer for Road to Perdition, American Beauty, Revolutionary Road and Jarhead replaced David Arnold as music composer. Arnold commented that Mendes selected Newman because of their work together and not because of scheduling conflicts or his work with director Danny Boyle as composer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

Singer-Songwriter Adele has written and recorded the film's theme song with songwriter Paul Epworth. It's release - 0:07am BST on 5th October 2012 - "James Bond Day".

Video Motion Backgrounds: www.motionbackgroundsforfree.com and http://niz.co.

Corporate Music

Corporate Music - Composed and produced by Jon Brooks.
www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

Please comment, like, subscribe and share! Thanks for your support.

For additional information or more music, please visit my website: www.jonbrooks.co.uk

This corporate music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only. © 2003 Jon Brooks.

Video footage: www.worshipbackgroundsforfree.com

Prayer For Peace

Prayer for Peace

This is the first piece of music I ever wrote (aged 16); notated the old fashioned way - with pen and paper! It was written at home for a GCSE Music course originally as a piano solo; years later I produced a recording of it whilst adding a few other orchestral instruments. This is the recording.

Music Composed by Jon Brooks.
www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer
Please comment, like, subscribe and share! Thanks for your support.

For additional information or more music, please visit my website: www.jonbrooks.co.uk

This music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only. © 1996 Jon Brooks.

Still Images: (All under a creative commons license)
Abhisek Sarda, babasteve, bigbirdz, Bob in Thailand, C Jill Reed, caddy_corner, garryknight, jasonrufus, jonrawlinson, khrawlings, Lel4nd, SimonSays.

Video footage: www.worshipbackgroundsforfree.com