Film composer shares life in screen industry with the next generation

He’s worked with Dolly Parton, wrote music for Oscar-winning movie The Shape of Water, but Belfast film composer Mark Gordon’s career in the screen industry happened purely by chance and now he wants to share what he’s learned with the next generation.

Mark is one of 15 leading screen industry professionals offering free online specialist training for young people through the ScreenWorks platform funded by NI Screen and run by education charity Into Film.

Mark was in LA doing some co-writing when he got the opportunity to pitch a song for Guillermo Del Toro’s new film, The Shape of Water, which won the Best Film Oscar in 2018. His chance to work with Dolly Parton occurred while he was providing the music for popular children’s animated series, Lily’s Driftwood Bay on Nickelodeon. The country music legend was guest-starring as Noleen the Country and Western chicken, so Mark wrote four songs for her and recorded them in her studio at Dollywood in Tennessee.

“It was unbelievably nerve wracking at the time,” admitted Mark.

Mark, who runs the company Score Draw Music, is one of 15 leading professionals providing expert tuition for ScreenWorks Online, a series of web-based videos offering training to young people interested in the screen industry.