Mark Watters
“Media composition is about telling a story. Jerry Goldsmith, the legendary film composer, once said: ‘I’m not a composer, I’m a storyteller.’ And that’s the part that has always fascinated me; notes vibrate together and make an emotional response, and you change one note and the storytelling completely changes. That’s the essence of what we do.
There’s a mystery—and I suppose this is what keeps me so excited about doing what I do—about how sound vibrations affect us. We attempt to harness that quality when we are creating a score for a film project, or a TV project, or a video game. That’s how we know we are telling a story through music and an accompanying image in the ‘right” way.’ The music affects your whole perception of what you are seeing.”
—Mark Watters, Director, Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media at Eastman School of Music
“Media composition is about telling a story. Jerry Goldsmith, the legendary film composer, once said: ‘I’m not a composer, I’m a storyteller.’ And that’s the part that has always fascinated me; notes vibrate together and make an emotional response, and you change one note and the storytelling completely changes. That’s the essence of what we do.
There’s a mystery—and I suppose this is what keeps me so excited about doing what I do—about how sound vibrations affect us. We attempt to harness that quality when we are creating a score for a film project, or a TV project, or a video game. That’s how we know we are telling a story through music and an accompanying image in the ‘right” way.’ The music affects your whole perception of what you are seeing.”
—Mark Watters, Director, Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media at Eastman School of Music
Listen to just a few of Watters’ musical stories.
About Mark Watters and the Beal Institute
Mark Watters is the inaugural director of the Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. Watters’ leading role at the institute is a fitting one. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winning composer and conductor whose vast resume includes music for motion pictures, television, DVDs, video games, and special events such as the Olympics.
Launched in the 2017-18 academic year, the Beal Institute provides students with instruction and experiences that will prepare them for the increasing and evolving opportunities to write, produce, and perform music for film and contemporary media.
Adapting to a changing landscape connects Eastman to its roots. Preparation of musical performance for silent film—which was the technology of the day—was a major course of study when the school opened in 1921. Preparing students for careers in the evolving musical world remains as vital to the school’s mission today as it did a century ago.
The institute provides students opportunities to work with professionals who are actively engaged in writing for film and other contemporary media, including video games. They are encouraged to work with their student peers and faculty from humanities, composition, and other Eastman departments, as well as with community arts organizations and partnering universities.
The institute was made possible through the generosity of two Eastman alumni, composer Jeff Beal ’85 and vocalist Joan Beal ’84. Jeff, who serves as the institute’s artistic director, is a five-time Emmy Award-winning composer, most recently for the Netflix series House of Cards theme music.
In addition to his leadership role at the institute, Watters teaches graduate courses at Eastman and oversees its newly established master of music degree in contemporary media/film composition.
Learn more about Mark Watters in this University of Rochester NewsCenter Q&A.
Read this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article in which Jeff Beal comments on how TV scores are shifting to the orchestral.
Keep up the musical score
Learn how you can help Watters, the institute, and Eastman School of Music enhance opportunities for students and scholarship by contacting Cathy Hain, assistant vice president of advancement for Eastman School of Music, at (585) 274-1045.
—Kristine Thompson, October 2017
CONTACT:
Larry and Cindy Bloch
Alumni and Advancement Center
300 East River Road
Rochester, New York 14627
(585) 273-2700 | E-mail
