Sonic Union to Present “Musical Bias and the Brief” Workshop at Ciclope

Above: (L-R) executive creative director Halle Petro and creative director Zac Colwell

Sonic Union presents an interactive workshop “Musical Bias and the Brief: A workshop For The Storytelling Process in Original Film Composition” at Ciclope. Sonic Union's creative director and composer, Zac Colwell, and executive creative director, Halle Petro, will guide participants through the creative musical process, which starts with recognizing our musical biases, then moves to finding inspiration and crafting music briefs that effectively interpret emotional cues using musical terms. The workshop will be held Wednesday, October 9th at 4:30 pm, at the Konzertsaal of the Universität der Künste.

"Projects aim to tell groundbreaking stories with strong visuals and narrative connectivity. Whether it's for a brand, agency, film, or creative endeavour, music is essential in delivering the final impact of a story," said Sonic Union creative director Zac Colwell. “Discussing music can be challenging when briefing or communicating with musicians. Our workshop aims to break down walls and build confidence in collaborating on music that will sonically define creative work.”

“I find it fascinating that our musical bias occurs when we are exposed to sounds even from a young age, and how that both contributes to and can limit our creative capacity,” said ECD Halle Petro. “We are honoured that the festival is including us to shine a spotlight on the psychology of music, creating awareness of how any person might approach this unique collaborative process.”

Participants will also have the opportunity to create a brief and build live with the group, leaving equipped with tools to think like a composer for film, gaining greater confidence in musical creative decision-making and direction.

“Ciclope is the premiere festival for creative inspiration with industry peers and artists. What people really love about the festival is the intimate experience that fosters transparency and celebrates innovation” noted Sonic Union ECD Halle Petro. “We are honoured that the festival is shining a spotlight on music in a hands-on structure where people can really exchange ideas in a way what music should be about: a joyous creative process that helps define the stories we tell.”

Workshop Presenters:

Halle Petro is an executive creative director of music and sound for commercials, documentary features, episodic television, animated series, sound installations and podcasts. Favourite projects include the Emmy-nominated “Resistance Radio” for Amazon Studios & The Man in the High Castle, the feature doc “Nothing Fancy” (SXSW 2019, James Beard Award Nominee 2020), and the 2021 Webby Nominated podcast “We Got You,” a work she originally created, wrote and executive produced. Ms Petro has worked with brands such as Coach, Corona, Nikon, Nintendo, Samsung, Ford, and many more, and has served as an AICP Curatorial Committee, Show Judge and board member since 2018.

Zac Colwell is a multi-instrumentalist, award-winning composer, and creative director who has worked extensively in advertising for nearly a decade. Zac leads his own band - Fancy Colors - and is also a founding member of Voyager Collective, Jupiter One, CHAPPO, and The Silver Clouds. He has played and recorded with Big Data, of Montreal, Innov Gnawa, Sondre Lerche, Kishi Bashi, Animal Feelings, Lucius, Pat Van Dyke, Against ME!, Bleachers and many others, singing and performing on saxophones, flute, drums, guitar, bass, keyboards. Zac has also produced albums for a variety of independent artists.