ABOUT GARY YERSHON
Academy Award–nominated composer Gary Yershon has spent more than four decades creating music for drama across film, theatre, radio, television, and dance. His work spans leading UK theatre companies, West End and Broadway productions, national broadcasters, and major feature films.

Born in London in 1954, Gary studied Music and Drama at Hull University. He began his professional life as an actor-musician before devoting himself fully to composition in 1991.

His extensive theatre work includes scores for the Royal Shakespeare Company—where he is an Associate Artist—the National Theatre, and the Old Vic (also as an Associate Artist since 2016). His West End credits include the English-language premieres of Yasmina Reza’s plays Art, The Unexpected Man, Life x 3, and God of Carnage, and his Broadway work earned him a Drama Desk nomination for The Norman Conquests (2009).

Gary is best known for his long-standing collaboration with director Mike Leigh, beginning with Topsy-Turvy (1999), for which he served as Musical Director. He went on to compose the scores for Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), Another Year (2010) — which brought him a European Film Award nomination for Best Composer — A Running Jump (2012), Mr. Turner (2014), which earned him nominations for an Academy Award, an Ivor Novello Award, and an ASCAP Composer’s Choice Award, and Peterloo (2018). Most recently, he composed the score for Leigh’s latest film, Hard Truths (2025).

For BBC Radio, Gary has written and composed since 1979, beginning as a singer-songwriter before moving into drama. His credits include The Odyssey, Gawain and the Green Knight, The Theban Plays, The Winter’s Tale, The Eve of St Agnes, Three Men in a Boat, and the Sony Award–winning Autumn Journal (2002). For BBC Radio 3, he translated and dramatised Pushkin’s Ruslan and Lyudmila, and created Orwell on Kipling for The Verb.

His television work ranges from detective drama (Trial and Retribution IX & X) to theme music (The Heritage Game, The Good Neighbour Show) and children’s animation (James the Cat, Painted Tails, Ebb and Flo).

For dance, his compositions include Get A Move On (1994), choreographed by Jonathan Lunn at the New Performance Gallery, San Francisco; Ma Vie En Rose (2007), choreographed by Ayse Tashkiran at the Young Vic, London; and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2017) for Northern Ballet, choreographed by Daniel de Andrade.

In addition to his composing career, Gary curates and presents Oscar® Scores at London’s Barbican Arts Centre and continues to work as a writer, translator, musical director, and teacher.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
Academy Award–nominated composer Gary Yershon (Mr. Turner, Topsy-Turvy, Another Year, Happy-Go-Lucky) will lead this two-day intensive workshop on the art and craft of composing for film.
This is not a class about software or “workflow,” nor a lecture about rigid storytelling rules in screen music. Instead, it’s an opportunity to explore how music functions within film, how it shapes perception, guides rhythm, and creates emotional and psychological layers that go beyond what is visible on screen.

The workshop offers a practical, reflective space for composers and filmmakers to examine what film music really does — and what happens when it doesn’t. Participants are encouraged to bring their own work as a tool for the workshop.

Each participant will be invited to share two short excerpts of their work (up to three minutes each). These will serve as a starting point for an open group analysis, guided by Gary, focusing on creative decision-making, artistic identity, and collaboration with directors and editors.


Key Areas of Focus
The Composer’s Dual Role – balancing the artistic and service-provider sides of the profession, and navigating the demands of collaboration while maintaining a personal voice.
Creative Decision-Making – exploring how musical choices shape a scene’s tone, rhythm, and emotional distance.
Spotting and Collaboration – building a shared language with directors and editors during spotting sessions and cue reviews.
Deadlines and Pressure – staying inventive and expressive under tight time constraints.
Adapting to Change – the ongoing evolution of technology and the rise of AI, and their impact on the composer’s role.
Breaking Free from “Storytelling” Rules – questioning formulaic approaches to film scoring, and finding new, more dynamic ways to serve the film.
Silence and Restraint – understanding when not to score, and how absence can be as powerful as presence.


Who Should Attend
This workshop is designed for film composers, directors, editors, and sound designers who already have professional or semi-professional experience and want to deepen their understanding of the creative and collaborative aspects of film scoring.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own examples to discuss, compare, and experiment with throughout the two days.


Learning Outcomes
By the end of the workshop, participants will have:
A clearer sense of their own creative identity as composers.
Practical strategies for collaboration and communication with filmmakers.
Tools to navigate feedback, deadlines, and creative tension in professional environments.
Renewed confidence in shaping music that genuinely enhances, rather than merely accompanies, the image.


PROFILE OF PARTICIPANT
The workshop designed for Music composers, Musical Directors, Arrangers, Directors, Producers, or filmmkaers and musicians interested in entering the Film Business in the music department.

LOCATION OF THE WORKSHOP
Berlin, Germany



Duration: 2 days
Dates: 21-22 February 2026
Location: Berlin, Germany
Price: 599EUR (399EUR with 35% discount until the 4th of December)
Maximum number of participants: 25
By registering to the workshop you agree with FFL terms and Conditions


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