RNW’s Rob Kievit reports: “Time to Face the Music”, a symposium on writing, arranging and producing jingles and tunes was held in Hilversum, the Netherlands on Friday 6 November. Participants agreed that creating these items for radio and TV is a full-blown profession. It is no longer a hobby or a sideline, but is gradually turning into a science, co-organiser Benno Roozen said in his introductory talk.
Dr Ger Tillekens of Groningen University presented an analysis of what jingles do in a radio programme. Speaking about the BBC’s V-sign, used in WWII, he casually remarked that it appeared quite easy to make a jingle: four knocks on the table are enough, a remark that caused some grumbling in the audience of professional jingle makers and aficionados.
Popular public radio DJ Giel Beelen demonstrated his ‘pink suitcase’, which contains a laptop full of sounds and music clips used in his radio programmes. The sounds are triggered by an oversize keyboard - no fumbling with a mouse pointer during the show. Jingle producer DiederikHuizinga gave an extensive demo of the sequencer software he uses to create jingles, illustrated by a jingle he made for Giel Beelen, who confessed he hates jingles.
The symposium was an initiative of Dutch TV tune composer Stephen Emmer, who was celebrating his 25-year jubilee. He joined in a panel discussion with his younger colleagues Martijn Schimmer and Dennis Alfarez, touching on topics like the sometimes difficult interaction between soundtrack composer and graphic designer. In video interviews, three designers told their side of the story. Mr Emmer said he does not look down on any kind of work, once even writing background music for erotic phone services, but he revealed that he turned down a request from Dutch TV to write a tune for the Gulf War, objecting to a ‘CNN-like Spielbergisation of war’.
The keynote speech was by British composer David Lowe, who explained the elements that make up his well-known BBC News tune, and how he created regional and international versions of it… without having to resort to clichés like ‘bagpipes for Scotland’.
