Marshall grad wins composition contest

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – An alumnus of Marshall University’s College of Fine Arts recently won a film scoring competition in Columbus, Ohio. Mark Haas, a 2008 Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate from Nitro, W.Va., won the 2010 film scoring competition in the Indie Gathering’s annual film festival. In the competition, each composer downloaded the same short film clip and scored music to the video. The clip was then submitted and reviewed by a panel of judges. Haas won first prize from among more than 500 entries. The award for first prize was a medal and a DVD of the winners, which is sent to directors around the world. “Many composers are active in the industry,” Haas said. “So it would have been an honor to even be in the top 10, let alone take first prize.”
Haas said he entered the competition to assist his future career direction. He will be applying for graduate school this year and accomplishments like competitions are good to put on a record. He also needed a project to put on his demo reel.
“Directors, production companies and media groups want to see composers who are successful and active,” Haas said. The short clip was a movie trailer for an independent film called “Madness.” After graduating with his B.F.A. in Music Composition, Haas took a job as a full-time church music director at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Wheeling, W.Va., where he and his wife now live. “My ‘plan’ is to be able to work at a college teaching anything music,” Haas said, “and also to work as a freelance media composer.”
Haas said all students can achieve what they set out to do. “You will receive a great education to get you wherever you want to go,” Haas said. “The tools you will receive at Marshall are more than enough, but there are no ‘Immediate Success’ classes. Take those tools and run with them on your own accord. For now, you are in great hands. For tomorrow, you take care of you. Don’t wait.”

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