Live Original Composition, Photo: John Steed

Making Tracks returns to Rich Mix Cafe in Shoreditch on Wednesday May 30. This innovative event is a showcase for filmmakers and musicians alike, organised by Whirlygig Cinema. Filmmakers submit short films to the cinema which are then handed to a collective of musicians called The Cabinet of Living Cinema, who then go about composing an original score (in a fortnight) for the submissions.

The filmmakers, like the audience, do not hear the score for their film until the evening of Making Tracks. The scores are then given to the filmmakers to keep and use for their films in the future.

The event is the brainchild of Katie Steed, the founder of Whirlygig Cinema, and an arts graduate. It has been so successful that this Making Tracks will be the seventh such event, and Katie is hopeful that they will fill their 250 capacity venue.

It promises to be an invigorating and unique live experience, with the Cabinet of Living Cinema using a wide range of instruments and foley artistry to create truly original scores.

This year’s Making Tracks will be slightly different. There is an outreach programme running alongside the event for young people in Tower Hamlets.

This idea came about at the suggestion of the arts and cultural programmer at Rich Mix (where Making Tracks is traditionally held), as Katie explains: “He came to us asking if we had any ideas and we’d been thinking about doing it before. We definitely were thinking we’d go forward with it and try and bring film scoring to the local community.”

Design: Simon Fitzmaurice

Workshops have been held as part of a Tower Hamlets outreach project in which locals have been able to get involved.

Katie explained that Whirlygig Cinema receive submissions from international filmmakers, “which means they can’t come to the event which is a shame. We do try and feature filmmakers who can attend, because…it’s such a special thing to hear your scores played live.”

Making Tracks is on Wednesday May 30 at Rich Mix Cafe in Shoreditch. Doors open at 7.30pm and the films start at 8pm. Tickets are £8 in advance or £10 on the door.

There’s a special two-for-one deal for Making Tracks – you can find that here.

If you’re a budding filmmaker who wants to get involved with future Making Tracks events, have a look at this page of the Whirlygig Cinema website.

Have a listen to this week’s ELL Weekly, where you can hear a short snippet of the interview with event organiser, Katie Steed.