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Home > Funding > Funding for Music Creators > Early Career > National Film and Television School

National Film and Television School

In partnership with the Alan Hawkshaw Foundation, we support two scholarships per year for emerging composers at the National Film and Television School (NFTS).

During the course, students compose music for fiction, documentary and animation films, commercials and television productions. This variety allows students to experiment musically and discover their strengths and individual styles.

Composers who studied at NFTS include Trevor Jones (Notting Hill, Mississippi Burning, The Last of the Mohicans) Dario Marianelli (Atonement, Far North, Pride & Prejudice), Martin Phipps (Harry Brown, Brighton Rock, Endgame, Wallander), Rob Lane (The Damned United, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, Jane Eyre, Longford) and Julian Nott (Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Lark Rise to Candleford) all studied at NFTS.

Recent highlights from PRS Foundation funded scholars include:

Lindsay Wright (2015-16)

Upcoming projects include the short fiction film They Come From the Centre of the World, a documentary for the English National Ballet Bulls in the China Shop, a short adventure game Tuesday and the London Calling documentary Wargames.

Louis Dodd (2015-16)

Louis recently scored BBC Worldwide’s 6 part series Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby featuring Monica Galetti (MasterChef) and Giles Coren (The F Word), and the feature film Nocturno: A Poem of the Sea in Port.

Terence Dunn (2013-14)

Composer for BAFTA nominated documentary  A Syrian Love Story (2015), Iris Prize and Berlin Film Festival winning short film Balcony (2015) and Hull City of Culture opening commission Arrivals and Departures

Fraya Thomsen (2013)

Commissioned by Celtic Connections to compose a concert piece for their New Voices series 2017.

Matthew Kelly (2012)

Recent work includes composer on feature film Pop Aye (2017) and documentary Miss Transgender: Britain’s New Beauty Queens (2016) screened on BBC3

Finn McNicholas (2011/12)

New album Concresence released in May 2017

Graham Hadfield (2011)

Composer for feature IMAX/Giant Screen documentaries Conquest of the Skies 3D (2016) and Amazing Mighty Micro Monsters; feature films Crow (2016) and Containment (2015); TV documentaries Galapolos (2017) and Behind The Scenes: David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef (2015-2016); TV comedy Urban Myths: Samuel Beckett and Andre the Giant (2017)

Alcyona Mick (2009-2010)

She has released three albums: ‘Around the Sun’ (Audio-b) under her own name, and ‘Blink’ (Loop) and ‘Twice’ (Babel) with Blink and guest cellist Vincent Courtois. She also writes for the London Jazz Orchestra, a special duo project with saxophonist Tori Freestone, and an electronica project with Samy Bishai.

Jon Wygens (2010)

His recent work includes the BAFTA nominated drama series The Durrells, the Ivor Award nominated The Collection and TV series Great American Railroad Journeys.

Jonathan Opstad (2008)

Composer for TV series Thirteen (2016), The Murder Detectives (2015), Cyberbully (2015) and BAFTA winning drama Don’t Take My Baby (2015)

Roger Goula (2008)

Recent work includes composer for two episodes of the 2017 series of Inspector George Gently and feature documentaries Stay Behind: My Grandfather’s Secret War (2017) and Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach (2016)

Stuart Earl (2008)

Stuart was nominated for an Ivor Novello award in 2016 for his work on And Then There Were None. He has worked on TV series Rillington Place and The Secret Agent. He has also continued to work in theatre including the 2016 production of Oil at the Almedia Theatre and the 2016 National Theatre (Lyttelton) production of The Deep Blue Sea

Miguel d’Oliveira (2006)

Recent work includes TV programmes The Met (2017), First Dates Hotel (2017), Marilyn Monroe: Auction of a Lifetime (2017), Skies Above Britain (2016), Joanna Lumley’s Japan (2016), The Last Miners (2016) and Our Queen at Ninety (2016).

Natalie Holt (2006)

Winner of Ivor Novello Award for the score to the 2015 BBC1 series The Honourable Woman. She has recently composed music for the BBC series Three Girls (2017), My Mother and Other Strangers (2016) and Wallander (2015)