Austin Wintory's Score Takes Gamers on a Journey

Feb. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- Award winning composer Austin Wintory scores Journey, thatgamecompany and Sony’s Santa Monica Studio’s newest video game for the PlayStation Network. Wintory’s previous work on thatgamecompany’s game flOw earned him a British Academy Award nomination and a Game Audio Network Guild Award. flOw will be honored at the Smithsonian Museum this spring as part of The Art of Video Games exhibit. Austin Wintory will be the featured speaker at the GDC panel “Journey vs. Monaco: Music is Storytelling” on March 7, 2012 in San Francisco, CA. Journey, already recognized with seven awards at the 2011 E3 Expo, will be released on March 13, 2012.

Austin Wintory’s score for Journey is a combination of electronic and symphonic elements. In an interview with USA Today, Wintory stated, “My hope is the score provides a seamless and continuous emotional experience for the player, so that as atmospheres and moods change, so too does the score.” Enlisting an orchestra, Wintory’s score has an organic and intimate feel that is generally not found in video games.

Using the game as inspiration, Austin Wintory brought in leading instrumentalists including cellist Tina Guo, using her as a driving force behind his compositional choices. “The performances brought a vitality to the score that far surpasses the mere notes on the page,” Wintory stated. It has a wide dynamic of different proportions so that the music adds to how the player feels, rather than dictating emotions to them. Kellee Santiago, thatgamecompany’s co-founder, stated- “the passionate playing touched everyone…adding an important layer to the experience.”

Austin Wintory is hailed by The Hollywood Reporter as one of 15 composers “primed to take their place on the A-list.” The twenty- seven year old has already amassed over 200 composing credits including over thirty features, video games, and concert works.  Wintory’s works have been performed by orchestras and chamber ensembles around the US and Europe. His accolades include a BAFTA nomination for flOw, two Hollywood Music in Media Awards for “Best New Composer” and “Best Original Score, Mobile Video Game,” and the Game Audio Network Guild Award for “Rookie of the Year.” His most recent film, A Little Help, starring Jenna Fischer (The Office), won “Best Feature” at several film festivals.

Other accolades for Wintory include the Fangoria Chainsaw Award nomination for “Best Original Score” for the Sundance hit Grace, which was also named one of Vision in Sound’s Top Ten Scores for 2009. The Sundance Audience Award winner Captain Abu Raed put Wintory on the short list as a contender for the Academy Awards for “Best Original Score.” He was also nominated by the International Film Music Critics Association for “Breakout Composer of the Year.”

Wintory also maintains a busy schedule writing concert music and composing/ producing albums. Beyond composing, he is a strong advocate for music in schools, particularly in early education. Austin Wintory is an active member on the Board of Directors for Education Through Music- Los Angeles.


More Information:

Game Developers Conference

Session Information

Title: “Journey vs. Monaco: Music is Storytelling”

Key Speaker: Austin Wintory

Date: March 7, 2012

Time: 11:00AM to 12:00PM

Place: Room 3010, West Hall on the 3rd Floor
   Moscone Convention Center
   747 Howard St., Between 3rd and 4th Street
   San Francisco, CA 94103


“Journey vs. Monaco: Music is Storytelling” will feature composer Austin Wintory, comparing his original compositions for the video games Journey (thatgamecompany) and Monaco (Pocket Watch Games). Wintory will discuss his scoring process, use of different musical elements, creating a musical meaning, and telling the narrative through large and small scale structures. The panel will be followed by a Q & A with Wintory and lead designers Jenova Chen (Journey) and Andy Schatz (Monaco). Monaco received the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the Independent Games Festival. Journey, already named Best Download Game, is awaiting its release March 13, 2012.


Conference Information

Date: March 5- 9, 2012

Place:  Moscone Convention Center
   747 Howard St., Between 3rd and 4th Street
   San Francisco, CA 94103

The Game Developers Conference is the world’s largest and longest-running professionals-only game industry event. Produced by the UBM TechWeb Game Network, GDC is a primary forum where members of the gaming world including programmers, artists, producers, and game designers, exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry. GDC’s events include the 14th Annual Independent Games Festival, the 12th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, over 400 lectures, panels, tutorials, and round- table discussions, and the GDC expo, showcasing all of the most relevant game development tools, platforms, and services.