One of the two pre-eminent composers for animation in Britain today’. – Claire Kitson, Channel 4’s pioneering commissioner of animation.
64 Zoo Lane
APRIL 2000 – “64 Zoo Lane” won the Pulcinella award for “Best Children’s Series” at the international television animation festival “Cartoons on the Bay”.
JUNE 2000 -“64 Zoo Lane” selected by Annecy Festival 2000
NOVEMBER 2000 – Children’s BAFTA Award winner and New York International Children’s Film Festival Nominations
March 2002 – Wins best pre-school animation at the British Animation Awards. ‘Bob the Builder’ and ‘Bill and Ben’ were also nominated.
Cloud Babies
Engie Benjy
Pablo The Little Red Fox
(Millimages) 1999 (52 episodes), co-recipient (as part of the “Production Team”) of a 2000 Children’s BAFTA for Best Children’s Series (International)
PABLO – THE LITTLE RED FOX is a mischievous little fox cub that lives in the city with his family at the end of a garden underneath an apple tree.
Crapstone Villas
Channel 4, Oct-Dec 1995 Series I & II (20 episodes)
“IT COULD BECOME ADDICTIVE.” – London Times “VILE, VULGAR, AND HILARIOUSLY FUNNY!” – The Star
Wilf The Witches Dog
Wilf is the creation of Frank Rodgers – one of Britain’s most popular children’s writers and illustrators – and is the star of the Witch’s Dog book series that is published by Penguin
Everything’s Rosie
Everything’s Rosie is an animated TV series for children aged 3 to 8 years.
‘Henry’s Cat‘
Bob Godfrey Films
Margaret Thatcher; Where am I Now?
(Bob Godfrey Films / Steve Bell/ Channel 4) April 1999 (5 episodes)
Other television composition includes:
Main Theme and Incidental Music (including lyrics), “The Love Weekend”, Channel 4, 12th -14th February, 1993.
Incidental music, “Food File” Series III, Channel 4, Spring 1994
Incidental music, “Henry’s Cat”, Winner of 1994 Golden Globe Award, Best Children’s Animated TV Series
Drip – a Narcissistic Love Story, a Ballet Score jointly commissioned by BBC2 and The Arts Council for Adventures in Motion Pictures, choreographed by Matthew Bourne (March 1995)
Theme music, “Stylissimo!” MTV, 1996
Kevin (Bob Godfrey Films) (13 episodes in production)
Principal Performed Works include Violin Concerto (for Stephen Bryant, now leader, BBC Symphony Orchestra. Also performed by David Juritz)
Film
Rowland has composed scores for over twenty ‘shorts’, mostly animations, including many Channel 4 commissions; this is a selection:
ANIMATION SHORTS
The Little Wolf. Dir. An Vrombaut (Royal College of Art). One of the most successful RCA student films ever, This has notched up an impressive collection of awards from all over the world. It was used in the USA as a cinema “short”, in programme with “Blade Runner – The Director’s Cut”
When I Grow up I Want to be a Tiger. Dir. An Vrombaut (Codename Cartoon).
The Animated Millennium. Dir. Bob Godfrey. A 25’ animated historical musical, commissioned by Channel 4 for the eve of the millennium. (Claire Kitson’s final commission for Channel 4).
Waterfall. Dir. Janet Simmonds (Royal College of Art). Rowland’s first film score, and the only one with a full orchestral soundtrack. This film and the same animator’s “The Merlin” won him the British Film Institute’s Anthony Asquith Young Composer Award, in 1986.
The Fairest of Them All. Dir. Jason Stalman (Whitehorse Films). Written by Lily Savage.
School Disco. Dir. Brian Wood (Polkadot).
LIVE ACTION SHORTS
Drip– a narcissistic love story. Made as part of BBC2’s “Dance for the Camera” season, this is essentially a 15-minute ballet commissioned by Adventures in Motion Pictures and choreographed by Matthew Bourne. Produced by the Christmas TV and Film Co.
The Boot. Dir. Peter Boyd Maclean (Independent).
Interactive Media
‘Salut Serge!‘ teaches French to children aged between 5 and 10 through an innovative mix of computer animation, games, puzzles, stories and songs.
The course is available in a 40 page, full-colour activity book; 90-minute audio cassette and 2 x 90-minute video pack.
The ‘Salut Serge!’ TV programmes will be shown on BBC2’s Learning Zone in November, and again next year.
Publisher: BBC Worldwide.