Industry news & advice blog

The senior men’s rowing team at Warwick University have for the last 5 years been getting their kits off for calendars and films that raise funds for their sport and for charity.  

 

Last year, they used funding from the calendar to set up Sport Allies, a new initiative to combat bullying and homophobia in sport.   This brought an amazing response that moved us all, including winning Charity Calendar of the Year 2014 and People’ Choice Calendar 2014.

 

Stephen Fry, Kylie Minogue, Sir Ian McKellen, Boy George, John Barrowman and Derren Brown are among the celebrities who now support the cause.  But most moving are the people who have written to them from all over the world, sharing stories of the difficulties they faced in coming to terms with their sexuality against a backdrop of bullying and hate, not least from the “sporty types” at school. 

 

Can you donate great music to take their film to another level? You will help raise funds for the fight against homophobia.  As before, the full-length film (shot in 4k!) will follow the rowing team as they shoot their naked calendar, and will also enable them to create one of their famous viral trailers!  

 

Last year’s calendar trailer, which has been watched by more than one and a half million people around the world, featured the music of George Simpson, one of several talented artists who donated music featured in the full-length film. The film trailer, with one of several tracks donated by Electrolips, has been seen by over 600,000 people.

 

Not just big on social media, the work of the Warwick University rowing team gets a lot of regular media attention too! For example, last year’s trailers were featured on Good Morning, America and E! Channel News.  Here is what they can offer:

 

• on-screen credits and signposting for music at the end of the film 

• permission to use excerpts from the film with your music for your own promotional purposes (including as a music video for commercial music sales)

• an opportunity to be associated with a great cause, supported by major international celebrities

• a key role in the film – your music will not be wallpaper, it will be front and centre.

 

Open to all genres, because good is good.  There will be scope for high energy, up tempo pieces and sparse, thoughtful pieces, and everything in between. Instrumental tracks are particularly welcome, and lyrics in songs will need to be in keeping with the positive, inclusive themes of the film.  It’s not a Disney film, though – sexy is good!

 

Please submit music with title, artist name and contact details to [email protected] and use this address for any queries too. If the file is too big for an email, we suggest you use wetransfer.com. Deadline for submissions is 10th October 2014.