Original Songs
Music; Guy Gross John Levine John Zulaikha Lyrics; John Palmer
Incidental Music; Bob Young John Sangster
SONGS
Queen Ant Spider Cockroach Little Things Butterfly Worker Ant
Music Music Guy Gross John Levine & John Zulaikha
Lyrics Lyrics John Palmer John Palmer
Additional Incidental Music Paul Adolphus
Dot & the Kangaroo Song by Bob Young
Songwriters John Levine and John Zulaikha:
Levine later went into relaxation/trance music, with a bio here. He excluded his site from the Wayback Machine, but there's another site with samples here. John Zulaikha could be found on Discogs here.
Co-composer of incidental music, Bob Young:
Bob Young had worked as an Australian show band arranger and conductor, as well as a composer before doing the score for the feature film Journey Out Of Darkness.
He did a trilogy of films for Goldsworthy CUP, starting with It Takes All Kinds, followed by Color Me Dead, and then the last in the package, That Lady from Peking, which was released in 1971.
After doing the convict drama Adam's Woman for Warner Bros, he would continue on with other feature films, including Warwick Freeman's Demonstrator. As well as Inn of the Damned, he would do Plugg, Little Boy Lost and Lady Stay Dead with director Terry Bourke.
Young also became an arranger and composer for Yoram Gross and his "Dot" animation features, starting with Dot and the Kangaroo, and including Gross's Sarah and The Camel Boy, and continuing until Gross's son Guy took over composing duties for the company.
He became the first president of the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) for the period 1987-1991, hosting the first Screen Music Awards ceremony in 1992.
Young led a varied musical life, working with Bobby Limb and appearing on stations such as 2UW, and is mentioned in a memoir about Don Banks, at Trove here:
…my war years were spent mainly around Melbourne and I started to do much more regular playing. Some of the people I worked with were Russ Jones on vibes, Bobby Limb on saxophone, and Bob ‘Beetles’ Young, who played piano. They had just come over from Adelaide to play with Bob Gibson’s band down at St Kilda.
(Below: Bob "Beetles" Young in his Bob Gibson band days) Co-composer of incidental music, John Sangster:
John Sangster was a Melbourne-born Australian jazz composer and arranger, who also played drums, the cornette and vibraphone.
In relation to his work for Avengers of the Reef, the Oxford noted that his "sinister percussive" score helped produce highly competent children's entertainment.
John Sangster has a wiki here.
In the Australian scene Sangster was an innovative musician, starting with the progressive rock group Tully, working his way through a Lord of the Rings series of LPs, and working on a variety of scores for films and television documentaries. A lot of his music was on the Swaggie label.
Sangster also did the score for the relatively lost family telemovie Fluteman.
When it is remembered, the film is usually remembered for its score by John Sangster, performed by flautist Don Burrows. Burrows, whose career intersected with Sangster a number of times, has a wiki here.
Move Records lists the CD release of the original soundtrack recording here, with links to further details to the various artists who worked on the disc, along with this note on the disc and Sangster:
John Sangster composed the music for the little-known film "Fluteman" in 1982. The film may not be high in your mind, but the music performed by Don Burrows (flute), and eight other jazz players makes wonderful listening apart from the film. This is the line-up: Don Burrows: concert and alto flutes, clarinet and fife Errol Buddle: oboe, piccolo and alto saxophone Col Loughnan: flute and tenor saxophone Roy Ainsworth: bass-clarinet and baritone saxophone George Golla: electric and acoustic guitars Tony Ansell: electric piano and synthesiser Chris Qua: bass Alan Turnbull: Drums and finger-cymbals John Sangster: percussions, which include marimba, vibraphone, bell-tree, glockenspiel, vibraslap and tambourine The CD comes with brief track by track program notes written by John Sangster.
John Sangster was one of the most talented Australian jazz musicians of all time, a technician and creator who embraced and understood more styles of music than any other.
Sangster wrote a book about his life and musical times, published by Penguin.
(Below: John Sangster, and related works)
Co-composer of songs, Guy Gross:
Guy Gross gradually became more involved in doing the music for his father, Yoram Gross's films, and the songs for this film were another step on this path, which would see him take over most of the work.
Guy Gross worked on Stephan Elliott’s The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and subsequently did the score for Elliott’s Welcome to Woop Woop.
Guy Gross began as a composer doing scores for his father’s animated feature films, including Epic, Dot and the Whale, Dot Goes to Hollywood, Dot and the Smugglers, The Magic Riddle and Blinky Bill, before moving on to scoring the first 26 episodes of the TV series The Adventures of Blinky Bill.
In the VHS ‘Blinky Bill making of’ Gross was shown at work on the score, which like the music for his first collaboration with director Stephan Elliott - Frauds - was an orchestrated piece, using some of the players from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In the case of Frauds, the players were dressed up as the “Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra”.
Frauds was Gross’s first feature outside the family farm, so to speak, and he thereafter became a very active composer, on both Gross company projects and for others, with Welcome to Woop Woop his third association with Elliott.
(Below: Gross in the Blinky Bill VHS ‘making of’) At time of writing, composer Guy Gross had his own website here. At time of writing, it contained this CV and these credits, and could also be found on the WM here:
Guy Gross is one of Australia's leading film and television composers and recipient of the APRA/AGSC International Achievement Award. In 2012 he was elected president of the Australian Guild of Screen Composers.
From his British Academy Award (BAFTA) nominated score to the international hit "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert to the US SCI-FI series "Farscape", his film scores cover a huge variety of styles.
Testament to this diversity, Guy has received numerous peer awards including Best Music for a Documentary, Children's Series, Short film, Animation, Promotional Video, Advertisement, TV Theme and twice for Best Music for a TV Series.
Over his 30 year career, Guy has composed music for hundreds of hours of television, including dramatic mini series, children's animation, documentaries, commercials and also a number of Australian feature films. His film music has underscored the acting performances of Toni Collette, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Garry McDonald, Molly Ringwald, Kylie Minogue, Phil Collins, Guy Pearce and Olivia Newton John and his scores have been performed in concert by the Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland Symphony Orchestras.
Guy began film scoring while still studying composition at the Conservatorium High School in Sydney, Australia. Son of film producers Yoram and Sandra Gross, he began scoring many of the family companies' feature and television projects. Following in his father's footsteps, Guy directed and scored the animated TV series "Old Tom and wrote, scored, produced, and directed the animated television special "Blinky Bill's White Christmas".
At the age of 26, Guy scored his first feature film, "Frauds" directed by Stephan Elliott and went on to score four features with Stephan including the 1994 international hit "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and more recently, "A Few Best Men". In '95, Guy composed his award winning score to the ABC TV series "Bordertown" for Knapman Wyld Television for whom he has also scored all three seasons of the internationally award winning TV Series "East West 101".
In 1999 Guy received the (shared) award for Best Music at the Tropicana Film Festival (Tropfest) for his score to that year's winning short film "Uno Amore". That year Guy also composed the score to the horror feature film "Cut" for Mushroom Pictures and soon after that began scoring the hit Sci-Fi series "Farscape" produced by The Jim Henson Company.
"Farscape" has been a monumental project for Guy keeping him busy for over three years culminating in a big budget, 2 part television mini series "Farscape - Peacekeeper Wars" which enabled him to enlist the services of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and conduct the 140 strong orchestra and choir to create one of his largest film scores to-date. Farscape has spun off five Soundtrack Albums.
In recent years Guy has scored the tele-movies: "Dangerous Remedy", "A Model Daughter - The Killing of Caroline Byrne", "Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback", "Scorched", documentaries: "The Howard Years", "The Prime Minister is Missing" and "Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler?".
Guy owns a recording studio complex in Camperdown, Sydney which houses a number of studios and composing suites.
CHILDRENS' - ANIMATED FEATURES
2005 Blinky Bill’s White Christmas Telemovie Composer of Original Score and Theme (performed by Christine Anu) Production Company: Yoram Gross–EM.TV 2003 Tabaluga and Leo: A Christmas Adventure Production Company: Yoram Gross–EM.TV
1993 Blinky Bill Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios
1990 The Magic Riddle Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios
1986 Dot and the Whale Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios
1986 Dot Goes to Hollywood Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios
1984 Dot and Keeto Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios
1984 Dot and the Smugglers Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios
1980 Sarah Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios
CHILDRENS' - ANIMATED TV
2008 Dex Hamilton: Alien Entomologist 26 x 1/2 hour episodes Production Company: March Entertainment + SLR Productions 2005 Flipper & Lopaka Series 3 26 x 1/2 hour episodes Production Company: Yoram Gross – EM.TV. 2004 Blinky Bill’s Around the World Adventures 26 x 1/2 hour episodes Production Company: Yoram Gross – EM.TV. 2003 Art Alive 79 x 4 minute episodes Production Company: Yoram Gross – EM.TV. 2001 Old Tom 52 x 1/4 hour episodes Production Company: Yoram Gross – EM.TV. / Millimages 1999 Flipper and Lopaka 26 x 1/2 hour episodes Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios 1998 Dumb Bunnies 26 x 1/2 hour episodes Production Company: Nelvana / Yoram Gross Film Studios 1998 Skippy 26 x 1/2 hour episodes Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios 1995 Samuel & Nina 13 x 15 min episodes Production Company: Children's Television Workshop / Yoram Gross Film Studios 1993 The Adventures of Blinky Bill 52 x 1/2 hour episodes Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios 1987 Candy Claus 1 hour TV Special Production Company: Yoram Gross Film Studios
FEATURES
2011 A Few Best Men Production Company: Arclight Film Producer: Antonia Barnard, Share Stallings Director: Stephan Elliott 2010 A Heart Beat Away Production Company: Pictures in Paradise Producer: Chris Fitchett, Chris Brown Director: Gale Edwards 2007 Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger Production Company: Tama Films & EB Productions Producer: Miriam Stein Director: Cathy Randall 1999 Cut Production Company: Mushroom Pictures Dist: Beyond International Producer: Martin Fabini 1998 Forever Fever (aka That's the way I lIke it) Production Company: Tiger Tiger Productions Dist: Miramax Producer/Director: Glen Goei 1997 Welcome to Woop Woop Production Company: Scala Productions Dist: Village Roadshow Producers: Finola Dwyer (UK) Antonia Barnard (Aust) 1994 The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Production Company: Latent Image Director: Stephan Elliott Starring: Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce (Official selection in Directors fortnight Cannes '94 - Winner Priz du Public) 1992 Frauds Production Company: Latent Image Director: Stephan Elliott Starring: Phil Collins, Hugo Weaving, Josephine Byrnes (Official selection in Main Competition Cannes '93)
DOCUMENTARIES
2014 Village Vets Theme for Foxtel Series Production Company: Screentime Producer: Simon Steel Executive Producer: Bob Campbell 2013 Shark Girl 1 hr TV Documentary Production Company: Kaufman Productions Producer ∓ Director: Gisela Kaufmann Associate Producer: Carsten Orlt 2013 Taking on the Chocolate Frog 3 x 1 hr series- Foxtel Production Company: Screentime Producer: Simon Steel Executive Producer: Bob Campbell 2013 Once upon a time in Redfern 1 hr TV Documentary - Foxtel Production Company: Samson Productions Producer: Sue Millican Director: Darlene Johnson 2013 Outback Coroner 8 x 1 hr series Production Company: Evershine / Screentime Producer: Helen Barrow Director: Hugh Piper 2012 Raising the Curtain 3 x 1 hr series Production Company: Essential Media Series Producer: Aline Jacques Executive Producer: Julia Peters 2012 Larrikin Lad Production Company: Rebelstudio Producer/Director: Rebel Penfold Russell & Pat Fiske Executive Producer: Rebel Penfold-Russell & Adam Bayliss 2012 First Fagin 1 hour TV Documentary Production Company: Fury Production Producer: Veronica Fury Directors: Helen Gaynor and Alan Rosenthal 2011 Dancing Down Under 10 Part TV Doco Series - ABC Production Company: Fury Production Director: Susan Lambert 2011 Dancing with Dictators Production Company: Evershine Writer, Director, Producer: Hugh Piper, Helen Barrow 2010 I Spry Production Company: Blackwattle Films Writer, Director, Producer: Peter Butt 2009 Family Fortunes (6-part Series) Production Company: Australian Documentaries Producers: Laurie Critchley 2008 The Howard Years 4x1 hour series Production Company: ABC Producer: Deborah Masters 2008 Lost in Flanders Production Company: Film Australia in association with Intomedia Director: Geoff Burton Producer: Stuart Scowcroft 2008 Infamous Victory - Ben Chifley's Battle for Coal Production Company: Film Australia Director: Geoff Burton EP: Penny Robins Producer: Perry Stapleton 2008 The Prime Minister is Missing Production Company: Film Australia Writer, Director, Producer: Peter Butt Co-Producer: Sally Regan 2008 Ian Fairweather Fury Productions Pty Ltd Writer/Director: Aviva Ziegler Producer: Veronica Fury Associate Producer: Debra Beattie 2008 Family Fortunes (4-part Series) Production Company: ABC Directors/Producers: Geraldine McKenna, Tracey Spring, Simon Target, Laurie Critchley Series Producer: Laurie Critchley Executive Producer: David Jowsey 2007 Fat Chance Production Company: Fat Productions Pty Ltd Writer, Director, Producer: Yuka Sekiguchi Producer: Nicki Roller 2006 Who Killed Dr Bogle and Mrs Chandler? Production Company: Film Australia Writer, Director, Producer: Peter Butt 2004 The Airships Production Company: Ch 4 UK / ABC Writer, Director, Producer: Peter Butt 2003 Silent Storm Production Company: Film Australia / SBS Writer, Director, Producer: Peter Butt 1999 Uncle Chatzkel Production Company: Film Australia/ Robe Productions Writer, Director, Producer: Rod Freedman Producers: Emile Sherman, Brian Sherman, Franco Di Chiera 1988 The Last Great Cattle Drive A Film Australia National Interest Program Producers: Tristram Miall, Don Murray; Director: Paul Hawker
TV DRAMAS
2013 Sam Fox - Extreme Adventures 26 x 1/2 hr Series Producers: SLR / ZDF Producers: Suzanne Ryan, Michael Bourchier 2012 Dangerous Remedy Telemovie Production Company: Eclipse Films Producer: Ned Lander Director: Ken Cameron 2011 East West 101 Season 3 7x1 hour Mini Series Production Company: Knapman Wyld Television Producers: Steve Knapman, Kris Wyld 2009 A Model Daughter - The Killing of Caroline Byrne Telemovie Production Company: Screentime Producer: Des Monaghan, Karl Zwicky Director: Tony Tilse 2009 East West 101 Season 2 7x1 hour Mini Series Production Company: Knapman Wyld Television Producers: Steve Knapman, Kris Wyld 2008 Scorched Telemovie Production Company: Essential Viewing Productions Producers: Kylie Du Fresne Director: Tony Tilse 2007 East West 101 6x1 hour Mini Series Production Company: Knapman Wyld Television Producers: Steve Knapman, Kris Wyld 2007 Make or Break 1 hour Telemovie Production Company: Fox World Australia Writer & Director: Mike Bullen Producers: David Taylor and David Maher 2006 Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback Telemovie Production Company: Granada Productions, Matt Carroll Films Pty Ltd Producer: Matt Carroll 2004 Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars 4hr TV SCI FI Mini Series Production Company: Jim Henson Productions Producer: Andrew Prowse, Martin Baker 2002 Farscape, Series 4 22 x 1hr TV Science Fiction Series Production Company: Jim Henson Productions Producer: Sue Miliken, Andrew Prowse 2001 Farscape, Series 3 22 x 1hr TV Science Fiction Series Composer of Original Score Production Company: Jim Henson Productions Producer: Anthony Winley 2001 Seconds to Spare Telemovie; aka Operation Wolverine Production Company: Channel 9 Film and TV/ Carlton America / Tele Munchen Producer: Matt Carroll 2000 Farscape, Series 2 22 x 1hr TV Science Fiction Series Composer of Original Score (Episodes 6 to 22) Production Company: Jim Henson Productions Producer: Sue Miliken 1996 Fallen Angels 20 x 1hr TV Drama Series Production Company: ABC Producer: Geoffry Nottage 1996 McLeod's Daughters Telemovie Production Company: Millennium Pictures / Channel 9 Director: Michael Offer Producers: Posie Graeme-Evans, Andrew Blaxland 1995 Bordertown 10 x 1hr Drama Mini Series Production Company: ABC Director: Ken Cameron Producers: Steve Knapman & Jo Rooney 1990 Reach Out to the Children TV Special Production Company: Pilgrim International (World Vision)
SHORT FILMS
2014 Flat Daddy Producer: Annie Kinnane Executive Producer: Al Clark Director: Matt Holcomb 2013 Tango Underpants Producers: Feisty Dame Productions Executive Producers: Tanya Chambers & Stephen Van Mil Directors: Miranda Edmonds & Khrob Edmonds 2013 The Landing Producers: Perception Pictures Producer: Jade van der Lei Director: Josh Tanner 2013 Sand (part of The Turning) Producers: Robert Connely Producer: John Harvey Director: Stephen Page 2006 Final Call Tropfest Film Festival 2006 (screened out of competition) Producer: Philip Wade, Director: Gary Eck 1999 Uno Amore Winner 1999 Tropfest Film Festival Winner 1999 Sydney Comedy Festival Short Film and Animation Competition Original Score (7 min Operetta) Producers:Anton Perry, Jasmin Forbes-Watson 1992 The Resting Place Production Company: Latent Image Starring: Peter Mochrie, Gia Carides Director: Rebel Penfold Russell 1992 When Ships Draw Near Production Company: Bring a Plate Productions Director: Paul Middleditch 1990 7 Colours 30 min Dance Film Production Company: Film Australia Producer: Paul Humfress Director: John Michael Rogowski Dancers: Stephen Page & Victoria Taylor
TV THEMES AND STATION ID'S
2010 The Naked Scientist Themes for BBC Radio Programe Producer and Presenter: Dr Christopher Smith 1996 Front Up TV current affairs series Production Company: SBS 1995 TNC - The News Channel ABC Cable News Channel (Unreleased) Production Company: Australian Information Media (AIM) Producer: Kim Williams 1995 True Stories TV Documentary Series Production Company: ABC 1995 The Big Picture TV Documentary Production Company: ABC 1991 Hotline TV Talk Back Series Production Company: SBS 1991 The Bookshow TV Arts Series Arranger/Producer of Theme Production Company: SBS 1990 Face the Press TV Current Affairs Series Production Company: SBS
OTHER PROJECTS
2013 Sydney Moderns - Snapshots Original music for Video Installation Producers: NSW Art Gallery Producer: Aviva Zeigler 2006 The Priscilla Suite Symphonic Suite for the Queensland Symphonic Orchestra with 100 strong choir, soprano solo and didgeridoo. Performed live in the Queensland Performing Arts Center in May 2006. 1998 Crown Casino Laser, fountain, lighting installation Composer of 20 min. Orchestral Score "Spring", performed by M.S.O. One of 4 seasons played 24 hours a day in the main Atrium Production Company: Crown Casino Limited Producer: Chong Lim 1987 First State '88 Showscan Exhibition Film Arranged/Produced: Additional music Producers: Heileograph John Weiley 1985 Cakes and Custard Choral Symphony Composed and Conducted - Commissioned by NSW Education Dept. Performed at Sydney Town Hall. For 200 voice children’s Choir & Orchestra
(Below: Guy Gross, and at work)