SaskMusic

 

Andrew Bennett (stage name ‘Factor Eight’), Saskatoon composer and music producer, has been honoured with a prestigious SOCAN Foundation Award for Emerging Audio-Visual Composers. Bennett's composition for the short biopic film ‘Citizen’ was awarded third place in the ‘Best Original Score - Non-Fiction’ category, and represents the only Western Canadian winner in that category. ‘Citizen’, written and directed by Brock Newman, originally premiered on the renowned art publisher Booooooom.TV, and has a special importance to Andrew, as it was the first occasion on which he showcased his composition and sound design talents on the same project.

 

“My primary motivation in creating music is to inspire emotion in the listener,” said Andrew Bennett. “This is why I have come to love scoring film, as the collaboration of music and film can be very impactful.”

“The composition for Citizen was produced after a long creative process and the final piece titled Impetus was a simple, electronic-based arrangement that was considered atypical for a film score,” said Bennett. “To be recognized by the SOCAN Foundation among such talented other recipients is a real honour."

Andrew is heading to Kelowna BC for the 2018 Western Canadian Music Awards, where he has been nominated for Visual Media Composer of the Year for the third consecutive year. The nominated composition is the same work that received the SOCAN Foundation Award. “Awards and nominations like these serve as recognition that others in the artistic community understand and appreciate creative decisions I’ve made. It is a tremendous encouragement to continue to trust my artistic voice moving forward.”

Bennett’s passion is collaborating with fellow artists and has worked with prestigious brands like GMC, So You Think You Can Dance, Salomon, Jaybird, and Gillette. He has made waves in the music and film industries both locally and internationally since starting out online in 2013. Popular ‘Factor Eight’ tracks include The Beginning and Life is but a Dream from his debut 2016 album, "Dust," and he has created several original scores for some ambitious visual media projects. 

Bennett is native to Saskatoon where he grew up learning piano from his now music mentor, Jesse Brown, and later learnt online to produce music. He has gained valuable experience working in Vancouver before returning home in 2015 where he continues to work on other projects with support from the Saskatchewan Arts Board.

“I am grateful to the SOCAN Foundation for this award, to SaskMusic, and to the Saskatchewan Arts Board for their incredible support,” said Bennett.

He is currently creating a second full-length album. “It’s a project that I am sincerely passionate about, and I cannot wait to share it.” The second full length album from ‘Factor Eight’ will be released in 2019. His 2016 debut album Dust is available now on all platforms. “It’s a joy to share art with community and see it received in unique personal ways.”

More info:

The SOCAN Foundation Awards for Emerging Audio-Visual Composers is an annual competition designed to recognize Canadian composers who are 30 years of age and under for original musical themes or scores created exclusively for audio-visual support (TV, film, Internet, et al.). Submissions are examined by a jury of prominent composers selected by the SOCAN Foundation, with excellence being an overriding factor in adjudication.

 

SOCAN Press Release: http://www.socanfoundation.ca/awards/awardwinners-2018/

Awarded original score ‘Impetus’ by Factor Eight: https://soundcloud.com/factoreight/impetus