Up and Monsters, Inc. Director Pete Docter will be speaking at The Film Music Guild Conference this weekend, October 3, 2009 at Biola University. Docter will participate in a panel discussion and question-and-answer session on storytelling.

Biola’s Film Music Guild is hosting this first-ever conference for student filmmakers, composers and those who have an interest in combining the two industries of music and film. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to hear and learn from professionals about the practical tools necessary to succeed in the film industry. Docter will prove to be a valuable speaker added to the already long list of talented industry professionals attending the event. He has been with Pixar since 1990 and has been nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Original Screenplay for WALL•E.

The FMG Conference has attracted the attention of student filmmakers and music programs with past speakers such as Randy Haberkamp, director of educational projects at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and J.A.C. Redford, who did orchestrations for WALL•E..

Speakers for the 2009 FMG Conference continue to represent a variety of professional filmmakers and composers from television and film. Notable speakers include John Ottman  (film composer and editor for Valkyrie and X-Men 2), Christopher Young (composer for The Grudge), Allison Wright Clark (score coordinator for Pirates of the Caribbean I),  Rob Simonsen (composer, Dollhouse TV show), Mike Watts (orchestrator on Passion of the Christ, Bruce Almighty), J.A.C. Redford (composer, One Night with the King, orchestrations on WALL•E), Dan Savant (music contractor, Passion of the Christ, Sin City, Sideways) and Anne Cecere (Associate Director, Film & TV Relations at BMI).

FMG Conference 2009 will be held at the Crowell School of Business from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a provided lunch and refreshments for registered attendees. Registration is $65 for students and $100 for general admission. Late registration is $85 for students and $125 for general admission. The last day for late registration is Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009.

For a detailed schedule and list of speakers, visit www.filmmusicguild.com.