THE world’s first festival celebrating sound and music in cinema is under way in Bournemouth.

The composer behind the music to this year’s hit Wonder Woman and the Oscar-winning sound editor of Slumdog Millionaire are among the guests at the Short Sounds Film Festival.

The event was devised by Bournemouth company White Lantern Film, which made last year’s Bournemouth-shot horror feature K-Shop.

Dan Pringle, who directed K-Shop, said: “We decided to set up the festival as we felt there was a gap in the festival market for something that celebrated and championed the work and celebration of sound designers, technicians and composers.

“These guys don’t get that much recognition and they don’t get invited to that sort of stuff. That allows us to go straight to the top and pull in some of the biggest in the business in our first year.

“When we talk about watching films, we talk about going to see films. We don’t talk about going to hear them, but the sound is pivotal in terms of what the film-makers are trying to say.

“Whether you’re the general public, whether you’re someone from a background of complete and utter addiction to film and the film-making process or an aspiring film director or composer or sound technician, you’re going to get an incredibly valuable insight into the process.

“You’re going to get an insight into people at the top of their game about what they do.”

Events today, Friday, at Pavilion Dance South West include a masterclass with Rupert Gregson-Williams, whose score to Wonder Woman was a key part of one of this year’s biggest movies.

The composer is on the festival’s jury, along with sound designer Greg Freemantle.

There will also be an awards ceremony for the film-makers who have submitted work to the film festival competition.

Tomorrow sees Steve Rafter of Bournemouth University and Bomo Audio giving an introduction to sound design at Absolute Music in Ringwood Road. There will also be a workshop on character creation by Boscombe film company Treehouse Digital, at the same venue.

Sunday sees an introduction to composing by Nina Humphreys, whose work includes the TV series In Plain Sight, and a seminar with White Lantern Film about creating K-Shop.

In the evening, there will be a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail at Pavilion Dance South West, with a score performed live by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary music ensemble Kokoro.

Details are at shortsounds.co.uk