| Joel Goffin | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joel Christian Goffin |
| Born | December 7, 1981 |
| Origin | Houghton, Michigan, USA |
| Occupations |
Film Composer, Producer |
| Musical instrument Instruments | Piano, Keyboard |
| Years active | 2003 – present |
| Recording Studio | Bluestone Symphonics |
| Website | www.joelgoffin.com |
Joel Christian Goffin (born December 7, 1981) is an American film composer and music producer. For the last 5 years he has composed music for a number of feature films, documentaries, video games, and commercials including the first African International Film Festival Trailer, two recent feature films Black Gold,[1] Inale,[2] and a documentary on Afghanistan, Peace Through Education. Goffin is also an active member of ASCAP.
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Joel Christian Goffin was born in Hancock, Michigan on December 7, 1981. Goffin grew up in an isolated section of God's Country, the northern most territory of the US. After his father, James Frederick Goffin and mother Jo Lynn Goffin relocated their family to Asheville, NC in the winter of 1986, Joel was eventually enrolled in piano lessons by a concert pianist and his wife who held the last name of Delanoy. A prodigy by no means, Goffin often fell asleep during his lessons and only wanted to play, not read. After a recital competition, in 6th grade, that called for Bach's "Präludium und Fuge über das Motiv",[3] in order to win back the favor of his peers, he instead played the theme to Top Gun. Infuriated, the Delanoys reprimanded him and the relationship under their guidance. Goffin discontiuned his formal study from that point on and began to focus on simply playing, not reading. As time moved forward he began to take an interest in screen writing and directing films. Using minimal resources, he began writing, producing, and directing small films while in High School. During this time he met a screen writer and producer, Joseph Lyons Gunnels, through a friend.. Gunnels became a huge influence in his life and his career as a mentor and a friend. After directing a number of music videos in Atlanta, Georgia, Goffin met Andrew Suhren and started a electronic group called "The Midnight Foundation".[4]
The Midnight Foundation, which members included Joel Goffin, Andrew Suhren, and Matt Harder, was a music group that's focus was on creating the heavy sounds of electronic music and mixing them with orchestral elements and live vocals. The group formed in 2003 and was featured on The Crystal Method's radio show in California, Indie 103. In 2007, The Midnight Foundation won first place in an online competition by SNOCAP and opened up for the first annual Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco, CA., which included other electronic groups such as Thievery Corporation, DJ Shadow, and Gotan Project.
Later in 2007, Goffin decided to step away from the group and begin writing music geared more towards the big screen. In the same year, he crossed paths with the widely acclaimed electronic music producer and artist Justin Scott Dixon, also known as Voyager. The two began working on an extensive music library entitled, "Extreme Library Volume 1." The focus was to create music for television and film companies in a way that was as far away as possible from the standard music library sound. During this time, Goffin's music was featured on multiple episodes of Beta TV, a promotional film for A Child's Right's Clearwater Challenge, and various extreme outdoor series for companies such as LVM, Penstock Productions, and Kayak Journal. . In 2008, Goffin began to further his study deeper into the virtual instrument world of midi orchestration and sound design, while working on various projects.
A turning point in Goffin's career occurred when he was asked to compose music for the 2010 film Inale. Nigerian director Jeta Amata was impressed by Goffin's work, and hired him to score original material around the musical core of Inale. Immediately following, Amata commissioned Goffin to score his controversial feature film[5] Black Gold, a film based on the true story of the Niger Delta Oil Crisis.
In 2011, Inale was nominated for 5 AMAAs (African Movie Academy Awards), including Best Soundtrack.[6]
On March 27, 2011, Inale won the Academy Award for "Best Soundtrack" at the 7th African Movie Academy Awards ceremony.[7]