When I saw the J. Irving-Giles contest alert symbol flashing in the night sky, I was under the impression that EASTWEST had just announced a scoring contest. I was up for the challenge, even after discovering more details. The official name of the contest was the "Score This Movie" contest, offering all seven PLAY products to the victor.

Until June 30, 2008, EASTWEST users can utilize EASTWEST PLAY products to compose an original score for this currently silent short movie (two minutes) by Zennor Alexander. You can find that movie on EASTWEST's forums, or just read this summary.

“This is a story about the circularity of life -- out of the void comes a seed which sprouts into a plant. The leaves of the plant mature which ends the growth phase. As the leaves fly off in all directions, we follow one on its journey into the unknown. The leaf meets another and the two fly around in a mating dance, eventually merging. The merged leaves become mature wings, and fly off through this new world to find the original void from which they came. The wings finally dissolve and compact to become a new seed, completing the cycle.�

EASTWEST says that your score should include a variety of pace, mood and style and be composed using only EASTWEST libraries with an emphasis on their PLAY-powered virtual instruments. I plan on ignoring the trippy-hippie visuals from the video in lieu of a short ode-to-Nugent medley on virtual strings.

When EASTWEST announces me victorious on July 15, 2008, I'll get all these PLAY products:

• Fab Four
• Quantum Leap Pianos
• Quantum Leap Gypsy
• Quantum Leap Ministry Of Rock
• Quantum Leap Voices of Passion
• Quantum Leap SD2 -- The Next Generation
• Quantum Leap Goliath

For more rules and regulations on how to lose EASTWEST's "Score This Movie" contest fair and square, visit http://www.soundsonline-forums.com/showthread.php?t=12974.