Morehead —  Music professor Jay Flippin credits good luck for each of the five regional Emmy awards in his collection.

He said it was luck that brought him together with filmmaker Debbie Novak, who he is certain could have found 15 to 20 other musicians capable of making music to fit her films.

“She was taking classes at Marshall (University) and met Steve Hall of Flatwoods. I knew him from Morehead (State University). She asked if he knew anyone in the area who could write a score,” he said, remembering their first collaboration about 15 years ago. “Since then we’ve done six ... five of which won Emmys.”

Their latest effort, for a film titled “Steven Caras: See Them Dance,” documents the life and work of a dancer who went on to become the principle photographer for the New York Ballet.

“Almost any photograph you’ve ever seen of ballet, he took it,” Flippin said, explaining he thought he was unfamiliar with Caras until he saw his photos and recognized the images from the covers of famous magazines.

Flippin, 66, said he and Novak have developed an excellent working relationship through their previous film and score work together, and completed the score for “Steven Caras: See Them Dance” in about a week. The film has been shown in four cities, he said, and they hope it will be broadcast by the nation’s public television stations.

“We’re just kind of holding our breaths to see if Public TV will use it,” he said, explaining the film could be considered for a national Emmy if it is aired by at least 51 percent of America’s public stations.

Composing a film score tends to work in one of two ways, Flippin said, explaining some directors simply want a certain type of music they will edit to fit their film. Working with Novak, he said, “is a different process.” Novak, herself an accomplished musician, completes her film and then tells him about the music she wants to accentuate each scene. The director will convey her desire for crescendos, cymbal strikes and other musical effects, and Flippin then writes “the rough music,” and uses a stopwatch to determine tempo and timing for each scene. Once the director approves of the music, Flippin goes into a recording studio armed with digitally linked musical instruments to create the sounds of anything from a small group to a complete orchestra.

“Usually, full orchestra is what she likes,” Flippin said, adding he is quite pleased with the symphonic sounds available from modern digital samples.

 Remembering his first Emmy award for Novak’s film “Hearts of Glass” chronicling the Blenko Glass factory, Flippin said he was shocked at the news because he knew they were competing with projects by artists from a huge region including Nashville, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and other major cities. “It’s really gratifying and it’s very humbling,” he said, adding each film and score has been a learning experience.

With their winning streak going strong, Flippin said he is interested in working with Novak on future projects.

“As long as she’s interested in using me, I’m interested in working with her,” Flippin said, repeating his thought there are many local musicians who could have equalled or exceeded his contribution. “She’s just amazing. She makes films that are fun to write music for.”

After more than three decades as a music instructor at MSU, Flippin retired in 2001 and continues to teach one of the university’s most popular music classes, and another course on arranging.

“I never really stopped teaching,” he said, explaining there was no one else to take up his rock ‘n’ roll history course after his retirement.

Flippin has also worked as a music professor at MU and Pikeville College, with plans to teach a course at Kentucky Christian University next year. He is touring with the Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Orchestra and has performed 60 to 70 concerts with the group since November.

TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.

com or (606) 326-2651.