Masters degrees in Film Music train postgraduates in the composition and performance of new pieces of music for cinema and other film. It includes both live performance and electroacoustic practices.
Taught MA, MSc and MMus (Master of Music) courses are typical for this field. Entry requirements normally include an undergraduate degree in a relevant subject such as Music or Performance Studies.
Writing music for the moving image requires a unique combination of technical and creative skills. You will gain a solid grounding in the theories, techniques and practices essential for contemporary film and television music production.
You will have access to a suite of high-quality, professional music studios approved by JAMES, the accrediting body of the Music Producers Guild and the Association of Professional Recording Services.
After developing your composition skills in a range of genres, you will have the chance to work with colleagues from other media courses to further develop your portfolio of work; for example, you could find yourself working alongside student filmmakers from our University's Northern Film School.
You will also work on projects with award-winning composers from the film and television industry, and our links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations will ensure you have plenty of opportunities to sharpen your practical skills.
Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: our University demonstrated strength in five emerging areas of research which it entered into the assessment for the first time, including in music, drama, dance and performing arts.
You will have access to a suite of high-quality, professional music studios, approved by JAMES, the accrediting body of the Music Producers Guild and the Association of Professional Recording Services.
We have links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations, as well as our own Northern Film School, which ensures that you get the most from your course. We also provide regular visiting speakers from the music and film industries and a highly-skilled and experienced teaching team.
Artist in Residence Programme
The Artist in Residence programme gives our students an opportunity to work with professional artists and gives them a taste of what is it like to work on a professional music project. So far we have welcomed artists Chris T-T, Ian Prowse, I Monster, Tom Williams and Utah Saints.
Your course will give you the skills required to create high-quality music for the film, television and media industries. The experience you develop on the course working with a wide range of filmmakers combined with your online portfolio should help you to catch the eye of employers in these competitive industries. Working alongside other aspiring professionals in the University’s Northern Film School, your work could be promoted on the international film festival circuit, giving you the opportunity to develop your professional networks.
This course is designed for composers aspiring to work in the media industry and wanting to learn more about techniques for composing and producing music for film and TV. Taught by experienced professional film/TV composers, it provides an opportunity to collaborate with filmmakers and animators, as well as the chance to write for ensembles.
Key features
You will compose music for moving image and work with filmmakers, screen designers and animators. You will analyse film and TV scores, exploring how music is used to create atmosphere, convey mood and depict setting, character and action. In addition, you will explore the relationships between composer and producer, directors and music editors. You will also study and practise the use of main themes, underscoring and the harmonic languages of soundtracks. There will be an opportunity to have your compositions performed by a professional ensemble, conducted to picture in a professional recording environment. You will also learn about the technology used to produce high-quality soundtracks for the music industry, as well as business and copyright issues.
Compositions, soundtracks, essays, presentations, research projects, and dissertation.
Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.
Core modules
Optional modules
Film and Television develops technical skills in compositional techniques and studio-based work. Designed for advanced composers, it provides an in-depth specialist training. Contextual knowledge of mainstream repertoire and significant previous experience of composition and orchestration are required.
The MMus in Composition for Film and Television at London College of Music (LCM) is one of the longest-established qualifications of its kind. The course provides an ideal opportunity for in-depth examination of specific techniques (both historical and current) employed in the creation of music for modern media, and for drawing upon these procedures in a practical context by composing music for a diverse range of genres, including…
• television thrillers
• animation
• video game trailers
• science fiction
• dramatic cinema
• silent film
• costume drama
• documentary and…
• …horror!
In addition, you will hone and refine your skills as orchestrators by writing for a variety of specified ensembles. You will also expand your musical and dramatic vocabulary via an imaginative series of compositional pastiche exercises (an integral feature of the portfolio submission during Semester 1).
You will undertake further assessments in film score analysis (taking the form of an extended contextual essay, based upon a score/composer of your own choice) and in-studio ensemble conducting, working 'to click' with a group of 'live' performing musicians.
The course is taught mainly through individual tutorials, but may include group work, workshops, seminars and lectures.
We assess written portfolio work through portfolios of compositions responding to verbal briefs, and in the second semester (or second year for part-time students), composing direct to picture. There is also a practical assessment in the Film and Television Score Production module and an extended essay project for the Business of Music module. There is a viva voce exam as part of the portfolio submissions in both semesters (or both years for part-time students).
Course alumni have gone on to compose music for an excitingly diverse range of projects and for an impressive list of clients, including the BBC, BBC Worldwide, BBC Three, The National Theatre, Youth Music Theatre UK, Projection Pictures, The National Theatre, Sky, Channel 4 and the British Film Institute.
Also, in addition to orchestrating their own music, many specialise in orchestrating and conducting the music of other (notable) film composers.
While most students progress directly into the industry after completing this course, graduates may alternatively choose to undertake a PhD or further their compositional studies with a DMus.
Click the following link for information on how to apply to this course.
Information about scholarships and bursaries can be found here.
This unique programme trains students to work at the cutting edge of contemporary cinematic music, developing a range of technological and musical skills to produce high quality and innovative scores. Teaching staff include top Hollywood orchestrators who have worked on Oscar nominated scores, blockbusters like Hunger Games, Fast and Furious and the Die Hard series of films. The course builds on the foundations of traditional classical orchestration and then extends this into the rapidly evolving world of contemporary film and games scoring.
The programme team works closely with film, games and music industry bodies and practitioners, to ensure the currency and professional relevance of the programme. The prime purpose of the programme is to enable students to become effective and multi-skilled professionals, capable of meeting complex musical and technical challenges in the arena of film, games and television orchestration.
In this fast developing area of professional practice, the programme will offer substantial and sustained opportunities to engage with the research of others, stimulating interdisciplinary enquiry, furthering your knowledge and developing original solutions and insights into technical and creative problems.
To gain a Postgraduate Certificate students need to complete four out of the first five modules.
To gain a Postgraduate Diploma students need to complete all modules with the exception of the Final Major Project.
To gain an MA students need to have successfully completed all modules, including the Final Major Project (Dissertation).
This is an online course. You must have access to a good internet connection. The course is primarily delivered through the use of downloadable material, however there will be regular online webinars and tutorial sessions.
The artistic and production landscapes involving music and media continuously evolve at an overwhelming pace. A globalized, technology driven world not only opens doors to new creative possibilities, but also to new challenges, as well as artistic and business oriented expectations. The paradigms are quite different from those of the "legacy" industry of just a few years ago. How does one define success? Who is the composer nowadays and what must s/he do to be competitive in the marketplace and increase her/his chances of achieving success?
The Master of Arts in "Music for Applied Media" follows a modular platform affording graduate students and professionals access to geographical and scheduling flexibility. Moreover, as technology and trends develop, the modular system allows the program to remain up-to-date and ahead of the curve. The curriculum comprises: Theory and Research, Aesthetics and Artistic Creativity, Hands-on Experience, and Business and Self-Management -- including disciplines such as Music Aesthetics, History, Composition, Theory of Sound, Acoustics, Audio and Recording, Signal Processing, Synthesis, IP / entertainment Law, Project Management, Professionalism, Entrepreneurship, Communications, and Ethics -- as such, affording our graduates an expansive learning experience, while working with our international faculty roster comprising established educators and professionals.
Students will work exclusively on real-life projects. They will tackle a broad range of technical and artistic challenges, looking at rich and vibrant areas of creative practice including scoring for commercials, documentary, animation, games as well as feature films. They will place media music in context and will also study the history and development of the form from the early twentieth century through to the present day.
Many composers at the top of the industry including Harry Gregson-Williams, David Arnold, George Fenton, Nicholas Hooper and many others, have contributed to the course materials. The programme team also works closely with industry bodies and production creative’s at the highest level to ensure the currency and relevance of the programme of study. The prime purpose of the programme is to enable students to become effective and multi-skilled film, television or games composers, capable of meeting complex musical and technical challenges when composing for the media.
In this fast-developing area of professional practice, the programme will offer substantial and sustained opportunity to engage with the research of others, stimulating interdisciplinary enquiry, furthering the student’s knowledge and developing original solutions and insights into technical and creative problems.
Over the past few years, we’ve redeveloped both of our campuses so that you have the best facilities available for your degree. We pride ourselves on the quality of the learning environment we can offer our students.
At the Bishop Otter campus there is an integrated approach to the provision of learning resources and support. We offer a substantial collection of books, journals and other materials to help you further your research. A range of study areas for group and quiet study including Wi-Fi areas for laptop use are available, or you can use our open access PC and Mac areas. We use an electronic learning environment with an expanding portfolio of online library resources from anywhere at any time.
The Learning Resource is the hub of the learning environment. It has two upper floors of library resources, one for silent study and one for quiet study, both of which have recently been refurbished. On the ground floor, you’ll find the Support and Information Zone, Media Centre, Otter Gallery, Costa Coffee and a variety of IT resources.
The Bishop Otter LRC also offers:
The Music department offers several soundproofed practice rooms for rehearsals and lessons, as well as lecture and seminar rooms. The Chapel is a fantastic venue for performances and rehearsals, and is the centre piece of the campus.
By undertaking this MA, you will gain the experience and qualifications needed to work on Media Composition professionally.
To gain a Postgraduate Certificate students need to complete four out of the first five modules, one of which must be Writing in Styles.
To gain a Postgraduate Diploma students need to complete all modules with the exception of the Final Major Project.
To gain an MA students need to have successfully completed all modules, including the Final Major Project (Dissertation).
