Overview

The programme is designed by a tutorial staff of exemplary music educators, including Hollywood film composers, orchestrators, conductors, mock-up artists, sound designers, electronic music specialists and audio engineers. Its objective is to provide a comprehensive composer’s portfolio-building programme. Scoring sessions, synchronized to film, are staffed by professional orchestral session musicians, conducted by exceptional conductors, recorded and produced by a team of experienced scoring mixers, score supervisors, and mastering engineers. Because of the programme’s portfolio approach, each recording session serves the dual purpose of providing critical instruction as well as material for the composer’s professional reel. Principal instructional staff include Andy Hill, Derek Gleeson, Natasa Paulberg, Jeremy Leidhecker, Christo Pavlov, Debbie Smith and Jan Grenner. Invited guest lecturers include Conrad Pope, Christopher Young, Garry Schyman, Peter Schwartz, George Christopoulos, Richard Bellis, David Arnold, and more.

In the course of the programme, students develop to an expert level their skills and abilities in composing music for motion pictures, games, episodic television drama and all forms of contemporary visual media requiring musical underscore. Students orchestrate for orchestral ensembles ranging in size from small to large, incorporating elements of electronic or sample-based technology where required; apply and integrate substantive elements of current music technology applications to the production of soundtracks for Motion Picture and other Contemporary Media; conduct and score supervise orchestral recording sessions of the composer’s musical compositions for motion pictures and other contemporary media, in a professional recording studio environment; apply techniques of electronic music composition and create synthesized sounds; integrate and implement linear and non-linear compositional approaches in composing for games and interactive media utilising relevant audio engines; and undertake creative research in the development of a project idea that is presented and communicated in both oral and written form to an industry standard. Students apply critical analysis and evaluation of the theoretical and conceptual approaches utilized in the composition of a long form movie scoring or gaming narrative, accompanied by a written analysis (thesis) that demonstrates the synthesis and integration of knowledge, ideas and skills. Additionally, the programme helps students in learning to develop and apply the skills of self-­promotion, career development and personal management to the business of scoring.