Project 02 - Film Scene
Duration: February 12 - March 1, 2024
Description
For our second project, we’ll gain experience composing music for a short film. We’ll discuss the business, the craft, the art, the tools, and the techniques of writing music to picture.
The film is Blight (dir. Markus Hoeckner), a dystopian short film I had just finished scoring; the director allowed the class to work from the then-unreleased picture under a non-disclosure agreement, so students experience the real conditions of a scoring job, including the NDA, a spotting session, a temp track, and delivery in stems. Each student scores cue 1m03, “Running,” the scene the director chose to establish the film’s musical palette.
Phases
Phase 1: Assessment (Week 04)
The art and business of film scoring. Spotting the scene and composing the first cue, focusing on sound palette before hitting on-screen action.
Phase 2: Iteration (Week 05)
Feedback on spotting and first cue. Revision and development of the film score. Students may deliver two versions when they disagree with the director: one that gives the director exactly what was asked for, and one that follows their own instincts.
Phase 3: Implementation (Week 06)
Final review, polish, and delivery of the completed cue as a stereo mix plus stems, with matching version numbers across every file.
Skills & Standards
- Spotting sessions, timecode, and cue naming (1m01, 1m02, …)
- Working with and against a temp track
- Scoring to a director’s notes; when and how to offer an alternative
- Stem delivery for the dubbing mix
- NDAs and short-film scoring contracts