DeutschSynopsis
Music plays an essential role in transmitting emotions in movies. The same visuals can be perceived very differently with suspenseful music versus a funny or happy tune.
The six-day workshop offers an opportunity to create an original composition and soundtrack for a short movie excerpt, wherein the existing music and dialogue are muted.
After thoroughly examining the storyline, characters, and environmental elements, students utilize virtual instruments and real-world sounds to construct musical themes and immersive soundscapes. Additionally, the curriculum encompasses the application of audio effects, the art of mixing, and mastering techniques.
Aims
Students will learn about artistic options when composing music and soundtracks to moving images. By the end of the course, students will have created their own musical interpretation to enhance a given movie excerpt. Critical listening and feedback throughout the week encourage risk-taking and develop confidence in the student’s artistic and technical abilities.
Presentation
The last day offers the opportunity to showcase each student’s work with group feedback. Participants should outline their creative process and reflect on elements that were easy to integrate and the direction they wish to take in the future.
Prior knowledge
Students need a basic understanding of music theory. Knowledge of a Digital Audio Workstation like Reaper, Logic, Ableton Live, or Cubase is beneficial.
Schedule (can be adapted to institutional needs)
There are typically two lectures daily, followed by individual, practical work.
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Lecture 01 |
The relationship of music and moving images. Presentation of three possible movie excerpts. Introduction to scene analysis. |
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practical work: |
Choose one of the three movie scenes and perform a very detailed scene analysis. |
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Lecture 02 |
Discussion of the scene analysis and merging of all observations. Introduction to Ableton Live. |
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practical work: |
Develop a first melody for the main character with your virtual instrument of choice. |
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Lecture 03 |
Discussion and feedback on some of the melodies. |
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Practical work: |
Develop a melody for a secondary character. Add harmony to both melodies. |
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Lecture 04 |
Working with real-world sounds for atmospheres and foley. Importing these sounds into tracks in Ableton Live. |
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Practical work: |
Use portable recording gear and capture sounds which might be useful for your scene. |
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Lecture 05 |
Organization and transformations of real-world sounds |
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Practical work: |
Experiment with sound transformations |
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Lecture 06 |
Temporal organization of the movie scene, based on the scene analysis |
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Practical work: |
Sketch the musical elements and their succession. |
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Lecture 07 |
Orchestration of virtual instruments. |
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Practical work: |
Apply the orchestration guidelines to your music. |
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Lecture 08 |
Punctuating time: highlight important scene moments with special sounds and effects. |
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Practical work: |
Apply effects and reverb to particular moments of your music. |
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Lecture 09 |
Mixing the different layers |
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Practical work: |
Apply mixing technics to your music |
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Lecture 10 |
Mastering the music track and synchronizing it to the original visuals. Export a finished version. |
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Practical work: |
Finalize your project into an independent video file with your composed music. |
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Day 6 |
Presentations, critique, and final discussion |