MA ORCHESTRATION FOR FILM, GAMES & TELEVISION
ONLINE MASTERS DEGREE WITH LIVE ORCHESTRAL SESSION
Flexible study with personal tuition
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If you want a career composing for the orchestra, this course will give you the technical and creative skills to turn that dream into a reality. MA Orchestration for Film, Games and Television takes you from first sketch through to sampled mock-up, then onto your final goal — recording your music with a live orchestra.
Unlike other film scoring Masters, this is an orchestration course that will also teach you the craft of telling stories with music, mentored by current working composers and orchestrators. We'll even help you find work after you graduate with our Employment Support Programme.
Preparing you for the career you deserve
Students on this course go on to work as film, television and games composers, orchestrators, copyists, and composers’ assistants. If you are already a professional composer, this course opens up a wider range of work involving live orchestra and professional grade sampled mock-ups. If you’re looking to start a career, then by graduation you will be ready to tackle real-world composition projects involving both sampled and live orchestra.
On this course, you will learn:
- Orchestral composition: Creating and orchestrating awe-inspiring live and sampled orchestral film, TV and games music.
- Contemporary commercial standard practice where the emphasis is always on speed and efficiency.
- Sampled instrument techniques, including skills like creating and balancing your template, instrument placement, use of reverb, and using controllers to enhance realism and orchestral mixing.
- Writing to picture using live and sampled orchestral resources. Your optional film scoring assignments will be drawn from real-world film and video game projects.
- How to prepare a record-ready Pro Tools session.
- The requirements of different sized orchestral ensembles.
- The research and critical thinking skills to help you put media music in context.
Guy michelmore
Composer & ThinkSpace CEO
Composed for Marvel, Disney, Lionsgate & Dreamworks
Bill Boston
Composer & Orchestrator
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
I, Robot
Emily Rice
Composer & Orchestrator
Tomb Raider
The Mummy
Star Trek: Discovery
Sam Watts
Composer & Orchestrator
Planet Earth (BBC)
The Sarah Jane Adventures
Peter Bateman
Media Composer & Orchestrator
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Shazam!
Allison Piccioni
Composer & Orchestrator
Graceland
First Dates
White Collar
Arhynn Descy
Film Composer & Pianist
Member of AMPAS
Ivor Novello Award Judge
Acclaimed Music Editor
Sebastian Androne-Nakansishi
Composer & Orchestrator
Awarded "Composer of the Year" International Classical Music Awards
Hollie Buhagiar
Composer & Orchestrator
Projects for Sky, Channel 4, Amazon, BFI, Amazon, The Guardian.
Emer Landers
Composer & Orchestrator
Bach is Blue
Forever Hold Your Peace
A Risky Undertaking
Course CONTRIBUTORS
DARELL ALEXANDER
Music Agent & CEO of Cool Music
Harry Potter movies
Downtown Abbey
Halo 4
Ted Lasso
Wonder Woman
Mulan
NIC RAINE
Arranger & Orchestrator
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
A View to Kill
The Living Daylights
Jake jackson
Orchestral Mixing
Wonka
Avengers: Endgame
Captain America: The First Avenger
FRANCIS SHAW
Film Composer
Room With A View
The Fourth Protocol
Vendetta
STEVE SIDWELL
Arranger & Composer
Bohemian Rhapsody
Moulin Rouge!
The Voice UK
HOWARD BLAKE
Film Composer
The Snowman
The Hunger
Flash Gordon
Andrea Possee
Composer & Orchestrator
Baymax!
Traitors
My Life with Puppies
Milton Nelson
Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw
Batman: Arkham Origins
Scrubs
rachel james
Composer & Orchestrator
Crash Down Hearts
James Bond: Goldeneye Reloaded
Five O'Clock Shadow
This module introduces some essential in-depth technical skills and knowledge that a modern professional orchestrator or composer must possess. It will provide students with an introduction to sampled instruments, how they work, the numerous technical challenges they present, how to balance the demands of the instruments with the available resources and how to make virtual instruments sound more realistic.
Sampling technology pushes computers and software to their limits and a detailed knowledge of how they work is essential for any cinematic orchestrator hoping to bring scores to life using samples alone. It is a constantly evolving area of professional practice where, through independent research, students may join in the debate with those at the forefront of the field.
This module will cover:
- A basic introduction to sampling using DAWs (Logic & Cubase)
- An introduction to sample players & Kontakt
- Understand how to input music into DAWs
- Deep-dive into Articulation IDs & Expression Maps
- Learn how to layer, build and balance samples in Cubase & Logic
Working with a live orchestra is an unforgettable experience. At the end of your course, some of your music will be performed by a live, professional, 50-piece film orchestra. You are welcome to attend in person or follow the session via livestream. This is included within the price of your course. Sessions take place in Europe (most likely Prague or Budapest) and are subject to availability.
360 Degree Video (rotate to view all the players)
Listen to course graduate Lisa Travis's composition I'll Always Be With You, recorded in Prague in 2024.
LIVE INSTRUMENTAL SESSIONS
Throughout your course, you will also have the chance to have your music performed by some of the world’s best session players in our live solo sessions. You write a cue, they play it, we film the session and the player gives you feedback and advice. You get a world-class performance for your demo reel.
"This course brought my music to a level I didn't realise it could go to... There is just so much information packed into each module, and it's broken down in a way that's easy to follow."
Robert Rodriguez, Graduate
"This course has been the perfect springboard for my career. I'd highly recommend it to any amateur or professional musician looking to cultivate their skills."
Andrew Weeks, Graduate
Unsure about studying online?
Concerned about feeling disconnected or lacking individual attention from home? Don't worry, our online music campus connects you with fellow students, industry alumni, tutors, and professionals across the globe. There's always someone to assist, offer advice, provide encouragement, or share work opportunities.
Discover what our degree alumni have to say about their connected experience with ThinkSpace, the friends they've made, and the networks they've built.
"I love the community. I've made friends for life and I look forward to working with many of them in the future."
We offer three different schedules so you can pick which best fits around your life. It is also possible to switch between these schedules at certain points during the degree, should you find that that you have more or less time available than you anticipated. You can also pause your degree altogether if life gets in the way.
Please note that these weekly hours are estimates based on previous years' students. It will vary from student to student, depending on your rate of work. These time estimates include every element of the course: live workshops, one-to-one tutorials, reading and watching the course materials, and time spent on assignment projects.
*36-month option not available to UK students on a postgraduate student loan
FinancING
Fees are set in pounds sterling so may be subject to exchange rate fluctuations for those outside the UK.
You will be invoiced in instalments at the start of each term. (For courses lasting longer than 12 months, please budget for an annual inflation linked increase on the remaining balance of fees, based on UK RPI, capped at 8%.
STUDENT LOANS
In the UK you can apply for the following student loans to cover or contribute towards postgraduate tuition fee :
- Up to £12,167 in England. More info
- Up to £18,770 in Wales. More info
- Up to £6,500 in Northern Ireland. More info
- Up to £7,000 in Scotland. More info
PAY-AS-YOU-LEARN OPTIONS
We offer interest-free payment plans, where you can spread the cost of your course across the duration of your studies. The payment plan you are on depends on the schedule you are on. You will be required to pay a deposit upon enrolling.
Employment support programme
HELPING YOU SECURE YOUR FIRST ROLE
accredited by Arts University Bournemouth
Your degree is accredited and awarded by our academic partner, Arts University Bournemouth (AUB). Home to the prestigious Bournemouth Film School – whose alumni include film director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) – AUB is a public university on the south coast of England. Its history dates back to the 1880s.
AUB provide academic oversight across our degrees, which are subject to the same rigorous quality checks as degrees taught by all UK universities.
How to apply
To make an initial application you will need to fill out the application form, write a short cover letter and provide a few examples of your music or sound design.
"Am I good enough?"
We are frequently asked this and are glad to help. You’ll need to be competent in your DAW and be able to write music fluently and productively. It doesn’t have to be orchestral music, and it doesn’t have to be perfect by any means. We are looking for potential. You also don't need a high level of music theory.
We recommend booking a chat with one of our course advisors. As ThinkSpace Masters graduates themselves, then can take a listen to some of your work and advise on your best next steps.
REGISTER FOR MORE INFORMATION
Register below to receive further information by email, and get notified about upcoming online Open Days, events and deadlines.
SCHEDULE A CHAT WITH A COURSE ADVISOR
We recommend booking an informal audio or video chat with one of our friendly course advisors. You can discuss your goals and time commitments, and learn about your different options for subjects, schedules and financing.
They can also review some examples of your music and let you know if you're ready for a Masters. If you're not quite there yet, they'll suggest some practical next steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Masters degrees
MA PROFESSIONAL MEDIA COMPOSITION
Offering much more than your average Film Scoring Masters, this course teaches you all you need to know about the challenges of writing for film, TV, and other types of commercial media. Hear from professionals with a long history of working in the industry, as well as from those working on the front-lines today.
MFA VIDEO GAME COMPOSITION & ORCHESTRATION
Learn about writing and orchestrating music exclusively for video games. This pathway also includes a live scoring session, where you will have your music played by a life orchestra. This course combines skills from Composing for Video Games and Orchestration for Films, Games & Television.