Media composers are only a part of some greater creative enterprise, be it a film, game, television programme or commercial. As such they need to be able to understand the creative vision of the director or producer and create music which is in line with their expectations. Communicating creative ideas and attempting to describe music in words is notoriously difficult and fraught with potential problems. In this module we introduce students to the complexity of this issue and offer some strategies for better communication.

Further to this, students will be exposed to more complex and demanding industry sectors such as computer games and library music. Composers are introduced to more difficult projects where the technical requirements are more demanding. Listening to interviews with real-world clients will help students acclimatise to the language and style of communication used in the industry.

This module covers:

• Breaking down project briefs though looking at real-word examples to understand what the client wants.
• How to translate what the client wants into music and composing for the client.
• A guide for writing for trailer music and leading composer insights into the composition process.
• Understand how the TV music industry works and how to compose TV themes and commercial music.
• A step-by-step guide in writing great tunes.

Both professional and academic research gathers relevant information from a wide range of sources before analysing and drawing reasonable conclusions. The research will be evaluated on the basis of its originality, depth of insight, and the quality of the supporting argument.

Research can constitute:
- Professional research (i.e. further understanding gained from examining the professional output of other practitioners)
- Academic research (i.e. further understanding gained from theoretical/historical/analytical activities)

We expect students to:
- Analyse, synthesise, critically reflect, and build an argument
- Use academic writing, including referencing and a bibliography
- Contextualise their practical work in light of the research

Students are introduced to the practical skill of writing music in sync with the picture. Having established the powerful and complex relationship between music and the moving image in the previous module, students should be well equipped to begin writing their own original music to a given picture.

In this module, we also look at several different areas of the industry: documentaries, animation, commercials and natural history, each of which presents its own set of specific requirements and challenges.

This module the technical and creative aspect of scoring looking particularly at:

• Simple sync to picture
• Professional sync to picture
• Technical: Timecode, Frame Rates,  BWF, etc.
• Intro to Spotting
• Composition to Picture

Here students will have the option of tailoring the course to their own needs. You can pick one module from the following:

- Orchestration in Practice
- Advanced Composition
- Career Development for Musicians
- Composing for Drama
- Musical Sound Design
- Composition: Telling Stories
- Sampled Orchestration
- Music Editing
- Contemporary Game Composition

For more information on these modules, please see the Orchestration for Films, Games, and Television Module Descriptors and Handbook inside the 'Postgraduate Application Pack'.

Please note, the availability of MA elective modules maybe subject to a minimum enrolment. The choice of electives is provisional and may be subject to change.

Every great work begins with the creator being intimately familiar with the tools at their disposal and their capabilities. The session orchestra is made up of many individual instruments and musicians that come together to make a whole unit. True Masters of writing for the orchestra have an encyclopaedic knowledge of what each instrument is capable of, both as individual entities and when played as a part of a larger ensemble.

Further to the purely technical possibilities, orchestrators will also know how different techniques, pitch ranges and dynamics affect the tone of an instrument or orchestral section. Aside from the creative practice of orchestration, the cinematic orchestrator also has to contend with a range of practical challenges including last-minute changes, tight deadlines and financial restrictions.

Students will delve deeply into contemporary professional practice to develop a critical awareness of these issues and the innovative technical and creative solutions proposed by those at the forefront of the profession.

In this module you will learn how to:

• Orchestrate music for live orchestral recording.
• Arrange and/or compose music for orchestra.
• Create a cohesive orchestration using notation software.
• Produce scores that conform to film, games, and television industry standards.

The journey from finished orchestration to final recording is a complicated one involving a combination of musical and technological skills. This module takes students through the complex process of taking a finished arrangement and preparing for the live recording session. This includes producing musician’s parts, conductor’s scores, preparing pre-records, click tracks and Pro Tools sessions.

This module will cover:

• A systematic approach to the strengths and weakness of technology in preparing for orchestral sessions.
• Learn how to prepare session-ready Pro Tools files, scores and parts.

This module looks at the treatment of the whole orchestra by cinematic orchestrators and composers and the differences in approach between large and small ensembles. We also examine the different approaches to orchestration possible through specialised recording techniques such as split sessions and combining live and sampled instruments. We also deal with approaches to creating convincing mock-ups of large and small ensembles.

Students will also be exposed to a crucial aspect of both working as part of a larger team, and as an employee of the director/producer/composer. An ability to respond to notes effectively and in good time is a vital skill for the modern orchestrator.

Here students will have the option of tailoring the course to their own needs. You can pick one module from the following:

- Orchestration in Practice
- Advanced Composition
- Career Development for Musicians
- Composing for Drama
- Musical Sound Design
- Composition: Telling Stories
- Sampled Orchestration
- Music Editing
- Contemporary Game Composition

For more information on these modules, please see the Orchestration for Films, Games, and Television Module Descriptors and Handbook inside the 'Postgraduate Application Pack'.

Please note, the availability of MA elective modules may be subject to a minimum enrolment. The choice of electives is provisional and may be subject to change.

The final major project is an extensive piece of work that represents the culmination of creative, technical and research skills acquired during the rest of the course. The challenge is to take a piece of music from conception through to final recording, performing all the creative and technical tasks required along the way. Students will choose a creative approach to their source material or original composition, orchestrate the music within the technical and creative limitations of the ensemble, create a full sampled mock-up, conductor’s scores, musicians’ parts, Pro Tools sessions and a budget.

You are required to orchestrate not less than fifteen and not more than twenty minutes of music. At least 5 minutes of music must be scored to picture.

You will be able to choose from a range of projects available from our Movie Pool. With the approval of your course manager, you may also propose other material of your own choice, as long as it presents a challenge on a similar scale and has not been scored/orchestrated by you previously.

You also have the option of completing a written dissertation if you prefer. This will represent your research into an area of music intended for media consumption (I.e. not concert music). The dissertation is an extended piece of scholarly written work.

You will be asked to write an essay of 12,000 words (+/- 10%), including footnotes, but excluding bibliography. This is  substantially longer than any of your other work so far. You will undertake the work as an individual, under the guidance of a supervisor, with whom you will meet regularly in one-to-one sessions.