TWO SUBJECT AREAS IN ONE DEGREE
MFA VIDEO GAME & MEDIA COMPOSITION
ONLINE Dual-Pathway Postgraduate Masters Degree
Flexible study with personal tuition
Full-time – 24 months (approx 30 hrs/wk)
Part-time – 36 months (approx 20 hrs/wk)
Part-time – 48 months (approx 15 hrs/wk)
Apply now
As a composer, you will find more work by being flexible and, as the game industry grows, you’ll find more projects that are able to compete with the blockbuster movie industry. This course equips you with the creative and technical skills to tackle a wide range of film and television projects from feature films to animation, as well as teaching you the technical and creative skills needed to succeed in the rapidly expanding world of video game music.
During this comprehensive Master of Fine Arts degree course, you will cover the skills taught in both our MA Composing for Video Games and MA Professional Media Composition degree courses.
Preparing you for the career you deserve
Video games are now a huge sector in the entertainment industry, closely followed by film and television. This course addresses the core composition skills needed to compete in any industry whilst giving you comprehensive training needed to work at a professional level in both video games and linear media music.
On this course, you will learn:
- To write linear music for feature films, television, animation, as well as game cutscenes and cinematics.
- To write dynamic music for video games required for interactive gameplay driven by the player’s choices
- To produce professional quality demos and sampled mockups
- Collaborative and remote working skills, which are vital in such a connected global industry.
- To use Wwise to implement your music interactively in fully functional Unity games, many specially designed or licenced for the course - including commercial releases.
- The technical aspects of writing to picture, including spotting the film, working with hit points and markers, and responding to feedback by professional composers.
Guy michelmore
Composer & ThinkSpace CEO
Composed for Marvel, Disney, Lionsgate & Dreamworks
Jamie Christopherson
Games Composer
Fortnite
The Lord of the Rings: Battle of Middle Earth
Emily Rice
Composer & Orchestrator
Tomb Raider
The Mummy
Star Trek: Discovery
Bill Boston
Composer & Orchestrator
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
I, Robot
Kevin Vail
Sound Designer & Engineer
Far Cry 5
Batman: Arkham City
Watchdogs
Giorgio Vezzini
Sound Designer & Audio Lead
Baldur's Gate 3
Batman: Arkham Knight
League of Legends
Arhynn Descy
Film Composer & Pianist
Member of AMPAS
Ivor Novello Award Judge
Acclaimed Music Editor
Fred Bux
Composer & Producer
Netflix
Disney
Paramount
Will Farmer
Composer & Orchestrator
BBC
Netflix
Audible
Norman Ludwn
Composer & Orchestrator
Jurassic World
Star Trek Into Darkness
Inside Out
Emer Landers
Composer & Orchestrator
Bach is Blue
Forever Hold Your Peace
A Risky Undertaking
Dana Kyle
Composer & Songwriter
Assistant composer on:
The Walking Dead
Agents of Shield
Ross Tregenza
Alien Vs. Predator
Gears of War
Team Sonic Racing
Jake Gaule
Composer & Sound Designer
Far Cry: Rise of the Revolution
Window
Idoz Games
Course CONTRIBUTORS
STEPHEN BAYSTED
Composer & Orchestrator
The Walking Dead: Assult
Project Cars
ALEX GREEN
Sound Designer
JOHN HARVEY
Sound Designer
Project Cars
Shameless
Ripper Street
STafford bawler
Audio Director
Island Extreme Stunts
DiRT
Hungry Shark Shorts
Mark Angus
Alien: Isolation
Telling Lies
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2
Matt Lightbound
Sound & Audio Designer
Dead Island 2
Planet Coaster
Jurassic World Evolution
Lindsay Wright
Media Composer
The Crown
Law & Order
The Walk-in
SPencer bambrick
Composer & Electronic Artist
Nick Jr. Block Party
Evil Nun
Eternights
Harry Lightfoot
Trailer Music Composer
Top Gun: Maverick
Avengers: End Game
Black Widow
Ted Lasso
Wonder Woman
Mulan
Richard Wilkinson
Games Composer
Peaky Blinders: The King's Random
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels
Christine Hals
Media Composer & Vocalist
God of War: Ragnarök
Narvik: Hitler's First Defeat
ED COX
Trailer Music Composer
Has worked for Louder Music Productions in Hollywood
The Meg
Chris haigh
Trailer Composer
Toy Story 4
Guardians of the Galaxy Volume.3
Avengers Endgame
NOA BEasley
Re:Awaken
A Token War
Phosfi
Media composers are required to compose in a very wide range of styles. While most composers have a home style in which they can write fluently, being able to achieve the same level of fluency in a new style takes insight, skill and practice.
This analytical thinking, when focussed on their own music, helps to develop a self-critical sense of objectivity which is an important part of mastering new genres and new areas of work. In this module, we first explain how some common styles work and then ask students to reproduce and extend work in a given style.
This module will provide students with:
- An understanding of the resources available to in terms of sounds and samples that can make a huge difference to the quality of your output composition.
- A guide on how to compose for action sequences and a break down of the various techniques and musical stylings included.
- A deep dive into numerous samples of music fitting the adventure genre and a scoring tutorial in how to compose for this genre.
- An examination of contemporary crime music and a tutorial on how to use various techniques to compose for this contemporary crime genre.
- A breakdown of the sci-fi musical soundscape and an introduction in how to compose for this genre.
- Understanding what musical techniques are used to make someone laugh and how to compose for the comedy genre.
"I love that ThinkSpace only hires tutors that are actively working in the industry... It's really forward thinking"
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.
Full-time – 24 months (approx 30 hrs/wk)
Part-time – 36 months (approx 20 hrs/wk)
Part-time – 48 months (approx 15 hrs/wk)
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.
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, they can take a listen to some of your work and tell you where you stand.
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.