Faculty Advisor: Emmy Award Winner; New York based composer and producer

Research Practicum Introduction

Right from the beginning of a film, music has the power to whisk you away to different lands, planets and points in time. In film and television, music is used to encourage an audience to imagine they’re part of the on-screen events, which, in turn, allows them to immerse themselves in the story. Music is trustworthy: a viewer can  depend on the music of a film to hint at the vibe of a setting, the intentions of a character and the purpose of a scene. Upon hearing the music, an active audience member will know how the director requires them to read and comprehend a scene. 

When composing/producing music for film/television, technology plays a major role. The use of a Digital  Audio Workstation (DAW) gives the composer the tools to write and record music in synchrony with the  picture, thus allowing them to explore many ideas and soon find out how these ideas work with the  visuals (within hours, sometimes minutes).  

During the group sessions, the Faculty Advisor will show students several segments from existing films, to analyze and describe their musical content and its characteristics. The Faculty Advisor will also use his DAW to show how different melodies, harmonies, rhythms and sound textures can be used in synchrony with several film segments (from films/commercials he has scored,  and/or from segments of an existing film, chosen by each student).

At the end of the program, students will have the chance to write a paper about music in film, or add their own music to a movie scene.

Possible Topics For Final Project

• Music following action  

• Music describing an existing character  

• Music as a narrative background element or “wallpaper”  

• Music suggesting audience how to feel

• Music describing the feelings and emotions of a particular character

• Music, Geography & Time  

• Use of music instruments in film music

• Or other topics in this subject area that you are interested in, and that your professor approves after discussing it with you.

Program Detail

• Cohort Size: 3-5 students

• Duration: 12 weeks

• Workload: Around 4-5 hours per week (including class time and homework time)

• Target Students: 9-12th grade students interested in music, film production and creative writing.

• Required materials:

  • a laptop or computer

  • (optional) Digital Audio Workstation (i.e. Garage Band, Logic, Cubase, Ableton, Digital Performer)