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Orchestration for Film, Games & Television at ThinkSpace Education - UCAS

ThinkSpace Education

Degree level: Postgraduate
Awarded by: University of Chichester

Orchestration for Film, Games & Television (Taught)

Course options

2024 - 2025
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

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 Master’s in film scoring, 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. 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.
  • To write 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.
Our teaching staff and mentors are all current working professionals, many involved at the highest level in the business. Here are a few of the many who will be giving you individual feedback, either in writing, during weekly one to one mentoring sessions, or at the student workshops. This doesn’t include visiting lecturers, these are just the people doing the teaching. Composition and orchestration credits include:
  • Justice League
  • Rocket and Groot
  • Invincible Iron Man
  • Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
  • The Thing
  • Alien vs Predator
  • Hunger Games: Catching Fire
  • Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
  • Batman: Arkham Origins
  • Splinter Cell
  • Planet Earth
They work for almost every major film and game studio, TV networks and production companies including Disney, Dreamworks, Marvel, Netflix, Universal, Warner Bros, Sky, BBC, ITV, NBC, ABC and many others.

Modules

Students will complete these core modules: Writing for Strings Writing for Woodwind Elective Sampling Technology Writing for Brass, Harp and Percussion Scoring for Full Orchestra Session Preparation Orchestration in Practice Final Major Project or Dissertation For the Elective module, students will choose 1 from: Advanced Sibelius Basic Pro Tools Work and Money Composing: Telling Stories

Assessment method

For the vast majority of the course, you will be entirely graded on your practical ability. All assignments come with written write-ups where you will detail your approach. Each module will have at least one 'Formative' assignment, which is considered research and practice for the final 'Summative' assignment, which will be your final grade for that module. All Summative assignments are marked at least twice.

Entry requirements

Applicants are required to have successfully completed an undergraduate degree in any subject. A limited number of places are available for non-degree holders, under the 'Recognition of Prior Learning' application method. We also require applicants to complete a short application task, and potentially submit a portfolio of work depending on the course. All information can be found on the course page on our website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.

Sponsorship information

ThinkSpace Education tries to provide exceptional value to all students both in the UK and the rest of the world. Our fee structure is extremely competitive and, as such, does not allow us as much room for bursaries or scholarships as some providers. However, on occasion, we do award part scholarships to exceptionally talented applicants, particularly those from disadvantaged or under-represented groups, to help them fulfil their potential. If you would like to be considered, please make this clear in your application by filling in the accompanying 'Bursary Application Form'.

Orchestration for Film, Games & Television at ThinkSpace Education - UCAS