Scoring for Advertising

Students in this class will study the creative, technical, production, and business aspects of writing music for visual media, primarily television commercials. Content will focus on reacting to the emotion and mood of visuals; supporting the picture with appropriate music; stylistic considerations; compressing/expanding musical ideas; and hitting visual cues. Production aspects include shaping the musical product to support the creative direction, and the exploration of sound design (e.g., adding sound effects to music tracks). Technical aspects include timings, film-editing influences, frame-counting, and synchronization. Business aspects include working with producers and directors, taking direction, selling ideas, and general and contractual obligations that affect the creative process. The class includes projects and assignments on writing music in different moods, styles, and lengths that support and enhance visuals. Most creative work will be realized at MIDI workstations using a MIDI-sequencing program and video software, so students must have a strong working knowledge of MIDI systems and sequencing programs.