Film Scoring Program in Los Angeles

Learn how to tell a story and evoke emotions through your music at the Film Scoring Program in Los Angeles. In this five-day program, you'll discover easy-to-learn, but powerful compositional tools to write cinematic music. Interact with high-profile composers in a close setting, study the basics of composing for orchestra, and develop production techniques to produce polished recordings using your laptop. Students will study in Los Angeles, the heart of the Hollywood film industry, on the campus of the Colburn School.

2021 Program Information

Program dates:	Monday, August 2–Friday, August 6, 2021
Registration fee:	$50 (nonrefundable, nontransferable)
Tuition:	$1,495
Payment deadline:	July 1, 2021
Registration check-in:	TBD
Age range:	14 years and older

Lock in 2020 tution rates when you register and pay in full by January 15, 2021.

Berklee Boston Summer Programs as the application type.

What is the curriculum like?

You'll participate in core writing classes, visiting artist lectures from high-profile Hollywood composers, and hands-on technology sessions. By the end of the program, you will have a greater understanding of:

how to identify the right emotions of a scene,
how to compose cinematic music that dramatically supports a scene,
how to create realistic-sounding demos using your laptop,
the basics of composing for orchestra,
how to record with a professional ensemble, and
how to find work as a film composer.

What is the schedule?

Below is a sample of a typical day in the program.

Time	Event
9:00 a.m.–10:20 a.m.	Film score analysis
10:30 a.m.–11:50 p.m.	Composition and orchestration
12:00 p.m.–12:50 p.m.	Lunch
1:00 p.m.–2:20 p.m.	Guest artist
2:30 p.m.–4:50 p.m.	Music production
5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.	Lab time or recording mentoring

Schedule subject to change.

What are the requirements to attend?

All students 14 and older with an interest in film scoring are welcome to attend.

Please note: This program has limited capacity. Submission of registration materials alone does not guarantee participation in the program. You will secure your spot by paying in full. When the program capacity has been reached, registrants who have not paid in full will be placed on a waitlist.

Where are the facilities?

Participants will study on the campus of the Colburn School. This program is conveniently located in the Los Angeles downtown arts corridor at 200 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90012. Students are encouraged to commute to campus or stay in a local hotel with family.

Students must remain on the Colburn School campus during this program

What do I need to bring?

Students will need to bring:

a laptop with a digital audio workstation such as GarageBand (free), Logic, or Reaper* (free), and notation software such as MuseScore (free), Finale, or Sibelius already installed;
a pair of professional headphones if possible, such as the Sony MDR-7506 or AKG K24; and
any 25 key MIDI keyboard.

*Students with Reaper will need to download a sample library. Garritan Personal Orchestra is recommended.

Program Director Sean McMahon

Sean McMahon is a film composer and orchestrator who has worked on films like Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider, The Grudge, The Grudge 3, 400 Days, and Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas. He is chair of the Film Scoring Department at Berklee College of Music.

Explore more of Berklee. When you register for the Film Scoring Program in Los Angeles, you can also register for the Songwriting Sessions in Los Angeles to extend your time at Berklee.

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Film Scoring Program in Los Angeles

2021 Program Information

What is the curriculum like?

What is the schedule?

What are the requirements to attend?

Where are the facilities?

What do I need to bring?

Program Director Sean McMahon

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