Scoring for Advertising

Course Number
CW-450
Description

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.

Credits
2
Prerequisites
CW-361, EP-322, SW-362, or FILM-305
Required Of
CWPR majors
Electable By
CWPR, ELPD, FILM, and SONG majors
Major Elective for
Contemporary Writing and Production
Semesters Offered
Fall, Spring, Summer
Location
Boston
Department
CWP
Course Chair
Amparo Edo Biol
Courses may not be offered at the listed locations or taught by the listed faculty for every semester. Consult my.berklee.edu to find course information for a specific semester.