Music for Media: Writing for Film, Trailers, TV, & Advertising
Curious about writing music for film, trailers, tv, or advertising?
These lessons explore the world of writing and producing music digitally for media use. We’ll talk about everything from the equipment and software required to get you on your feet, to the basics of working with midi and using a DAW, to techniques for spotting films and writing to picture or following a brief.
Additional topics covered include: producing mockups, writing in different styles, using analysis as a tool to improve your own writing, mixing a digital orchestra, sample libraries, strengthening your creative process, and beginning music production.
While I’ll be working off my pro-level equipment, there are free resources to get you started writing and producing music digitally for yourself some of which are listed below!
(All skill levels welcome)
Suggested class materials:
1) Computer - laptop or desktop computer (recommend 8GB of RAM minimum)
2) DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
Free options*:
Pro Tools First
Cubase LE
Cakewalk (Windows Only)
Garageband (Mac Only)
Ableton Live 9 Lite
Full/Paid options:
Cubase
Pro Tools
Logic
Ableton
FL Studio
Reaper
Reason
*Free versions are usually a stripped down version of the corresponding full program, but plenty to get started.
3) Kontakt Player (free version of a plugin that hosts many sample libraries)
4) 3rd Party Sample Libraries*
Spitfire Labs
8Dio (select libraries under the free tab)
ProjectSAM The Free Orchestra
*Listing a few free options here: full sample libraries pros & cons will be discussed in class
Optional class materials/other resources:
- Audio Interface
- Studio headphones / (or Monitors/Speakers)
- Music notation software for writing or exporting midi such as:
Finale | Sibelius | Dorico — paid
Dorico SE | MuseScore — free
- Online music notation: Flat | Noteflight | ScoreCloud — free and subscription options
When
The next session is Sunday, November 1, at 5 pm EDT | 2 pm PDT | 21:00 UTC.
Age Range
Adults
Choose your enrollment preference from the drop-down menu above to register for this week's class:
• Suggested per student: $9.99
• Minimum per student: $4.99
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How It Works
Students can connect to the online platform using a tablet or computer with reliable internet. To actively participate online students also need a webcam with microphone. This live online class is capped at 20 students. The class is covered by the Lessonface Guarantee.
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Kati Falk-Flores
Composer. Vocalist. Musician. Kati Falk-Flores holds a Master’s in Music Composition, and currently writes music for Hollywood’s advertising campaigns, including Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge and Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns, which earned her a Golden Trailer Award in 2019.
– Visit Kati Falk-Flores's profile on Lessonface.
Student Say
Kati was very thorough at answering even my basic questions to help me establish a much more grounded understanding of music production.
I really like working with Kati. She explains everything very thoroughly and is very patient with me.
About Lessonface, PBC
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