The Advanced Film Scoring and Production program lasts two semesters and works toward completion of the musicube academy certificate in Advanced Film Scoring and Production. The goal of this program is to provide musicians, composers, and audio engineers the specialist knowledge needed to work with film and audio-visual media. To reflect the advanced level of the content in this vocational training course, a degree in the fields of music or audio engineering is part of the admission requirements. In certain cases, an entrance exam that proves a certain level of prior experience and ability can take the place of a degree.
After successful completion of Advanced Film Scoring and Production, students have the possibility to continue their studies with the Master of Music Composition for Film Games and Media.
Classes are conducted once a week as day-long workshops in small groups. Each group will be accompanied by one or two instructors. Between workshops, students work on the topics addressed in each week by completing assigned tasks. To complete the assignments, every musicube academy student needs to have a portable digital audio workstation (DAW, see also: Equipment). Regular work on the portable DAW teaches students to become comfortable with their most important ‘instrument:’ the digital production environment.
The course content is divided into musical and production/technical aspects, but no preference is given to either. However, given that some students may lean toward one field or the other, it is possible to pursue these specialties by participating in the ‘Film Scoring and Production’ course.
In addition to the option of using the preparatory year for the musicube academy Master’s program, there is also the possibility of applying to other universities. In this case, the skills enhanced through the course contribute to increasing the likelihood of being accepted into state-funded universities and passing the entrance examination. Over the past 15 years, more than 150 course participants from the musicube academy’s preparatory courses have been successfully admitted to external state-funded universities for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the fields of film and media composition. This is a number we are proud of.
Course content:
- Composition studies
- Music composition in film
- Acoustics and applied audio engineering / sampling techniques
- Film Scoring
1. Composition studies
Tonal composition
- Harmony
- Chorale setting
- Functional harmony II
- Structural models of Gardonyi
- Additional models
- Tonal resolution
- Orchestration
- Instrument studies
- Applied film scoring orchestration
- Classical model
Composition
- Melody
- Style
- Form
- Rhythm
Composing in copied styles
- Pop
- Latin
- Black music
- World music
Orchestral arrangement
- Woodwind ensemble
- Symphonic brass orchestra
- Percussion ensemble
- String quartet
- Orchestration for full orchestra
- Arranging for big band
2. Music composition in film
Concepts of film scoring composition
- Dramaturgy
- Emotion
- Film music analysis
Composing based on emotion
- Emotions and their musical parameters
- Matrix of emotion
3. Acoustics and applied audio engineering / sampling
Spatial acoustics
- Oscillations
- Interference
- Temporal aspects of the sound field
- Frequency-dependent reverberation time
- Pre-delay
- Direct sound and initial reflections
- Reverberation duration
Sound perception
- Sound event and auditory event
- Volume and loudness
- Modification and masking effects
- Pitch perception
- Distortion
- Harshness and abrasiveness
- Subjective pitch duration
- Audibility of phase changes
- Spatial hearing of real sound sources
- Horizontal plane
- Median plane
- Distance perception
- Interaural time difference
- Interaural level difference
- Sound localization
- Spatial hearing of electro-acoustical reproduction
- Stereo auditory sensation area
- Phantom sound sources due to level differences
- Phantom sound sources due to duration differences
- Phantom sound sources due to combined level and duration differences
Microphone practice
- Microphone construction
- Microphone forms
- Condenser microphones
- Dynamic microphones
- Sensitivity
- Decibel scale
- Frequency response
- Proximity effect
- Directional response
- Polar pattern
- Recording techniques
- Stereo recording
- Room-based stereophonic sound
- XY miking technique
- MS miking technique
- AB miking technique
- ORTF miking technique
- EBS miking technique
- DIN miking technique
- Practical use of stereo mics
- Pickup pattern
- Reducing equivalent noise
- Using multiple stereo mics
- Spot microphones
Sampling Techniques
- Sound source localization in virtual spaces
- Midi processing and production with orchestra libraries
- Virtual orchestra
- Virtual scoring stage
- Sound library market overview
- Orchestra template
Sound synthesis
- Subtractive synthesis
- Additive synthesis / FM synthesis
- Wavetable synthesis
- Granular synthesis
- Absynth
- Reaktor NI
- Zebra uh-e
4. Film Scoring
- Film score analysis of films in various genres
- Creating temp tracks
- Film music analysis
- Creating original film scores
Advanced Film Scoring and Production 2025 / 2026
Program start:
- Jan. 31, 2025
- Jun. 18, 2025
- Sep. 26, 2025
Program End:
- Jan. 30, 2026
- Jun. 17, 2026
- Sep. 25, 2026
Program duration:
2 semester
Lesson type:
Workshops in groups of 4-6 with 1-2 instructors
Self-guided individual studies
Weekly Study Load :
20 hours individual studies + one day
Prerequisites:
see also: Admissions Advanced Film Scoring and Production
Entrance exam:
On an individual basis (arrangements made in advance)
Registration for entrance exam:
Email: to register
Course content:
see also: Advanced Film Scoring and Production
Maximum number of participants:
Six per course
Lectures:
Patrick Schmitz
Josef Piras
Various guest lecturers
Course fees:
512€ per month
Graduation certificate:
musicube academy certificate: Advanced Film Scoring and Production
Admission requirements:
Diploma or bachelor’s degree from a European Music University or Institute
(music pedagogy, church music, composition, music theory, or similar field)
Diploma or bachelor’s degree in a musical field (teaching degree, musicology, music theory)
or
Successful completion of the entrance exam
Subjects under review:
Ear training:
- Interval singing
- Interval identification
- Diatonic music dictation
- Singing modal scales
- Modal scale identification
- Triad identification
- Cadence identification
Rhythm training:
Rhythm singing with syllables, eighths, ternary / binary sixteenths
Rhythm dictation of eighths and ternary / binary sixteenths
Practical harmony on the piano:
Diatonic and chromatic tetrad progression
Submission and presentation of original work:
Film score from a roughly ten-minute film (Format: Quick Time)
Three music samples of varying stylistics (Format: Audio / AIF / WAV)
Sound Technology:
Recording, Mixing, Mastering in Pro Tools, Logic or Cubase*
Application materials can be submitted to: admissions@musicube-academy.com
*Can be compensated by partly participation of Film Scoring and Production
