Film scoring/Spotting Session

Interesting examples by FIREborn: Fear.ogg ---- Sad.ogg ---- Tired.ogg ---- Surprise.ogg ---- Joy.ogg ---- Fast like the wind.ogg.

This school is:: Narrative film production - Wikiversity Film School and School of Music - Wikiversity Film School

This course is:: Film scoring

The pages in the course is:

Introduction to film scoring

Create the sound of fear from a single note

Create other moods from a single note

Create the sound of joy using a delicate rhythm

Create other moods from delicate rhythms

Quiz: Music which tells a story

Create a mood with a melody

Create a story with a melody

Quiz: The Spy Story - Who is who?

DVD-Video: Scoring your first scene - The Promotion

Create four motifs - Mama, papa, baby, and Goldie

Create continuity with a single motif

Foreground / Background music - soft vs. loud

Quiz: Watch a short movie - George Lucas In Love

DVD-Video: What is a "Spotting Session"? - Only A Dream ← You are here!

DVD-Video: Write two musical cues for Home Wrecker

More musical theory

Butchering Midi - The starwars theme

DVD-Video: How would you score Green Tea Smoothie ?

DVD-Video: Write a film score for Blindman's Bluff

Write a film score for Seduced by the Dark Side!

Score a real scene

This lesson page has changed

Watch a movie

All you have to do is watch a movie. Very easy!

Star Movie Shop has created a new disks called "Only a Dream" which is the final scene from a popular television series. The disk contains a rough edit, an overview of the best of the film dailies and a spotting session.

The spotting session is the instructions from the film's Producer to the film's composer listing all the musical cues which are needed. This disk gives you a good introduction to a spotting session.

If you wish, you can also score the scene and send me the audio file of the score or the score plus the dialog.

Ordering the disk

Disk required for this lesson

Lesson requirements: Wikiversity Film School uses the disks from the Star Movie Shop.

I can loan the disks to you if you promise to return each disk in one month. (The disks are not copy protected.)

When you are ready, tell me that you want to borrow the disk called "Only a Dream". clicking here

Earn extra points.: If you wish, you can try to create the film score for this scene. Send me just the audio file (preferably the score mixed with the dialog.)

Getting Started

If you need help setting up your program

There is a page which tells you how to set up GarageBand to do film scoring. If you have not done this before (with any program), go to How to score with GarageBand.

Completed Homework Assignments - LessonPage:Film scoring for musicians:Spotting Session - Film score for Only A Dream

Examples of musical cues for Only A Dream
for the course on film scoring for musicians

Ben Henderson (Cubinoid) has created the film score for this scene - 15 March 2008 - 10 points

The film score for Only A Dream (Ogg file)

I used Logic Pro, and many orchestral samples.

I added a fade, but normally I would leave this to the Sound Guy!

The piano playing at the end is me playing a piece I wrote for this scene - not a real record! I added vinyl noise to it to in order to make it sound somehow wistful and nostalgic. I sampled an actual piano - and created an EXS24 instrument with the samples. It's not the greatest piano in the world, but it has a bit of character!

Tiego Louis Zontag has created the film score . - 15 March 2008 - 10 points

The film score for Only A Dream (Ogg file)

More exercises in film scoring using real scenes

The next exercise

When you send me the score or you send me your comments, I will send you the next disk.

Contact your instructor

Your instructor for this course is Robert Elliott. You can send me a quick email by clicking here.

NOTE: To submit assignments: To submit assignments, attach your completed assignments to an email and send it to me at "r_elliott innercite.com".