Film Music
Professor Matthias Raue
Andreas Fuchs
Christian Halten
Andreas Kersting
Professor Joerg Reiter
Frank Sikora
Professor Cong Su
Film Sound/Sound Design
Professor Gibbs Platen
Ed Cantu
Michael Lau
Fritz Dosch
Christian Halten
Jörn Poetzl
Martin Steyer
André Zacher
Florian Dittrich, Program Coordinator/Film Sound Engineer
Just as certain scents, colors, forms, and tones evoke particular associations, the sounds and melodies of film music and the dramaturgic use of sound design trigger the audience’s emotional responses and intensify story and plot. Film score composers and sound designers are responsible for these effects. Students of the two-year Film Music & Sound Design study course at the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg can choose whether they want to focus their studies on the subject area Film Music or on the subject area Film Sound/Sound Design.
The Film Music program, a postgraduate program for students with a degree or pre-diploma of a school or academy of music, exposes its students to the art of composing for film and to additional, related topics like music law, production and history/theory of film.
Throughout their studies, our students engage in cooperative work with screenwriters, directors, cinematographers and producers from all departments on films of different genres and formats, e.g. feature or documentary, advertising or animation films, or series. Ideally, content, message, and music give rise to a powerful congenial synchronicity.
In practical exercises, our students work with both smaller ensembles and large orchestras. Apart from composing, they are required to organize and conduct the production process autonomously. Film Music students are not only responsible for the writing of scores, but also for coordinating both orchestration and time schedule. During conducting classes, they are instructed in the art of directing an orchestra, focusing on conducting to images and different methods of synchronization.
The curriculum covers harmonic theory and stylistics as well as different compositional forms from avant-garde to big band arrangements and Hollywood-style orchestral scores. MIDI studios provide our students with the possibility to put their theoretical knowledge into practice, and they gain first-hand experience in recording and mixing in the Filmakademie’s sound studio.
But a film music composer’s work does not stop with composing. As a professional, a composer also has to be able to dramaturgically analyze scripts, engage in editorial and directorial discussions, and contribute his expert technical knowledge to the film mixing.
The program’s main focus, however, is on our students’ individuality. We want to encourage and support our students while they find and develop their own compositional style and grow in their professional confidence.
Experienced teachers share and impart their knowledge on sound recording and sound design during the two-year project program on Film Sound/Sound Design. This program reflects the professional realities of both film sound engineers for original sound and film sound engineers for postproduction/sound design. Within the scope of the training, Film Sound/Sound Design students work with a great variety of genres and formats, e.g. fiction films, documentary films, animation films, advertising films and TV series.
The program’s approach is a practical one. Students are expected to realize all aspects of their productions: original sound recording on the set, audio postproduction, dialogue editing, foley, effects, sound design and final film mixing. In cooperation with the Film Music class, Film Sound/Sound Design students gain experience in mixing and recording with small ensembles and large orchestras.
The Filmakademie is equipped with state of the art studios for recording and audio and film mixing as well as with MIDI studios and postproduction suites.
The Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg pursues an interdisciplinary teaching approach. Film Music & Sound Design students are therefore encouraged to attend courses of other departments and broaden their professional horizon by involving themselves in activities and projects outside of their own course of study.
Students learn about the workflow of a film production in the same practice-oriented way they learn about the structure of a production in their own field. The Film Music & Sound Design study course covers a wide range of topics, both practical and theoretical, thus providing all students with a solid foundation for the difficult transition into the professional world.
by Professor Matthias Raue, Andreas Fuchs, Professor Gibbs Platen, Florian Dittrich
