Hans Zimmer didn’t see a film until he was 12 years old. Since then, he’s scored over 150 films, including Inception, The Lion King, and The Dark Knight. In his MasterClass, the self-taught Academy Award-winner teaches how he creates sounds from nothing, composes compelling character themes, and scores a movie before ever seeing it. By the end, you’ll have everything you need to start film scoring.
Overview
Syllabus
- Introduction
- Meet your new instructor, the Academy Award-winning composer of over 150+ films spanning multiple genres.
- Themes
- Hans has created some of the most memorable themes in film. Learn how he creates a theme, and how simplicity is his best tool to maintain a theme.
- Story
- Discover how Hans approaches writing to story and his number one rule for film composers.
- Directors: Part 1
- Learn how Hans works with directors, including what he needs to learn from the director in order to start writing - sometimes even before the film is shot.
- Directors: Part 2
- Learn how to effectively have a conversation with the director throughout the film process.
- Directors: Part 3
- Hans continues his discussion on what makes a great director and what makes a great relationship between composer and director.
- Sound Palettes
- Hans is known for creating unique sound palettes. Learn how and why he does it, and how to do it on your own.
- Creating with Synths
- Hans is known for his use of synths. Hans discusses how he uses synths, as he creates a song from his starter patch for us.
- Scoring to Picture
- Hans discusses how to score to different types of scenes, as well as recognizing when a scene doesn't need a score.
- Scoring Under Dialogue
- Learn how Hans approaches the relationship between music and dialogue, and how music can be dialogue too.
- Tempo
- Your editor is your drummer. Learn how to recognize the tempo to a scene and edit to it.
- Tempo: Sherlock Holmes Scene
- Hans continues his tempo discussion with how he scored an extremely well-edited scene from Sherlock Holmes.
- Music Diary: Sherlock Holmes
- Hans creates music diaries to each film to help him along. Learn how and why he does it as he walks through his diary for Sherlock Holmes.
- Character
- Learn how Hans gets to know his characters in order to create memorable themes for them.
- Character Theme: Batman
- What makes Batman's theme in The Dark Knight Trilogy so recognizable? Learn how he developed the theme by thinking about the story and character.
- Character Theme: The Joker
- Hans fell in love with the Joker, and created a haunting tune from just one vibrating note. Watch as he discusses how the story and character's impact on the story helps create the theme.
- Character Theme: Jack Sparrow
- "Pirates were the rock-n'-rollers of the middle ages." Hans breaks down how he created Jack Sparrow's theme by finding the tone for the movie first.
- Case Study: Frost/Nixon
- For Frost/Nixon, Hans had to score to a dialogue-heavy film. Learn his approach to creating a minimal but beautiful score.
- Case Study: The Dark Knight
- Learn how Hans accentuated the tension in the already-tense boat scene from The Dark Knight.
- Working With Musicians
- Learn how to find and write for the best musicians and instruments for your score.
- Working With Musicians: The Orchestra - Part 1
- Hans discusses the important of earning your musicians' respect and how to effectively communicate with them.
- Working With Musicians: The Orchestra - Part 2
- Hear from Hans on how he makes sure he's getting the best performance he can while recording an orchestra.
- Feedback & Revisions
- Not every score is perfect on the first try. Learn how Hans asks for feedback on his scores and how he approaches rewrites when it's not quite working.
- Audience Feedback
- The true test - learn how Hans approaches showing a score to an audience and how he determines if it's working or not.
- Writing Tips: Part 1
- Hans gives you the tips and tricks he's learned over the years on how to approach writing music.
- Writing Tips: Part 2
- Hans provides insights into how to make sure you aren't limiting your creativity when writing.
- Hans' Journey
- Learn how Hans fell in love with storytelling and switched his career from a "radio star" to film composer.
- Learning by Listening
- Hans discusses the importance of learning how to listen and dissect music when it works and doesn't work.
- Life of a Composer: Part 1
- All artists struggle with the challenges that come with pursuing a life in the arts. Hear Hans' advice on how to never give up and never compromise your voice.
- Life of a Composer: Part 2
- Hans continues his discussion on an artist's life, telling you why he was inspired to pursue the life of a composer in the first place.
- Closing
- Listen to Hans' final words as he closes out his MasterClass and as you move forward in your career.
Taught by
Hans Zimmer
