Composing for Film and Television MMus
Subject and course type
- Creative Arts
- Music
- Postgraduate
Work with professional filmmakers, composers and animators. Kingston University’s MMus in Composing for Film and Television will help you refine your skills, deepen your practice and start creating at a whole new level.
While you study, you’ll benefit from top quality teaching at Kingston University. We’re ranked Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework, and our experienced academic staff are active performers, composers and producers themselves.
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See a professional ensemble perform your work
This masters will give you the chance to learn from professional composers and collaborate with filmmakers and animators at all levels.
Studying an MMus in Composing for Film and Television at Kingston University could lead to a range of careers, both in the industry and in related fields. Recent graduates have gone on to work in theatre, broadcast media, music production and as freelance composers. If you’re already employed, this programme could seriously accelerate your promotion prospects.
During the course, you’ll study the technology used to produce high-quality soundtracks, explore business and copyright issues and learn techniques for composing and producing music for different media.
Through a range of optional and core modules, you'll explore how music creates atmosphere, conveys mood and depicts setting, character and action. You’ll also examine the relationships between composers, producers, directors and music editors.
Throughout the course, you’ll have the opportunity to tailor your learning to your interests. You’ll analyse film and TV scores and examine the use of main themes, underscoring and harmonic languages in soundtracks. You’ll even use recording studios, rehearsal rooms and a synthesis/sampling lab to practise and improve your skills.
You’ll create an impressive portfolio of music through your major project, and even have your compositions performed by an ensemble and conducted to picture in a professional recording environment.
During the course I have worked on advertisements, television dramas and film scores. The most enjoyable assignment was writing a score for an animation created by another Kingston student. We composed it and heard it performed by the internationally-famous Delta Sax Quartet. We also had the experience of recording it in a professional studio.
Why choose this course
The Coombehurst Complex
As a music student, you’ll access a range of professional studio facilities and practice rooms in Coombehurst House, Court, Lodge and the Visconti Studio. Together, they’ve got five recording studios, a computer suite with iMac workstations, plus audio and video editing facilities and band rehearsal rooms.
The Visconti Studio
You’ll even be able to use our flagship Visconti Studio, an analogue-meets-digital space with a 300m² octagonal live room and a selection of vintage and rare recording equipment. This tape-based studio features a unique collection of instruments including a Mellotron, a Hammond organ and a Steinway concert grand piano.
Access to instruments
Our extensive instrument collection includes around 30 pianos, a harpsichord, drum kits and orchestral and classroom instruments. We also have a double-size Javanese gamelan and a set of djembe drums.
Loans system
You can book a range of recording and performing instruments, rooms and equipment through our online system. Studios are open for use 24 hours a day.
Music in the library
The Nightingale Centre’s music library holds an extensive collection of books, anthologies, scores, sheet music, periodicals, and audio and video recordings. Kingston also subscribes to Grove Music Online, RILM and the Naxos online recordings catalogue. You can access these resources from any University workstation.
The Art School Experience
As part of Kingston School of Art, students on this course benefit from joining a creative community where we encourage collaborative working and critical practice.
Our workshops and studios are open to all disciplines, enabling students and staff to work together, share ideas and explore multi-disciplinary making.
Course content
You will analyse film and TV scores, exploring how music is used to create atmosphere, convey mood and depict setting, character and action. You'll also explore the relationships between composer and producer, directors and music editors.
As well as studying and practising the use of main themes, underscoring and the harmonic languages of soundtracks, you will also learn about the technology used to produce high-quality soundtracks for the music industry, as well as business and copyright issues.
Please note
Optional modules only run if there is enough demand. If we have an insufficient number of students interested in an optional module, that module will not be offered for this course.
Modules
The curriculum is enriched by a broad view of musical styles and genres, exploiting the diversity of a repertoire that encompasses Western classical music, popular and world music.
The major project enables you to compose an individualised portfolio of music to picture and work with student filmmakers, enhancing your research and project development skills.
You'll need to take all four compulsory modules, totalling 150 credits. You can then choose one further optional module, to total 180 credits altogether.
Core modules
60.00 credits
This module supports the development of a major piece of research, or creative work, or performance which is focused on the subject of the student's programme of study. Therefore the nature of the project is chosen from the following: a dissertation; a folio of produced popular music compositions/covers; a folio of sonic arts work; a folio of compositions to moving image; a folio of compositions; or a performance. In the case of the creative work, students will also undertake related research which culminates in a paper or critical commentary to complement and support their creative work. The module is taught through a mixture of seminars and individual tutorials.
30 credits
The module allows the student to develop further understanding of a range of professional roles undertaken by media composers. Students will develop their knowledge and understanding of instrumentation and orchestration alongside practical aspects of the business working as a media composer. They will learn traditional and contemporary techniques of writing for instruments and apply those when working with both real and virtual instruments. They will compose music to picture scored for a small ensemble which will be recorded in the Visconti studio. Students will also be required to engage in post-production mastering and mixing, to achieve a fully professional result. Module content also includes in-depth study of real-world aspects of composition, production and exploitation of music in the media. The assignments set reflect these areas of study – from developing musical ideas and producing a detailed score, to dealing with project management, copyright and budget issues.
Aims:
- To develop the student's ability to be creative in a commercial context, working within a budget and understanding the fundamentals of relevant copyright law
- To expand the student's knowledge of instrumentation and orchestration techniques
- To develop the student's skills in composition and arrangement as applied to writing for a small live instrumental ensemble performing to picture
- To develop professional, personal and time management skills, focusing on how to work as part of a team within a creative environment
- To explore disciplines associated with composing to animation and CGI.
30 credits
Researching Music is designed to prepare students for their research and writing on the Music Masters' programmes. The teaching covers academic referencing, creating a bibliography, library skills, use of research online indices such as RILM, writing skills, and approaches to research. Later in the module research seminars will be given by Kingston and visiting researchers/composers/performers which provide opportunities for student discussion on a variety of issues in current music research. The module is assessed through a folio of written work including an extended annotated bibliography, an extended research paper and an online forum.
30.00 credits
This module deals in depth with the subject of composition for film and television. Students explore, through lectures and seminars, the essential technology and techniques that composers for Film and Television need to master. Subjects covered include the use of Main Themes, underscoring and the harmonic languages of soundtracks, in both big and small screen contexts. Coursework consists of several compositions to image, chosen to encourage musical diversity and exploration of compositional styles, together with a written commentary.
Optional modules (not all optional modules will run every year)
30 credits
The module is designed to give students a deep and thorough understanding of the processes and techniques involved in the recording and production of popular music. It will look at a range of recording techniques and will provide students with the opportunity to gain fluency in the operation of a recording studio. The role of the producer in creating, developing, managing and presenting a recording project will be studied and students will be equipped with the faculties to produce work which demonstrates creativity and is of a professional standard. Topics covered will include microphone techniques, digital recording and editing techniques, advanced sequencing, mixing and mastering techniques, creating arrangements and communicating with artists and session musicians, investigation of genre-specific production techniques and analysis of contemporary and historical recordings. The relationship between the producer and the recording and media business will be examined. Students will be trained to critically evaluate their own work and position it in the context of the wider music and media business environment. Students will employ these techniques and skills to create a portfolio of short recordings accompanied by a commentary detailing the techniques employed, and to develop and present a recording project, with supporting documentation.
30.00 credits
The module is designed to give you a deep and thorough understanding of the processes and techniques involved in popular music composition, and to equip you with the faculties to produce work of a professional standard. You will learn compositional techniques applicable to a range of popular music genres and will employ these to enhance your own personal style and create a portfolio of compositions. The nature of the creative process, how collaborators (co-writers, band members) communicate with each other and with other artists, and how popular music terminology and notation is utilised will be discussed. The position of the songwriter and popular music composer within contemporary society and the wider music and media business will also be examined.
This module will also explore strategies behind the manufacture, marketing, distribution and sale of popular music from a global perspective. You will examine music industry models in an historical context, exploring how practices are evolving through the advent of digital technology. You will explore the factors driving this change with critical appraisal of methods used. Topics covered will include the structure of major and independent record labels, management strategies, identifying a target audience, publicity and marketing within different territories, financing, choice of formats, music video, new media, the live industry, going it alone and the value of popular music as a commodity. You will be assessed on a portfolio of work including a project that demonstrates the marketing and promotion of one of their popular music compositions.
30.00 credits
This module examines the diversity of practice associated with school-based music provision in the UK maintained sector and associated research. Current positions concerning universal entitlement to the subject will be explored and traced back to influential antecedents. You will formulate a critical response to course themes by designing a short investigation exploring the complex transactional character of pedagogy which typifies music lessons across the UK. It will be located in a school if possible, supported by DBS checking (and if necessary, ethics clearance), or alternatively, will be based on student peer teaching.
30.00 credits
This module is core for MMus Performance and is offered as an option for other MA and MMus programmes. The module will address the development of critical and aesthetic insights into both the substance of music and the varied practices of performance required to deliver high quality musical experiences across a range of genres. It considers performance roles, values and practices including issues of meaning in music and emotional responses to music. It will trace the development of aesthetic attitude theories and post-structuralist approaches to understanding and performing a wide range of musical repertoires. Themes explored will include: issues of authenticity, value judgements, virtuosity and the role of the performer. Themed lectures will introduce topics, followed by seminars which will provide opportunities for students to reflect and discuss issues raised in lectures, which are then consolidated in debates that relate ideas to specific texts, repertoires and personal performances. Assessment will be through prepared debates, on topics suggested by the tutor, a critical reflection of a filmed performance and an essay on a related topic selected from a choice provided by the tutor.
30 credits
This module is core for MMus Performance and is offered as an option for other Level 7 Music programmes. The module will address the practical issues of preparing and delivering a musical performance. Individual lessons will provide expert tuition on the students' instrument. Practical workshops will provide feedback on a range of technical, interpretational and presentational issues and lectures will prepare students for the written elements. Assessment will be through a recital of 20 minutes duration, a portfolio of promotional and presentational materials for the recital and a critical self evaluation of the performance itself.
30 credits
The module is core for MA Music Education and is offered as an option for the MA Music and other MMus programmes. The module will consider the psychological processes that underpin musical understanding; interpersonal communication; the social construction of meaning and how such processes contribute to the educational philosophies of world cultures. There will be opportunities to investigate the philosophies and practices in music education in a variety of cultural and international contexts including the UK and those of the students themselves.
Career opportunities
You’ll complete this programme with a blend of compositional and practical skills, plus the theoretical and transferable knowledge you need to succeed professionally. Many graduates progress to roles in the music industry, or choose to continue their academic studies. Others have gone on to work in theatre, undertake studio-based technical and creative work or start portfolio careers as composers, producers and performers.
Recent graduate destinations include:
- Broadcast Media Coordinator at the BBC, London
- Composer for Jonathan Brooks Music, Cheshire
- Interactive Editorial Assistant for the BBC, London
- Music Production Co-ordinator at Michael Pärt Music, Surrey
Teaching and assessment
As a music student, you'll be taught a range of musical styles and encouraged to explore a wide range of musical genres, taking a hands-on, practical and creative approach to learning and develop your critical skills through engagement with new ideas and methods.
Assessment is primarily through practical work composing music and sound to media, complemented by written and other assignments that will help you hone your presentation and analytical skills.
When not attending timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This typically involves reading and analysing articles, regulations, policy documents and key texts, documenting individual projects, preparing coursework assignments and completing your PEDRs, etc.
Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and CANVAS, the University's online virtual learning platform.
At Kingston University, we know that postgraduate students have particular needs and therefore we have a range of support available to help you during your time here.
A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.
One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 180 credits across a year (typical for a postgraduate course) would equate to 1,800 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.
- 10% scheduled learning and teaching
The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.
Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.
Assessment typically comprises coursework (e.g. composition, essay), and some practical elements (e.g. presentations, performance).
The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows, though depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose:
- Coursework: 91%
- Practical: 9%
Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. Depending on optional modules chosen, this breakdown may change.
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.
To give you an indication of class sizes, this course normally enrols 8-12 students and lecture sizes are normally 8-20 (except for Researching Music which is a module shared with all MA students in the department which number about 60 each year). However this can vary by module and academic year.
Fees and funding
| Fee category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | |
| Full Time | £10,300 |
| Part Time | £5,665 |
| International | |
| Full Time | £20,700 |
| Part Time | £11,385 |
| Fee category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | |
| Full Time | £9,900 |
| Part Time | £5,445 |
| International | |
| Full Time | £19,900 |
| Part Time | £10,945 |
Funding support for postgraduate students
If you are a UK student living in England and under 60, you can apply for a loan to study for a postgraduate degree on the government's website.
Scholarships and bursaries
Interested in studying an MMus in Composing for Film and Television at Kingston? The following funding support is available:
Receive up to £12,000 towards your annual course fees, plus mentoring from a BAFA member and free access to BAFTA events across the UK. You could even win a Prince William Scholarship in Film, Games and Television, which includes a funded work placement in the Warner Bros. group – and lots of other benefits. Find out more.
Get a 40% reduction in fees for taught masters or postgraduate diploma courses with September start dates. Find out more.
Receive up to £5,000 towards tuition in your first year of study. Find out more.
Get a 15% reduction in tuition fees. Find out more.
Kingston University offers a 10% discount on full- and part-time postgraduate degree course tuition fees to our alumni. Visit our alumni discount page to find out more.
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
Kingston University will pay for all compulsory field trips. Fees for optional trips can range from £30 to £350 per trip.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our free intersite bus service. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations - Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
How to apply
Before you apply
Please read the entry criteria carefully to make sure you meet all requirements before applying.
How to apply online
Use the course selector drop down at the top of this page to choose your preferred course, start date and mode, then click 'Apply now'. You will be taken to our Online Student Information System (OSIS) where you will complete your application.
If you’re starting a new application, you’ll need to select ‘new user’ and set up a username and password. This will allow you to save and return to your application.
Application deadlines
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Applications will close when the course is full.
After you apply
If the admission tutor wants to see your portfolio, we will email asking you to upload your zipped portfolio to the OSIS portal within three weeks. If we need more information or want to invite you for an interview, we will be in touch directly. After that you will then hear whether your application has been successful.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
What our students and graduates say
I thoroughly enjoyed the masters in Composing Music for Film and Television at Kingston University. Doing the course over two years gave me the time to develop both the technological and compositional elements of composing for moving image. I benefited immensely from the course's 'hands-on' approach, which necessitated learning everything from software packages to rendering music to image to microphone placement for live recording. I loved working alongside the other students in a collegiate and friendly atmosphere; many of the students were international and from varied backgrounds. I also found the teachers each had their own unique knowledge and skill to impart.
