Composing for Film and Television

Explore this course

Course overview
Recent credits and successes
What you will study
Current or recent tutors
Fees & funding options
Showcase
Entry requirements
How to apply

Key details

Location Beaconsfield

Duration 2 Years

Commitment Full-time

Next intake January 2020

Application deadline Contact Registry

Scholarships available

Overview

The NFTS trains composers in both live and synth/sample-based music for the moving image in a production context closely modelled on industry working practices.

Graduate Dario Marianelli won the Oscar for Best Music (Original Score) for Atonement and was BAFTA-nominated this year for Darkest Hour.

Students will compose for a wide variety of audio visual material and collaborate closely with those in other specialisms to produce several films – with all production costs met by the School. In particular, composers work closely with other students in Editing and Sound Post Production, increasing their understanding of the relationship between audio and moving images.

We offer a flexible curriculum adaptable to our students’ individual needs, with individual music suites, recording sessions with live musicians and education in business, legal and professional skills. Composing graduates are qualified to take on all forms of work in film and television as well as productions in multimedia and interactive programming.

All students can attend the School’s masterclasses programme, with recent guests including Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk, The Dark Knight, Interstellar), Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here) and Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It, Veep, The Death of Stalin).

Recent credits and successes

Recent graduate Segun Akinola's credits include the latest series of Doctor Who

Graduate Dario Marianelli won an Oscar for his soundtrack to Atonement. More recently his work on Darkest Hour earned him a raft of nominations, including at the BAFTAs and Ivor Novellos.

2016 Graduate Jessica Jones' credits include Paddington 2 and Darkest Hour

Graduate Martin Phipps' credits include Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror and Victoria

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What you will study

In year one, students are taught the techniques and contexts which inform writing music for the screen. It starts with an intensive process during which students compose to a variety of exercises, each one chosen to focus on a particular aspect of film composition. Further exercises concentrate on scoring for live instruments, the combination of live and electro-acoustic elements and the integration a limited range of sound design into film scores. Students will also work on projects generated by other students at the NFTS and participate in visits from industry professionals.

In year two, students’ activities will be dominated primarily by films and other projects working with students from across the School. However, lectures, seminars and occasional workshops will be provided to clarify and expand issues arising from those projects.

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Current or recent tutors

Miguel D'Oliveira

Visiting tutor

Credits include Genova and First Dates

John Keane

Head of Composing

Credits include A Very British Coup, Hornblower, Anna Karenina, Hideous Kinky

Fees and funding options

Fees for this course are as follows:

Home/EU/EEA £14,300 per year

Overseas £30,000 per year

These are the fees for the 2019 intake. Course fees for the 2020 intake are yet to be set. They will be published in the summer and any increase will be no higher than £500 for Home fees and £1,000 for Overseas.

We also welcome EU/EEA students on the same rate as our UK students – and those enrolling onto a two-year MA in January 2020 will continue to pay home fees for the second year of their MA. However, we are currently unable to confirm if this will remain the case for those starting their first year in 2021.

In the last year, 8 in 10 UK MA students received support, with more than £800,000 given out in total.

There is a compulsory, non-refundable £60 application fee for each MA application. A non-refundable deposit of £500 is required against the cost of your fees on confirmation of your place. As a part of our admissions selection process, successful applicants are required to attend a selection workshop for two days, which has a fee of £70.

All production costs are included in the course fees, including the use of School facilities and equipment. Students are expected to provide their own laptops.

The NFTS is committed to ensuring it is open to students of genuine ability, no matter what their background or financial circumstances. We don’t want anybody to be put off applying for a place at the NFTS because of the cost, which is why we award more scholarships and bursaries to British students, relative to the size of our student body, than almost any other educational institution in the UK.

At the NFTS you will get far more time learning directly from tutors, in real production facilities and on real projects, than in the vast majority of film schools or universities – and we won’t charge you extra for the cost of productions or materials. The specialist nature of our courses mean that our students gain the relevant skills and experience they need to go straight into the industry.

Showcase

Composing graduates Jessica Jones and Dario Marianelli talked about the course and the School in a BBC News report about the NFTS earlier this year.

Entry requirements

The Composing MA course is part of the Post Production department, where we are looking to assemble a group of students with diverse and varied backgrounds. There is no 'typical' student or perfect candidate who conforms to a mandatory list of qualifications. You might have had some Industry experience in your chosen field, or a background in the arts or other media. You may now be looking for a further professional qualification, or wish to broaden your knowledge of composing for screen, taking you to a higher level of work.

Students normally have a degree in music but applicants with equivalent practical experience are also accepted; some composing experience is preferred. We look for composers with a strong personal style, a flexible approach and an intelligent feel for drama and narrative. Candidates should normally be able to notate the music they wish to be performed acoustically, have an understanding of the main historical styles and be able to communicate with others using non-musical terms. It is essential that applicants have a strong and demonstrable interest in film.

For international students, more information about our entry requirements, including Visa and English language requirements, can be found here.

If you have any questions, please email info@nfts.co.uk.

How to apply

Application deadline: Contact Registry

The deadline has now passed for our January 2020 intake. For any queries please contact the Registry team on info@nfts.co.uk

Once we receive your application, we will provide you with a link and password to download two film clips. You will be asked to write music to each of these clips and return the completed work as Quicktime video files with sound and music track as downloadable links via WeTransfer.

If you are invited to attend an interview, you will be invited to bring further material that may be of interest for the selection panel at the discretion of the interviewers.