Composing for Film
Composing for Film
With Thomas Newman
Date: June 14 -15, 2024
Schedule: 1pm -6pm PDT
Participants in the seminar will be divided into two groups: active and passive.
We have reached our maximum enrollment of Active Participants for this course. Enrollment for Passive Participation is still available.
A limited number of active participants will share their assignment results with the class, receiving constructive feedback from Mr. Newman.
Passive participants can observe and listen without interacting during the class.
Active participants are expected to have a level of proficiency that will meet Mr. Newman’s standards.
The first day will start with a lecture by Mr. Newman, where he will share his work and examples, with opportunities for questions. At the end of the day, active participants will be given an assignment to write music for a film clip.
The second day will take on a seminar format, with Mr. Newman providing critique and facilitating discussion of the assignment results.
Thomas Newman is widely acclaimed
as one of today’s most prominent composers for film. He has composed for more than eighty motion pictures and television series and has earned fifteen Academy Award nominations, one Emmy Award, and six Grammy Awards. He is the youngest son of Alfred Newman, the longtime musical director of 20th Century Fox. He studied at the University of Southern California and Yale University, and was mentored by legendary Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim. As a musical assistant on the 1984 film Reckless, Mr. Newman was quickly promoted to the position of composer, successfully composing his first film score at the age of twenty-seven. Since then he has contributed distinctive and evocative scores to many acclaimed films including Desperately Seeking Susan, Scent of a Woman, The Shawshank Redemption, Little Women, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Meet Joe Black, American Beauty, The Green Mile, Erin Brockovich, Road to Perdition, Finding Nemo, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Cinderella Man, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, WALL-E, The Help, Bridge of Spies, and 1917. Mr. Newman also composed the music for HBO’s Angels in America and received an Emmy Award for his theme for Six Feet Under. Most recently, he scored Let Them All Talk and Little Things. His current and upcoming projects include Operation Mincemeat, Dog, and White Bird. In addition to his work in film and television, Mr. Newman has composed works for the concert hall and stage, including commissions for the Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Kronos Quartet, and Joffrey Ballet.