Lesson Plan

• 01
  

  Introduction

  Meet your new instructor, the Academy Award-winning composer of over 150+ films spanning multiple genres.

• 02
  

  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.

• 03
  

  Story

  Discover how Hans approaches writing to story and his number one rule for film composers.

  • 04
    

    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.

  • 05
    

    Directors: Part 2

    Learn how to effectively have a conversation with the director throughout the film process.

  • 06
    

    Directors: Part 3

    Hans continues his discussion on what makes a great director and what makes a great relationship between composer and director.

  • 07
    

    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.

  • 08
    

    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.

  • 09
    

    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.

  • 10
    

    Scoring Under Dialogue

    Learn how Hans approaches the relationship between music and dialogue, and how music can be dialogue too.

  • 11
    

    Tempo

    Your editor is your drummer. Learn how to recognize the tempo to a scene and edit to it.

  • 12
    

    Tempo: Sherlock Holmes Scene

    Hans continues his tempo discussion with how he scored an extremely well-edited scene from Sherlock Holmes.

  • 13
    

    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.

  • 14
    

    Character

    Learn how Hans gets to know his characters in order to create memorable themes for them.

  • 15
    

    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.

  • 16
    

    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.

  • 17
    

    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.

  • 18
    

    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.

  • 19
    

    Case Study: The Dark Knight

    Learn how Hans accentuated the tension in the already-tense boat scene from The Dark Knight.

  • 20
    

    Working With Musicians

    Learn how to find and write for the best musicians and instruments for your score.

  • 21
    

    Working With Musicians: The Orchestra – Part 1

    Hans discusses the important of earning your musicians’ respect and how to effectively communicate with them.

  • 22
    

    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.

  • 23
    

    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.

  • 24
    

    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.

  • 25
    

    Writing Tips: Part 1

    Hans gives you the tips and tricks he’s learned over the years on how to approach writing music.

  • 26
    

    Writing Tips: Part 2

    Hans provides insights into how to make sure you aren’t limiting your creativity when writing.

  • 27
    

    Hans’ Journey

    Learn how Hans fell in love with storytelling and switched his career from a “radio star” to film composer.

  • 28
    

    Learning by Listening

    Hans discusses the importance of learning how to listen and dissect music when it works and doesn’t work.

  • 29
    

    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.

  • 30
    

    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.

• 31
  

  Closing

  Listen to Hans’ final words as he closes out his MasterClass and as you move forward in your career.