We are proud to present June 25-27, 2021 on ZOOM

Miriam Cutler Headshot_BK7B8448_Photo By Mark Hanauer

MASTERCLASS

“Inspirational scoring for Documentaries”

with MIRIAM CUTLER

Three times Emmy-nominated composer, Miriam Cutler is passionate about documentaries. Her work includes HBO, CNN, PBS, Sundance, Emmy, and Oscar nominated films:
RBG, LOVE GILDA, FLANNERY, THE HUNTING GROUND, ETHEL, LOST IN LA MANCHA, THIN, POSTER GIRL, VITO, KINGS POINT, GHOSTS OF ABU GHRAIB, A PLASTIC OCEAN, and more.

Miriam co-produced and scored DARK MONEY and ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT. Advisor at the Sundance Composers Lab, doc juror for Sundance, Independent Spirit Awards, AFI, and more.

TV Academy Music Branch Exec committee member, AMPAS Documentary Branch member, and Founding Member of The Alliance for Women Film Composers. She co-produced live jazz albums including Joe Williams, Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, Marlena Shaw.

One of her most recent 2019 projects, Flannery, a biography of the great American writer, Flannery O’Connor, has been awarded the inaugural Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film. Just complete Dilemma of Desire will premier at SxSW as part of the Documentary Spotlight.

Miriam is a member of the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and currently serves on the Branch Executive Committee. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Music Branch of the TV Academy. As part of American Film Showcase, Miriam represents Documentary Film abroad for the US State Department Program in collaboration with USC School of Cinema. She has also been Composer in Residence at Columbia College of the Arts, taught a semester at California Institute of the Arts, and overseas at the Hollywood Music Workshop in Vienna. She’s presented workshops at USC, UCLA, Chapman College, Berklee College of Music and internationally in Iceland, Borneo, Georgia, Austria, Spain, Germany.

Miriam Co-Produced as well as scored Dark Money (PBS) and One Lucky Elephant (OWN). She has served as Lab Advisor for the Sundance Institute Documentary Composers Lab since it began in 2003, as well as on documentary juries for the Sundance Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards, International Documentary Association Awards, and American Film Institute’s Film Festival Awards. She is a co-founder of The Alliance For Women Film Composers, and has been a long-time Society of Composers and Lyricists Board member. She has also co-produced two Grammy-nominated live jazz albums on PolyGram/Verve for Joe Williams, and albums for Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, and Marlena Shaw as well as independently released albums of her own songs and soundtracks. Miriam Cutler recently released a compilation album from 18 of her film scores, available from Movie Score Media: http://moviescoremedia.com/film-music-miriam-cutler/ and the Lakeshore release for the Love, Gilda Soundtrack: http://smarturl.it/LoveGilda

More info: https://www.miriamcutler.com/

Miriam Cutler Studio Shot_BK7B8634_Photo By Mark Hanauer

About the course

“Inspirational scoring for Documentaries” will be held live via Zoom, which means that participants will be able to interact with the lecturer and other participants directly and via chat. The course will be moderated, you will receive assignments (incl. feedback) and a certificate. “Being creative is not limited to music!“
Envisioning and customizing the life you want is the most creative thing you do.

Course takes place from 10am – 12am and 12.30pm – 2.30pm PST

Scoring assignments – Study and practice music story telling, feedback
Creative collaboration with filmmakers & everyone you work with
Proactive career building – Specific goals & how to get there
Practical and Business – Sustainable business model, creating unique persona, thinking outside to box

1.Scoring assignment / use to:

Explore composition for film: Compositional structure and how it differs from classical music structures & specific tools for solving musical problems unique to scoring

Explore Story Structure as filmmakers see it & create music story arc: How to look deeper into the story and use music to support enhance ( story beats, story arcs, character arcs )

Collaboration with filmmakers: How to find a common language & put filmmakers at ease with the scoring process – bring your point of view to the table

Music Story Arc as the foundation for creative discussions about music for the film

Class discussions to practice talking about function of music in specific sequences, is it telling the same story as the filmmaker?
Is the composer successful in achieving the goals for the sequence ?

2.Career building discussions

How to be proactive & self determining in getting what you want.
Think outside the box to envision a career path designed around who you are, your specific goals, talents, skills, and passions.
Artistic satisfaction & nurturing your inner artist – so that you don’t burn out.
Where to meet filmmakers doing work that resonates for you.
How to present yourself and your music online, in meetings, professional events.

3.Practical & Business

– Creating a sustainable business model
– Music rights & wrongs
– Income streams / past, present, future
– Where is the business going?
– The internet – giveth and taketh away

Course takes place from 10am – 12am and 12.30pm – 2.30pm PST