Overview
Learn how to create music and sound for visual media in this intensive short course. This year’s theme, “Hallucinate!”, will focus on the two visual mediums of film and installations, and challenge students to explore cutting-edge creative possibilities in these mediums over the course of four weeks.
Discover how music and sound shape visual storytelling in film and installations as you deepen your understanding and develop your skills through project-based learning. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced practitioner, this course provides a platform to develop your creative voice, collaborate with industry experts and produce portfolio-worthy projects.
You’ll cover a wide range of topics including film theory, music production, sound design, location sound recording and post-production. You’ll learn how to read imagery and movement through the eyes of film directors, curators and installation artists, and to create soundscapes and compositions that enhance their vision.
Taught by visual and sound artists working within the industry, you’ll be guided in establishing your own workflow and creative language, and gain real-world insights into client-based work and collaboration. The course culminates in a public exhibition, where students will present their final audiovisual projects in a professional setting. By the end of the course, you’ll have experienced the full creative process—embracing experimentation, refining your ideas and discovering your unique artistic voice along the way.
Course structure
The course content will focus on the following subject areas:
- Contemporary Art, Installations and Curating: Understand the influence of sound and music in exhibitions.
- Portfolio Development: Be guided in documenting and presenting your work to industry standards.
- Music Production and Sound Design: Explore the fundamentals of sound design, composition and production techniques.
- Film Production and Editing: Hands-on experience with cinematography, location sound recording and post-production.
- Spatial Sound Installation: Learn to install and present sound in physical spaces, enhancing audience engagement.
- Film Theory: Learn the language of cinema and how sound and music shape film narratives.
Week 1 – Foundations and Concept Development
Focus: Explore key concepts, identify current trends and challenges, and define the concept for your final project.
- Introduction to Music and Technology
- Introduction to Curating and Installation Art
- Spatial Practices and Colloquium Discussions
Week 2 – Practical Skill Building
Focus: Dive into hands-on work with industry-standard tools and techniques, applying your learning directly to the development of your project.
- Music Production Fundamentals
- Film Production Basics
- Music and Sound Design for Film
- Colloquium Discussions and Peer Reviews
Week 3 – Advanced Techniques and Refinement
Focus: Refine your project with skills in sound recording, editing and post-production.
- Location Sound Recording and Foley
- Film Editing Techniques
- Audio Post-Production
- Guest Lecture: Industry Artist Insights
- Music and Sound Workshop
Week 4 – Exhibition and Presentation
Focus: Showcase your project in a professional setting and learn the practical aspects of installing a public audiovisual presentation.
- Installation and Exhibition Practices
- Curation
- Documentation and Portfolio Development
- Reflections
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Develop your own distinct voice in creating music and sound for visual media.
- Establish an effective workflow for collaborating in both film and installation art.
- Understand key principles of sound design and composition for media using Ableton 12 and Reaper.
- Apply basic recording techniques with a focus on production sound for film.
- Gain essential skills in cinematography and video editing with DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro.
- Conceptualise, create and exhibit an audiovisual piece within the context of film and installation art.
- Translate compositional ideas into real-world installations and exhibitions.
- Build a streamlined post-production workflow with Reaper.
- Critically evaluate your own creative work and the work of others.
- Develop an intuitive understanding of how to translate concepts and aesthetics across different media.
- Document your work and create a high-quality portfolio for future opportunities.
This programme is designed for individuals at various stages of their creative journey:
- Beginners: Gain entry-level skills and create a standout portfolio piece to start your professional journey.
- Experienced interdisciplinary creatives: Ideal for those looking to expand their practice into the world of film or contemporary art through an impressive portfolio project.
- Current or former MSVM students: An opportunity to deepen your expertise, building on your previous learning with immersive experience within a specific medium.
Graduates will be well-equipped to pursue careers in sound design for media, music production, film scoring, installation art, and audiovisual exhibition curation. This course also provides a strong foundation for those considering further study or specialisation in the full Music & Sound for Visual Media BA or HE Certificate programme.
Your technological playground
Get hands-on access to cutting-edge facilities and tons of bookable gear.
Cinema
Co-Lab 6
Camera equipment
A range of instruments
Tutors
Our tutors are industry-acclaimed experts in their field, with a passion for passing on their knowledge to others. Here are some of the tutors that will be supporting you throughout your learning process.
Essential information
Enrolment fee*: €495
Course fee: €1,755
Total: €2,250
Early Bird Discount: Enrol in a Summer Short Course before the end of February 2025 and receive a discount of €150 off the tuition fee.
Multi Course Discount: Enrol in both a Summer Short Course and a degree course with us in the same year, and receive a discount of €500 off the total tuition fee.
*Enrolment fee is non-refundable.
We can’t provide an exact timetable until we know how many students will attend the course. However, you will have an average of 16 hours per week of workshops.
Our campus facilities are open for the students to use beyond the timetabled workshop hours. Studios and equipment for continued experimentation and development are bookable from 10:00 until 19:45 during the Short Course term.
You can expect to be in a class of 12 to 16 students.
The most important prerequisite for attending this course is that you must be passionate about building and developing your skills as a musician or sound designer for visual media.
Our Short Courses are designed to be accessible to anyone, so we do not require any level of academic certification to apply. If you’re applying to an intermediate or advanced course, we trust you to make this judgment for yourself. To qualify, you should usually be aged 18 or over. If you're coming from outside the EU, a holiday/travel visa will usually suffice.
For more information, please contact a member of the Admissions team. We love to chat! Please reach out to us at admissions@catalyst-berlin.com or call us at +49 30 2900 9052.
Once a course is full, we will no longer accept more applications, so applying as soon as possible increases your chances of getting a place. The official deadline for applying to a Short Course is Friday 23 May 2025.
Get a feel for Catalyst and our courses at a range of both online and in-person events. Join us at a Virtual Open Day or an Open Day at our campus in Berlin, check out our facilities with a campus tour, join an Admissions Q&A, or try a taster workshop.
Designed for those wishing to join our main programmes, but lacking the formal education requirements to apply through standard entry.
These free workshops run at the same time as your short course programme and cover writing skills, reading, structuring arguments, debate and understanding context.
They utilise task and project-based learning methodology to ensure that you’re prepared and ready for our longer HE Certificate or BA programmes.
Student work
This is a brand-new short course, but watch and listen to just some of the soundtracks and short films created by students during our Music & Sound Design for Visual Media BA (Hons) / HE Certificate.