12 Weeks
Level 3
3-Credit Tuition
$1,545Non-Credit Tuition
$1,290The growing innovation of digital technology in media has changed the perspective on audio post production for film and television. The post production industry is now driven by the advent of digital audio, video, and effects within digital audio workstations. Despite this imploding digital revolution, the one thing that remains consistent is the need for individuals thoroughly educated in the process and applications of this technology and evolving into technicians with creative problem solving skills.
Audio Post Production for Film and TV will teach you the specific techniques and strategies used by working professionals during the post-production process. You will learn how to spot, edit, and assemble dialogue, sound effects, foley, and music, in addition to mixing and prepping the audio for film and television using the industry standard, Pro Tools. The course begins with a real-world overview of audio post production, including its evolution, methods, sound crew, and media formats. It then explores techniques and tips for recording location sound, using sound effects libraries, editing production dialogue, and directing and recording a foley session. You will learn strategies for working with composers and music supervisors, how to edit songs to fit a scene, and how to record and mix score music. In addition, you will learn how to assemble a pre-dub or temp mix (to group and sub-mix tracks into stems for the final dub), create the final dub, and prepare the mix for foreign distribution and final delivery. Contributors to the course material have worked on television and film productions such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Hills, Cider House Rules, U2 Rattle and Hum, Rescue Me, Grey's Anatomy, and many more.
Throughout the course, you will have numerous opportunities to apply the techniques you are learning to real-world situations. By the end of the course, you will have completed full audio post-production, including sound design (sound effects), foley, dialogue, and music for a short film or portion of a film. In addition, you will have acquired the knowledge and skills needed to gain employment in this fast-paced and exciting industry.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Understand the roles of participants in film production
- Understand the workings and flow of the post production industry
- Synchronize audio to video
- Record and edit location sound
- Integrate sound effects
- Record and edit ADR (replacement dialogue)
- Create and edit foley effects
- Mix and edit music and create a mix for foreign distribution
- Archive and deliver a final mix
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Introduction to Post Production
- Audio Post Production Overview
- Assessing the Post Elements in a QuickTime Movie
- The History and Evolution of Sound for Film and Theater
- Basic Pro Tools Set Up for Post Production
- Importing a QuickTime Movie into Your Pro Tools Session
Lesson 2: Post Production in Depth
- The Process, Methods, Tools, and People of Production and Post Production
- Post Production Media
- Digital Audio File Formats
- Film and Video Formats and Applications
- Synchronization
- Ensuring that the SMPTE Reader in Pro Tools and QuickTime are the Exact Same
Lesson 3: Location Sound Recording
- The Process, Methods, and Tools of Location Sound
- Introduction to the Location Sound Crew
- In Depth Look at Transfers
- Reviewing and Assessing the Location Sound Schedule for a Feature Film
Lesson 4: Working with SFX and SFX Libraries
- Introduction to Sound FX and SFX CD
- Transferring SFX to Computer and Managing Data with Workspace
- Spotting SFX
- Importing and Creating a Palette of SFX for a Project
- Backgrounds and Room Tones
- Spotting/Identifying Backgrounds for a QuickTime Movie
- Spotting, Editing, and Assembling SFX and Backgrounds for a QuickTime Movie
Lesson 5: Production Dialogue and ADR/Dialogue Replacement
- Introduction to Production Dialogue and ADR
- Setting Up a Pro Tools Session for ADR
- Production Dialogue and Checker Boarding within Pro Tools
- Presentation of ADR with regards to Production Dialogue
- Identifying/Spotting Expletives in a QuickTime Movie and Listing Them on the ADR Cue Sheet
- Preparing Physical Studio Space for Voice Recording
- Recording Voice Over for Announcer in a QuickTime Movie
Lesson 6: Identifying and Creating Foley SFX
- Introduction to Foley
- Preparing a Pro Tools Session for Multiple Passes of Foley FX
- Spotting Foley and Creating Cue Sheets
- Spotting and Preparing to Record Foley for a Simple Scene
- Preparing a Physical Studio Space for Foley Recording
- Directing and Recording a Foley Session
- Recording Spotted Foley for a QuickTime Movie
Lesson 7: Temp and Source Music Editing for Film and TV
- Introduction to Music Editing
- Assessing the Music Elements of a QuickTime Movie
- Presentation of Temp and Source Music
- Placing Temp and Source Music in a QuickTime Movie
- Techniques for Editing Temp Music
- Choosing from the Music Provided and Placing/Editing Temp and Source Music for a QuickTime Movie
Lesson 8: Mixing Music for Film and Television
- Introduction to Score Music and the Participants
- Creating a Pro Tools Template for Mixing Music in Stems
- The Process of Score Mixing
- Identifying Music Score Music in the QuickTime Movie and Note the Pre-Records Used with the Orchestra
- Using Pro Tools as a Platform for Recording and Mixing Music for Film and Television
- Applying the Pro Tools Music Mixing Template to the Score Provided and Set Up for a Mix
- Mixing the Music Score Elements for a QuickTime Movie
Lesson 9: The Pre Dub/Temp Mix
- Assessing the Post Production Elements for a Movie Clip Prepared by Editorial (Foley, SFX, Backgrounds, Dialogue, ADR, Walla, Music Score, and Source)
- Interview with Three Working Professionals on the Applications and Benefits of Pre Dubs
- Trimming, Editing, and Leveling to Clean Up the Post Production Elements for a QuickTime Movie
- Track Organization Techniques
- Pre Dub (Editing, Cleaning, Organizing, and Creating a More Manageable Track Count) for the Elements of a Quick Time Movie
Lesson 10: The Final Dub
- Introduction to the Final Dub and Presentation of Dub Stages Big and Small
- Templates for Different Scenarios
- Creating a Stereo Template for a Final Film Mix
- Plugins for Mixing Dialogue, Music, and Effects
- Augmenting the Template for Dialogue, SFX, and Music Units
- Introduction to Advanced Templates
- Creating an Advanced Template for a Final Dub
- Creating a Final Mix for the Elements for a QuickTime Movie
- Advanced Pro Tools Template Creation for Final Dubs
- Creating a Final Mix for a QuickTime Movie
Lesson 11: The M&E Mix (Music and Effects Mix for Foreign Distribution)
- Introduction to the M&E
- Identifying and Documenting Any Discernible English Dialogue from the Music and Effects Stems
- Different M&E Scenarios, Situations, and Techniques
- Effectively Removing Any Discernible English Dialogue from the Music and Effects Stems
- Mix Techniques Used to Breathe Life Back into the M&E
- Identifying and Documenting Holes in the Mix Created by the Lack of Production Dialogue
- Replacing/Recreating All Discernible English in Music and Effects Stems/Gap Filling Techniques
- Creating an M&E Mix from the Print Master and Stems from Lesson 10
Lesson 12: Delivery and Archiving
- Deliverables, Formats, and Deadlines
- Preparing Deliverables in Pro Tools
- Testing
- Verifying Functionality Deliverables
- Final Implementation and Delivery
- Preparing Sound Assets
- Delivering the Print Master, M&E, and Stems of a QuickTime Project and Verifying and Finalizing Final Audio Paperwork
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
Completion of Pro Tools 110, or equivalent knowledge and/or experience.
Textbook(s)
- Recommended: Audio Post Production for Film and Television by Mark Cross (Berklee Press, 2013)
Software
- Pro Tools 10 or higher (Intro or Artist editions not sufficient)
- Edge Edition Vol. 2 Sound Effects library
- Note: Look for Sound Ideas Hollywood Edge on the Student Deals page for discount information.
Hardware
- Audio interface
- XLR microphone and cable
- Closed back, over-ear studio headphones such as Sony MDR-7506 or better
- iLok USB required to use Pro Tools offline. iLok Cloud (free) may be used instead, but requires a continuous internet connection while using Pro Tools.
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author & Instructor
Mark Cross is an award-winning producer, composer, mixer, educator, and author with an extensive discography in both film and television that spans over two decades.
As an engineer and mixer, Mark has worked on numerous projects, including the Grammy -winning Shelby Lynne album I Am Shelby Lynne, Randy Newman's Oscar-nominated and Grammy-winning soundtrack for the Disney-Pixar film Cars, the Meet the Parents original film score and soundtracks, and hundreds of episodes of the NBC prime time series ER. Mark’s additional film credits include Alien: Resurrection, Seabiscuit, and Beavis and Butthead Do America.
As a composer, Mark has created over a thousand registered tracks for use in hundreds of films and television shows worldwide. He was the lead composer for the NBC prime time series Last Comic Standing and has contributed additional music for American Idol, Curb Your Enthusiasm, the CBS Evening News, HBO’s Getting On, and Comedy Central’s Key and Peele. Mark has created musical themes for Nickelodeon's Wow Wow Wubbzy, the Seinfeld Season 8 DVD, as well as producing and performing with Grammy winner John Legend on HBO's: Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Mark holds a Master of Fine Arts in Music Education from Boston University as well as a dual Bachelor of Music in Music Production & Engineering and Music Education from Berklee College of Music. He currently teaches Music Technology and Composition for Visual Media at Berklee College of Music, California State University Northridge, and Los Angeles College of Music. Mark authored the book Audio Post Production for Film and Television, published by Hal Leonard and Berklee Press. Read Less
What's Next?
When taken for credit, Audio Post Production for Film and TV can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:
Related Certificate Programs
Related Degree Majors
Related Music Career Roles
Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
