Songwriting for Film and Television is designed to help you become a more marketable songwriter by teaching you the key elements necessary for crafting songs that support storytelling across various types of media. In this course, you will sharpen your writing techniques while expanding your professional possibilities through collaborative songwriting and production. You will also develop a clearer understanding of the business side of songwriting—particularly licensing and the royalty streams generated from media broadcasts. (As an example, the instructor continues to receive performance royalties from episodes of Friends from the early ’90s—truly the gift that keeps giving!)
The course presents insights and strategies gathered from over 40 years of professional experience in the music industry, from early placements like Beverly Hills 90210 to co-composing music for the long-running, Emmy-winning CBS drama The Young and the Restless.
Throughout the course, you will write songs—both solo and collaboratively—and learn to think like a director, producer, or music supervisor, ensuring your songs serve the narrative effectively. You'll analyze standout media song placements and write original music for a variety of video clips, offering creative and technical challenges.
We’ll also examine how artificial intelligence (AI) might assist in the songwriting process, identifying both its potential and its limitations in emotionally driven, story-centric work. While AI may serve as a useful starting point, effective collaboration and human intuition remain essential in aligning your music with the vision of media professionals.
An additional strength of this course is the collaborative network formed among classmates. Former students have gone on to share cue sheets with the instructor, and you'll be encouraged to build new creative partnerships that can further your success in the world of music for media.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Write or modify your songs to be "media-friendly," in both composition and production quality
- Collaborate effectively with other writers, producers, and musicians
- Find opportunities for placing your music into film, television, and other media
- Exchange files smoothly for seamless worldwide collaborations
- Generate stems and alternate mixes to improve placement potential
- Ask the right questions and listen effectively when working with production staff
- Understand the role of AI in songwriting and its implications for storytelling
- Negotiate agreements with publishers and producers confidently
- Provide cue sheet details accurately to ensure royalty income
- Describe key elements of agreements with third-party song placement publishers
- Write and produce music that syncs with on-screen movement (e.g., dancing)
- Compose and orchestrate songs that communicate time, setting, and dramatic tone
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Historical and Current Use of Songs in Visual Media
- History of Songwriting for Films
- Synchronized Sound and Picture: The Jazz Singer (1927)
- Movie Musicals
- Contemporary Film Musicals
- Songs by the 'Reel': WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982)
- Song by the 'Reel': Friends (1994–2004)
- Cover Songs: Ally McBeal (1997–2002)
- Featured Songs
- Animated Film: Snow White (1937)
- Animated Film: Pinocchio (1940)
- Animated Film: Little Mermaid (1989)
- Animated Film: 1991 and Beyond
- Media Path of a Song in Film
- Media Path of a Song in TV, Animation, and Video Games
- Simple Is Effective
- Examples: Mystic River
- Examples: The OC
- Examples: Grey's Anatomy
- Assignment 1: Write a Short Song
Lesson 2: Songwriting "On Demand"
- Discipline of Writing on Assignment
- Tips When Discussing Assignment
- Revising an Assignment
- The Song Has to Have Bassoon and a Reggae Beat!
- Dealing with Unusual Requests
- 'Temp Love'
- Communication
- Song Characteristics
- Identifiable Genre
- 'Temp Love' Example
- Covers, Sound-Alikes, and Copyrights
- Copyrights
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Songwriting for Sync
- Assignment 2: Write a Draft of a Two-Minute Custom Song
Lesson 3: Writing a Visual-Media-Friendly Song
- Melody Elements
- Harmonic Colors
- Rhythmic Elements
- Intros, Vamps, and Endings
- Intros
- Endings
- Intros and Endings In Practice
- Assignment 3: Revise Song Draft
Lesson 4: Writing for Music Libraries and Song Catalogs Part 1
- Library Music: What is It?
- Who Do Music Libraries License To?
- What Do Music Libraries Want from Their Writers?
- Intros
- Stylistically Focused
- Song Forms
- Lyrics
- Have a Real Ending
- Tell Me What You Are!
- How Do I Stack Up!
- Musical and Performance Quality
- MIDI Instruments (Samples) vs. "Live" Players
- Mix Quality
- Assignment 4: Research Music Libraries
Lesson 5: Writing for Music Libraries and Song Catalogs Part 2
- How Much is My Time Worth?
- Cash Flow
- Volume
- What Year and Place Was the Song From?
- Guitar
- Keyboard
- Bass
- Drums
- Vocalists
- Trumpet
- Saxophone
- How Do We Make Our Songs More Flexible?
- Expand the Era
- Alternate Mixes and Stems
- Creating Stems
- Alternate Edits
- File Naming
- Metadata
- Assignment 5: Write a Song
Lesson 6: Background Source Music Not Synced to Picture
- What Is Source Music?
- Why Can't I Hear My Song?
- Pesky Dialogue
- Audio Manipulation
- Electronically "Futzed"
- Special FX on Your Source Music Song: Mono and EQ
- Special FX on Your Source Music Song: Reverb and Delays
- Special FX on Your Source Music Song: Specialized Effects
- Make Your Song "Editor-Friendly"
- Song Recorded without a Click Track
- Song Recorded with a Click Track
- Song Recorded Replacing a Loop or Bad Drum Track
- Smart Use of Key Changes
- Use of Interlude
- Chorus to Chorus and False Ending
- Orchestrative Changes
- Assignment 6: Background Source Music
Lesson 7: Foreground Source Music Sync'd to Action
- How Do I Know When the Music Should Start and End?
- Visual Time Code
- The Importance of Pre-roll and Post
- Sonic Impact
- Creating Pre-Roll from Nothing
- Audio Layout
- Different Approach
- Variable Click
- What If ....
- Temp Music Planning with Savvy Music Supervisors
- Creating Music for a Scripted Onscreen Performance
- Doing It Live: On-Set Challenges
- It’s on the Page and in the Ear
- The Feedback Process
- Treatment and Delivery of Files
- Visual Continuity of Instruments and Sound
- Guitars, Basses, and Other String Instruments
- Keyboards
- Drums and Percussion
- Structure of the Song Based on the Scene
- In the Time of the Butterflies Story
- Assignment 7: Write a Song
Lesson 8: Collaboration Part 1
- Why Collaborate?
- Work Opportunities and the Spin-off for Future Success
- Strictly Business?
- Business Matters
- Songwriter Splits
- Collaboration - Tools of the Trade
- Audio Formats
- MP3s
- Creating an Audio Footprint
- Full Audio Formats
- MIDI Conductor Tracks
- File Storage and Access
- Staying on the Same Page
- Assignment 8: Collaborate
Lesson 9: Collaboration within the Production Phase
- Importing Digital Audio Tracks from a Collaborator's Studio
- Establish Effects and Recording Guidelines
- Mixdown Guidelines
- The MIDI Musician Collaborator
- Manipulate the Data!
- Replacing Sounds and Editing MIDI data from Your Collaborator
- Changing the Song Structure
- Cleaning Up the Audio Data
- Which Track Are You Using?
- Vocal Tracks
- Instrumental Tracks: Drums and Bass
- Instrumental Tracks: Guitars and Keyboard
- Contributions Deserving of Wider Recognition
- Working with, or as a Producer
- The Tracks, Deal, and Who did What?
- Assignment 9: Collaborate
Lesson 10: Featured Songs
- TV Theme Songs
- Sit-Coms - I Love Lucy
- Sit-Coms - Gilligan's Island
- Sit-Coms - All in the Family
- Sit-Coms - Family Ties
- Sit-Coms - Seinfeld
- Sit-Coms - The Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- Sit-Coms - Murphy Brown
- Sit-Coms - The Office
- Sit-Coms - We’re in a hurry here!
- Talk Shows - The Tonight Show
- Talk Shows - The Late Show
- Talk Shows - The Ellen DeGeneres Show
- Talk Shows - The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
- Cartoons
- Drama Series
- Daytime Drama (Soap Operas)
- Songs Performed by Characters in a Drama Series
- The Montage - Six Feet Under
- The Montage - The Wire
- The Montage - This Is Us
- Film Feature - Easy Rider
- Film Feature - Animal House
- Film Feature - Popular Songs
- Film Feature - Titanic
- Film Feature - Slum Dog Millionaire
- Film Feature - Juno
- Film Feature - Once
- End Credits
- Assignment 10: Final Project Part 1– Featured Song Rough Draft
Lesson 11: How Do I Get Paid for My Songs in Film/TV?
- Should I Give Up My Rights?
- Research the Music Library Company
- Green Light?
- Two Music Library Deals
- The New Publishing Model
- Exclusive Publisher
- Nonexclusive Publisher or Third-Party Publisher
- How Do Nonexclusive Publishers Work?
- Ownership Splits
- Writer and Publisher Split Sheet
- Work-for-Hire
- License Request
- License Confirmation
- Screen Credits and Cue Sheets
- Getting to Yes
- Five Action Items
- Negotiating Call Example
- Assignment 11: Final Project Part 2 – Featured Song Revision
Lesson 12: Final Projects and into the "Reel" World
- Get Your Songs Ready for Work
- Create High Quality Mix for Distribution and Streaming
- Create a Mix suitable for Background use
- Judicious Use of Reverb
- Unintended Bass Frequencies
- Check your Mix in Mono
- Prepare and Archive Alternate Mixes and Stems
- Archiving and Backing Up
- Delivery of The Material
- Demo Specifications
- Full Audio Files
- Get Visible and Discoverable!
- Demo Reel!
- Ch
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
You should have the following musical and technical skills:
- Ability to create music
- Intermediate experience with MIDI sequencing and digital audio software
- Ability to import and export QuickTime video with the song's audio added to the movie
- Ability to record multiple tracks and ability to create MP3 files of the final mix
Completion of the following Berklee Online courses, or an equivalent skill set, is strongly recommended:
- Music Theory 101
- Songwriting: Writing Hit Songs
- Arranging 1
- Music Production 101
- Writer, Engineer, Producer in the Home Studio
Textbook(s)
- Recommended: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William L. Ury (Penguin Books, 2011)
- Recommended: Music Supervision: The Complete Guide to Selecting Music for Movies, TV, Games, & New Media (2nd Edition) by Ramsay Adams, David Hnatiuk and David Weiss (Schirmer Trade Books, 2017)
Software
- Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Free options, such as GarageBand (Mac) or Cakewalk by BandLab (PC), are acceptable, however, a full-featured DAW, such as Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase Pro, Ableton Live (Suite or Standard), Reaper, Reason, or FL Studio (Producer or Signature Edition) is preferred.
- A program to capture in-browser audio, such as the Chrome Audio Capture extension (free)
- Basic video editing software, such as iMovie (Mac only), Shotcut (free), etc.
- Office suite, such as Microsoft Office, Google Drive (free), Apple iWork, Apache OpenOffice (free), etc.
Hardware
- MIDI keyboard controller
- Recommended: Audio interface
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
Brad Hatfield is a Boston-based multi-Emmy award-winning composer, keyboardist, arranger, orchestrator, and award-winning educator. Writing and producing songs in a variety of genres, Brad's works have been heard internationally through repeated placements in film (Longlegs, Borat, Iron Man 2, Analyze This, The Break Up), and TV shows/promos (Friends, CSI, NCIS, Saturday Night Live, American Horror Story, The Sopranos, GLEE, The Good Wife), just to name a few. Brad served as co-composer for the FX series Rescue Me, and is currently composing for the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless, where he has annually received Emmy nominations in 2015 through 2019 and winning in 2022.
As a keyboardist, Brad has performed and recorded with the Grammy-nominated Boston Pops since 1990 under John Williams and Keith Lockhart. He has accompanied artists including James Taylor, Bono, Martina McBride, Patti Austin, Guster, Audra McDonald, and Kenny Loggins. The Boston Pops has commissioned Brad to orchestrate for a variety of artists including Demi Lovato, Darlene Love, Kristin Chenoweth, and Susan Tedeschi.
Brad has also toured internationally with jazz artists performing at major festivals (North Sea, Montreal, Perugia) and well-known venues (The Blue Note, Birdland, Ronnie Scott's). Brad appears on dozens of recordings ranging from Jazz to Americana, and was the featured piano soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for Clint Eastwood's Mystic River soundtrack.
Brad received the 2012 UPCEA "Best Online Course" award for his Berklee Online Music Supervision course, and also won the 2014 UPCEA "Excellence in Teaching" award for his work at Berklee Online as a facilitator of his Music Supervision and Songwriting for Film and TV courses. Brad holds a graduate degree in Management from Cambridge College. Read Less
Instructor
Crit Harmon is a songwriter, music producer and performer. His production credits include Martin Sexton, Susan Werner, Lori McKenna, Mary Gauthier and Meg Hutchinson. In 2007 he was named "Best Producer" at the Boston Music Awards. His songs have appeared in over 100 films and TV shows and have been recorded by artists worldwide including Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, and Bobby Bare.
What's Next?
When taken for credit, Songwriting 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.
