top of page

GETTING STARTED

1. Select your film project

Overview

 

  1. Watch the movie a few times, and fill out your cue list 

  2. Set up a new score with a combination of percussive and melodic instruments (your choice)

  3. Insert the movie

  4. Add in the hit points

  5. Create the hit point staff

  6. Create original music to enhance the scene - light, happy string parts, low ominous drones, sudden chords and percussive “sound effects”

  7. Save, print or export your score. 

Select your film.

Save the film file onto your computer or

visit this Link: http://mbx.cm/t/pf8iF to save one.  


Watch the film excerpt a few times and Spot the film.

 

Write down a list of the important visual events (small or big) you think require a hit point.

Fill out your Cue List

|     SPRING/SUMMER 2023

2. Set up a new score with a combination of percussive and melodic instruments (your choice) and editable later on. 

3. Insert the movie

Sibelius 6: Play > Video and Time > Add video. Locate the video and click Open.

 

There is a series of buttons across the bottom of the video window:

• The Add hit point button 

• 4 buttons to control the video screen size (half size, full size, double size and full screen)

• Volume slider (controls the volume of the video only – not the score)

4. Add in the hit points

Sibelius 6: Create > Other > Hit Point

 

Hit points (also known as time markers) are used to mark specific places in your score where action and events occur in the video. Hit points are locked to the video – not to the score – so if your score tempo changes, the hit point position will change too.

 

It’s useful to scrub through the video frame by frame so you can pinpoint the exact moment an event occurs. Use Shift+[ to do this and when you reach an action point, click on the Add Hit Point button on the video window. A hit point will appear in your score. It shows you the timecode at that position in the score, the position in bars, beats and hundredths and the name of the hit point. 

 

Rename Hit Points -

Sibelius 6: Play > Video and Time > Hit Points or using the shortcut (Shift+Alt+P)

 

 

5. Create the hit point staff

Sibelius 6: Plug-ins > Composing Tools > Add Hit Point Staff.

 

Then you can simply copy the hit point staff notes into any (or all) of the other staves in your score. It can be a good idea to change the noteheads on the hit point staff to normal noteheads before doing anything else: select the entire staff (double-click on it) and then use the shortcut (Opt+Shift +0).

Playback Shortcuts

Entering Notes

Some more information on Film Scoring available from the Midnight Music website. 

Drum Notation

bottom of page