Creative Coding

Screams and Bad Dreams: Sound Design and Score for Sci-Fi and Horror Films

Explore the craft of scoring and sound design for horror and sci-fi, using landmark films — Hereditary, The Witch, Alien 3 — to unpack atmosphere, silence, vocal techniques and unconventional instruments.

Level

Intermediate

Duration

1h 46m of video content

Format

Self-paced video

Course overview

A composer's guide to the sonic language of horror and science fiction. Through close study of acclaimed scores — Colin Stetson's palette for Hereditary, the sonic identity of The Witch, and the orchestration of Alien 3 — Helen Noir explores how silence and atmosphere build dread, how vocals heighten tension, and how to design and play unconventional and custom instruments. You'll come away with practical techniques for crafting unsettling, original scores and the dynamic balance that makes them land.

Course content

Watch the course here

13 videos

1. Introduction
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2. The Versatility of Horror Scoring
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3. Overcoming Last-Minute Challenges
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4. Hereditary_ Introduction to Film and Director
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5. Colin Stetson’s Unique Sound Palette
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6. The Power of Silence and Atmosphere in Horror
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7. Incorporating Vocals into Horror Scores
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8. The Witch_ Crafting a Sonic Identity
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9. Creating Unique Instruments for Horror
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10. Experimenting with Non-Traditional Instruments
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11. Alien 3_ Orchestration and Dynamics in a Chaotic Production
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12. The Importance of Dynamic Balance in Orchestration
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13. Conclusion_ Using Visuals and Scoring Techniques in Horror
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Instructors

Helen Noir

Instructor

Helen Noir (she/her) is a London-based soprano, composer, orchestrator & producer. She writes soundtracks for film, fashion and theatre, most recently for Joseph Wilson's Isn't it a Beautiful World, which premiered at BFI London Film Festival in October 2021. She works specifically with directors and designers to take music from initial composition through recording, orchestration, production and mixing. She also performs regularly with cult performance art group Theo Adams Company, and is an operatic session vocalist.