Apples Movie CODA Puts Berklee on the Big Screen The record-breaking Sundance film features musical contributions from students and alumni and tells the story of the hearing daughter of a deaf family who wants to attend Berklee.
By
Nick Balkin
August 26, 2021
Emilia Jones in the film CODA
Image courtesy of Apple TV
A coda, in musical terms, is a passage that brings a piece to its conclusion. In the deaf community, its an acronym that stands for child of deaf adults. Both meanings apply in Apples hit film CODA, a coming-of-age tale about the hearing daughter of a deaf family who dreams of pursuing a musical career.
Set in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the movie finds Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones) torn between her duty to her family, whose fishing business is on the verge of collapse, and her own aspirations of becoming a professional vocalist. Her talent is undeniable, and after hearing her sing, Rubys choir teacher Bernardo Villalobos (Eugenio Derbez) urges her to audition for a scholarship to Berklee.
We...wanted the Berklee students to not sing at their full potential, as they were just too talented.
-Si n Heder, director, CODA
In addition to Berklees role in the movies plot, several students and alumni from the colleges award-winning a cappella group Pitch Slapped appear in the film as members of Ruby's choir. They're [from] Berklee, but of course, we cast them as Gloucester high school students, said Si n Heder, CODA's writer and director, to Filmmaker magazine. We then wanted the Berklee students to not sing at their full potential, as they were just too talented.
CODA made waves at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, sweeping the grand jury and audience prizes and going on to earn a record-breaking $25 million deal with Apple Studios.
Emilia Jones and Eugenio Derbez in CODA
Image courtesy of Apple TV
From the Studio to the Screen Nicholai Baxter B.M. '07, a graduate of Berklees music production and engineering major, served as CODAs co-music producer, a role that included, among other responsibilities, developing musical repertoire for the film. During this phase, Baxter spent many late nights in Somerville's Q Division Studios with the Berklee singers, recording all the music and vocals needed for the shoot, even though Heder's intent was to capture as much music live on set as possible.
As we get into production on the film, the job transitions into more of a music director role, rehearsing and planning all the music moments in the film. And overseeing these scenes on set, said Baxter. I love this stage as it's a nice change of pace and gets me out of the studio, especially if there's a live performance element on set where we can find ways to push the limits of location sound.
Nicholai Baxter B.M. '07
As the film moves into post-production, we combine all the live on-set material with our studio material to craft a final soundtrack that feels connected to the on-screen world, said Baxter.
Berklee student and alumni singers who performed on set and in the studio for the film included Dominic Andersen B.M. '20, Amanda Bradshaw, Samidio DePina, Kyana Fanene B.M. '21, Anilee List, and Stone Martin; studio-only singers included Samuel Dantowitz B.M. '20, Shakale Davis '18, Mahamma Germain B.M. '19, Laura Gray, Alexandra Hernandez B.M. '19, Jordan Holly B.M. '17, Claudia Nketia, and Isaiah Thomas '18.
Baxter also had the opportunity to cowrite CODA's end-credit original song, Beyond the Shore, with Heder, co-music producer Marius de Vries, and Berklee alumnus Matt Dahan B.M. '07.
We wrote the song during the first COVID lockdown, and it ended up being a gift having this creative and collaborative outlet during a tough time, Baxter said.
CODA is now streaming on Apple TV and showing in select theaters.
Listen to CODA's end-credit song, Beyond the Shore:
Watch CODAs official trailer:
Related Categories
News
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Apples Movie CODA Puts Berklee on the Big Screen The record-breaking Sundance film features musical contributions from students and alumni and tells the story of the hearing daughter of a deaf family who wants to attend Berklee.
