When Pinar Toprak B.M. '00 came to Berklee, she wasn't planning on a career in film scoring. The native of Istanbul started out as a piano performance major, but I was miserable, she told a packed house of students and faculty members during a recent keynote address in David Friend Recital Hall. I get performance anxiety, Toprak added. I'd rather work in my pajamas than be in front of people. Then she grinned. I get to do that now.
As a student, Toprak would spend hours at Tower Records, then located at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Newbury Street, near Berklee's campus. She told the story of sitting in a listening booth, awed by Hans Zimmers soundtrack to The Prince of Egypt. I bought that soundtrack with my last $20, she said. And I went back to campus and changed my major to film scoring.
Want to Score Films?
Learn more about scoring and editing for film, television, and video games through Berklees Film Scoring Department. Now, after nearly two decades in the industry, Toprak has dozens of films to her credit, including 2019's Captain Marvel, which made her the first woman to score a major superhero film. She spoke with Sean McMahon, chair of Berklees Film Scoring Department, about her creative process, her love for Los Angeles, and the emotional pull of a good score.
There's a Maya Angelou quote I'm going to paraphrase, about how people won't remember what you said, but how you made them feel, Toprak told her audience. I think that's true in film, too. An audience member won't remember all the lines from a film when they leave the theater, but they'll remember how it made them feel. We're that subconscious part-the music helps with that.
Toprak showed and discussed two clips from Captain Marvel: an adrenaline-filled chase scene on a light-rail car in Los Angeles, and a tender scene near the film's end involving the reunion of several characters who had been separated. It's very small, and human, she said of the latter scene. I feel it's her humanity that's [Captain Marvel's] superpower. The music, she said, needed to convey that. It's really about telling the best story you can tell with your music.
Related categories:
News
Related Reading
Breaking a Sound Barrier with Captain Marvel Berklee Today
Spring
2019
Volume
30
Number
3
Sean McMahon Named Chair of Berklees Film Scoring Department McMahon, a successful film composer and orchestrator who currently serves as assistant chair of the department, succeeds Alison Plante as chair on September 1.
Berklee Online Increases Rates of Female Students, Staff, and Instructors In the last two years, female enrollment at Berklee Online has increased by 65 percent.
More from Berklee Now
Most Popular
What Is Contemporary Music? Its practically Berklees middle name-but what are we talking about when we say contemporary music?
Latest
I Need It with Fire': A Day in the Studio with Joel Hamilton The Grammy-nominated engineers intuitive production style inspired a knockout studio session from an alumni band during his weeklong Berklee visit.
From Tower Records to Captain Marvel Pinar Toprak B.M. '00, the first woman to score a major Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, shared her creative process and the inspiration she found in old-school listening booths.
Dessas Tips for Affordable, Sustainable Success The hip-hop artist and author writes her own headlines, keeps up with her mailing list, and grows at her own pace.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Berklee Blogs
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Soundcloud
Spotify
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
06/05/2026
Gravity Media Chief RF Communications Engineer Glenn Willems uses Wisycom RF over Fiber and wireless solutions across major cycling events and international mar...
06/05/2026
A Sennheiser Spectera module is now available in Bitfocus Companion and Buttons, enabling direct integration of Spectera with the two software platforms. The mo...
06/05/2026
Ted Turner, the visionary media entrepreneur whose appetite for disruption helpe...
06/05/2026
Peacock is going all-in on the beautiful game - streaming all 104 FIFA World Cup...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
Polands Miecznik-class frigates are part of the largest contract in Polish shipbuilding history. (Image Credit: PGZ Stocznia Wojenna)...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the expansion of its leadership structure as part of a strategic initiative to strengthen both its operational management ...
06/05/2026
For nearly three decades, Veteran Production Sound Mixer and Five-time Emmy Award Winner Dirk Sciarrotta has helped define the sonic identity of the long-runnin...
06/05/2026
ZEISS CinCraft LensCore: Cinema Lens Looks for Compositing
Brie Clayton May 6, 2026
0 Comments
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a nove...
06/05/2026
Wisycom Solves Extreme RF Challenges Across Miles of Live Action for Gravity Med...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Narrative Entertainment has partnered with Encompass to deliver high-quality subtitling of its Great! network content using the Altitude Intelligence AI assiste...
06/05/2026
SipRadius, widely recognized for making content processing and connectivity secure and seamless, is proud to launch a dramatic new approach to AI content creati...
06/05/2026
When the broadband and media industry gathers at ANGA COM in Cologne from May 19 to 21, Big Blue Marble will be at the forefront. The international broadcast an...
06/05/2026
Cinegy GmbH, a leading developer of software-defined television technology, is proud to exhibit at MPTS for the first time. Visitors to the stand will discover ...
06/05/2026
Val Jeanty Receives 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award Jeanty, a composer, percussionist, and turntablist, is the fourth Berklee recipient of the prestigious award ...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/05/2026
When live cycling races and international marathons stretch for miles across cities and countryside, there is no margin for RF failure in live broadcast. As Chi...
06/05/2026
Oberkochen/Germany, May 5, 2026
ZEISS announces the launch of CinCraft LensCore, a novel solution for creating physically based cinematic lens looks for visual...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
06/05/2026
The race to build the world's most powerful AI factories demands networking ...
06/05/2026
How changes to proteins can alter drug interactions for new precision therapies Scripps Research team maps how chemical modifications to proteins affect drug bi...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
05/05/2026
Three phones were hardwired for power and transmission to the truck; camera feat...
05/05/2026
The creative studio behind campaigns for the NBA, Fanatics Sportsbook & Casino, ...
05/05/2026
Nielsen has announced results from a co-viewing pilot program covering February&...
05/05/2026
viztrick AiDi, an on-device AI solution developed by Nippon TV, delivered global...
05/05/2026
ARRI has announced Omnibar, a battery-powered, IP65-rated multi-color LED linear...
05/05/2026
Imagine Communications has announced that France T l visions is the first broadc...
05/05/2026
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Bell Media today announced a multiyear agreement to broadcast and stream WNBA games in Canada beginni...
When Pinar Toprak B.M. '00 came to Berklee, she wasn't planning on a career in film scoring. The native of Istanbul started out as a piano performance major, but I was miserable, she told a packed house of students and faculty members during a recent keynote address in David Friend Recital Hall. I get performance anxiety, Toprak added. I'd rather work in my pajamas than be in front of people. Then she grinned. I get to do that now. 
