Music in audiovisual culture

Music is an integral part of our experiences in the movie theater and in front of the television screen. In later years, music has provided rhythm and affective intensity to our digital lives and our screen-based interaction, from TikTok and music videos to music in video games. In this course, students will study music in such audiovisual contexts. The course will feature studies of film music and music in television, music video, video game music, and other exciting combinations of sound and image in digital media.

What kinds of effects arise from the meeting of sound and image? In many cases the music will be a deciding factor for how we experience and interpret what we see. Sometimes music and image weld together in ways that make us not consciously aware of the music at all. At other times, we remember the music better than we do the images. In this course we will study a range of theories and perspectives on the relation between music and moving images, and on the use of music and sound in visual storytelling. These will then be connected to specific examples of how music and sound has been applied in film, in television, and in video games.

Knowledge:

Candidates who successfully complete MUSV3147 will have gained knowledge of:

• Relations between music and moving images.
• The role and function of music in digital media.
• Key stylistic features of recent film music, television music, and video game music.

Skills:

Candidates who successfully complete MUSV3147 will be able to:

• Interpret and discuss musical choices in film and other audiovisual expressions
• Present their knowledge of music in audiovisual culture orally and in writing
• Do interdisciplinary analyses that place musical issues into a broader cultural, technological and media context
• Perform audiovisual analyses of a range of audiovisual forms in digital media

Teaching in this course will consist of combined lectures and seminar activities. This may include listening and analysis, group work and discussions, and oral presentations.