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FILM2008 Film and Music

Later Year Course

Offered By School of Cultural Inquiry
Academic Career Undergraduate
Course Subject Film Studies
Offered in Second Semester, 2010
Unit Value 6 units
Course Description

An exploration of: a) the relationships between image and music, and between music and other elements of the soundtrack; b) various functions of film music through the analysis of selected films (e.g., how music confirms or contradicts visual narratives and how music can support the cinematic construction of gender, class, ethnicity, culture); c) different techniques and aesthetics of selected film music composers and directors (e.g. the Hitchcock/Herrmann collaboration); d) the historical evolution of film music from the silent era through to the present.

Learning Outcomes On satisfying requirements for this course, students will have gained greater awareness of Film soundtracks, of a range of historical approaches to film scoring, and of sound as a major aspect of film as text. Skills in approaching and analysing film music will be developed.
Indicative Assessment

Close reading/listening excercise (15%, week 5),

Research Essay (35%, due mid semester),

Research Essay (50%, due in examination period).

Workload 13 lectures, weekly tutorials, fortnightly seminars, fortnightly screenings. The division of tutorial groups will depend on numbers enrolling from each area.
Areas of Interest Music
Assumed Knowledge and
Required Skills
Students are expected to have some technical background in one field (e.g. score-reading, or grasp of technical film terms, but not necessarily both).
Requisite Statement

Courses counting towards a Film Studies or Musicology major to the value of twelve units, or permission of the Convener.

Preliminary Reading

Chion, Michel, Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen, Columbia UP, 1994.

Majors/Specialisations Cinemedia and Film Studies
Programs Bachelor of Arts (Digital Arts) and Bachelor of Arts (New Media Arts)
Academic Contact Dr Roger Hillman (Film Studies) and Dr Ruth Lee-Martin (Musicology)

The information published on the Study at ANU 2010 website applies to the 2010 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2009 website.

Updated:   13 Nov 2015 / Responsible Officer:   The Registrar / Page Contact:   Student Business Solutions