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Course Description
An intermediate level media studies course exploring how sound functions in cinema. This course focuses on sound as media and the relationship between sound and image through topics including the history of sound technologies and the so-called 'coming of sound;' film sound theories, such as French composer Michel Chion's influential work on audio-visual relationships and the human voice in cinema, as well as feminist film theories on the female body and voice; film music and audience reception; sound space, and the evolving practice of sound recording and reproduction in film. These topics are examined through reading assignments, screenings and listening sessions, in-class presentations, writing and sound recording assignments. This class encourages a critical, creative approach, non-traditional solutions, and awareness of both historical contexts and theoretical frameworks. The course fulfills the media theory and media history requirements for the Intercollegiate Media Studies (IMS) major and minor. Prerequisite: MS49, 50, or 51; or some introductory level music theory courses.
Statement of Student Learning Outcome
By the end of this course, students ideally are expected:
- To develop a historicized understanding of how sound was incorporated into film production, exhibition, and criticism;
- To develop a working knowledge of major film sound theories;
- To acquire skills in analyzing the audio elements in a wide variety of films, including narrative, experimental/avant-garde, documentary, and other genres;
- To be able to discuss and convey the above-mentioned knowledge and skills in both critical written arguments and in oral presentations/discussion;
- To be able to work and learn in both individual and group contexts.
Course Organization
Class activities include discussion of reading assignments, screenings,
presentations, critiques, as well as individual
and group assignments. Both works by students and examples from Hollywood as well as other industrial and experimental films and media will be presented in class. Depending on funding and availability,
guest speakers (sound artists, film and videomakers, media artists, programmers,
scholars, etc.) will be invited to class, or to the Media Studies cinematheque
series - be prepared to attend out-of-class screenings and lectures.
Please turn off all phones and mobile digital devices during
class. Laptops can only be used for taking notes and for relevant web searches; no emailing, texting, and other activities unrelated to this class. These and other diversions are not acceptable during class time, and will lower your grade.
| Course Requirements
|
| 1. |
Attend all classes |
| 2. |
Participation in class discussions and
group critiques |
| 3. |
Completion of writing and recording assignments
as well as a final project or research paper |
Attendance
Attendance and participation of all classes is required. Do not miss class
or arrive late! If you miss class 3 times without
a proper excuse, (e.g. a doctor's note if you are sick) you fail the class.
Absences must be cleared by me before or after (in case of emergencies
only) the class you missed in order for it to not affect your final grade.
Attendance is determined by when I take roll.
Class Participation
Your active, well-prepared participation in class discussions is essential
to creating a dynamic (i.e. not boring!) learning environment. Although
you will not receive a letter grade for class participation, it will figure
into your final grade based on my observations.
We may study sexually explicit, political, and otherwise challenging
material in this course. These are not included for shock value, but are
legitimate investigations of controversial subject matters in media. You
are certainly encouraged to explore difficult and complex subject matters
in your work, and you should be prepared to consider these issues intellectually
and emotionally. Our class is a safe space in which students can express
their beliefs and opinions. You always have a voice, but please be respectful
of others as well. Abusive language and behavior are not be tolerated.
Open-mindedness is encouraged!
Class Assignments and Projects
Students will complete the following assignments for this course:
| 1. |
In-class writing assignment:
Identify. compare, and discuss the sound technologies used in 2-3 film excerpts (10% of class grade) |
| 2+3. |
Choose TWO of the following assignments: a) take-home audio visual analysis assignment; b) take-home psychoanalysis assignment; c) take-home film music assignment; d) recording assignment (20% each, 40% total of class grade) |
| 4. |
Working with a partner or small group (2-3 students), prepare a 5 minute excerpt from a film
or video to present in class, accompanied by a 8-10 page paper. (30% of class grade) |
Unless an extension is approved by myself in advance
of the due date, your grade are reduced by one letter grade (i.e. B to C)
per class day your project is late. You are encouraged to meet with
me individually during my office hours to discuss your assignments, your
grades, and your overall performance in class. I am always open to suggestions
and feedback!
Reading Assignments
Required readings are drawn from the textbooks below. You can purchase copies
of the required textbooks, as well as the optional ones (in limited numbers) at the Huntley Bookstore, or go to web sites such as Amazon.
Textbooks
(Required - buy these)
Michel Chion, Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen, trans. Claudia Gorbman, Columbia University Press, New York, 1994.
Michel Chion, The Voice in Cinema, trans. Claudia Gorbman, Columbia University Press, New York, 1999.
Claudia Gorbman, Unheard Melodies: Narrative Film Music, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1987. This title maybe out of print.
Anahid Kassabian, Hearing Film: Tracking Identifications in Contemporary Hollywood Film Music, Routledge, 2000.
Kaja Silverman, The Acoustic Mirror; The Female Voice in Psychoanalysis and Cinema, Indiana University Press, Indianapolis, 1988.
(Optional - readings from these books will be posted on Sakai, you may buy them if you wish)
Rick Altman, editor, Sound Theory Sound Practice, Routledge, New York, 1992.
Rick Altman, Silent Film Sound (Film and Culture Series), Columbia University Press, 2007.
Christoph Cox & Daniel Warren, eds., Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music, Continuum, 2004.
James Lastra, Sound Technology and the American Cinema: Perception, Representation, Modernity, New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.
Jonathan Sterne, ed., The Sound Studies Reader, New York: Routledge, 2012.
Emily Thompson, The Soundscape of Modernity: Architectural Acoustics and the Culture of Listening in America (1900-1933), MIT Press, 2004.
Elisabeth Weis and John Belton, eds., Film Sound: Theory and Practice, New York: Columbia University Press, 1985.
Additional References
Jacques Attali, Noise: The Political Economy of Music, Univ. of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2002.
Jean-Francois Augoyard & Henry Torgue, eds., Sonic Experience: A Guide To Everyday Sounds, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006.
Jay Beck & Tony Grajeda, eds. Lowering The Boom: Critical Studies in FIlm Sound. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2008.
Karin Bijsterveld, Mechanical Sound: Technology, Culture, and Public Problems of Noise in the Twentieth Century (Inside Technology), MIT Press, 2008.
Barry Blesser & Linda-Ruth Salter, Spaces Speak, Are You Listening? Experiencing Aural Architecture, MIT Press, 2006.
Michael Bull. Sound Moves: iPod Culture and Urban Experience. New York: Routledge, 2007.
Michael Bull & Les Back, eds., The Auditory Culture Reader (Sensory Formations), London: Berg Publishers, 2004.
John Cage, Silence: Lectures and Writings, Wesleyan University Press, 1961.
Michel Chion, Sound: An Acoulogical Treatise. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2016.
---, Film, A Sound Art (Film and Culture Series), New York: Columbia University Press, 2009.
Donald Crafton, The Talkies: American Cinema's Transition to Sound, 1926-1931, History of The American Cinema, Vol. 4, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1997.
Leslie C. Dunn, and Nancy C. Jones, eds., Embodied Voices: Representing Female Vocality in Western Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Veit Erlmann. Reason and Resonance: A History of Modern Aurality. New York: Zone Books, 2010.
---
ed., Hearing Cultures: Essays on Sound, Listening and Modernity, Berg Publishers, 2004.
Scott Eyman, The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution 1926-1930, New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997.
Ana Maria Ochoa Gautier. Aurality: Listening and Knowledge in Nineteenth-Century Colombia.
Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2014.
Simon Frith & Andrew Goodwin, eds. On Record: Rock, Pop, and the Written Word, Pantheon Books, New York, 1990.
Paul Hegarty, Rumour and Radiation: Sound in Video Art, London: Bloomsbury Academi, 2014.
---, Noise Music: A History, London: Continuum, 2007.
Stefan Helmreich. Sounding The Limits of Life: Essays in the Anthropology of Biology and Beyond. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2016.
---. Alien Ocean: Athropological Voyages in Microbial Seas. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2009.
Charles Hirschkind, The Ethical Soundscape: Cassette Sermons and Islamic Counterpublics, Columbia Univ. Press, 2006.
Don Ihde, Listening and Voice: Phenomenologies of Sound, State University of New York Press; 1976.
Lilya Kaganovsky & Masha Salazkina, eds. Sound, Speech, Music in Soviet and Post-Soviet Cinema. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2014
Douglas Kahn. Earth Sound Earth Signal: Energies and Earth Magnitude in The Arts. Berkeley, CA: University of Calufornia Press, 2013.
---, Noise, Water, Meat: A History of Sound in the Arts, MIT Press, 2001.
Kathryn Kalinak. Settling The Score: Music and The Classical Hollywood Film. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1992.
Brian Kane, Sound Unseen: Acousmatic Sound in Theory and Practice, New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
Anahid Kassabian, Hearing Film: Tracking Identifications in Contemporary Hollywood Film Music, Routledge, 2000.
Michael C. Keith, Radio Cultures: The Sound Medium in American Life, Peter Lang Publishing, 2008.
Caleb Kelly, ed., Sound, Documents of Contemporary Art Series, London/Cambridge, MA: Whitechapel Gallery/MIT Press, 2011
---. Cracked Media: The Sound of Malfunction. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2009.
Friedrich A. Kittler, Gramophone, Film, Typewriter, trans. Geoffrey Winthrop-Young & Michael Wutz, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA, 1999.
Dan Lander and Micah Lexier, eds., Sound by Artists, Toronto and Banff: Art Metropole/Walter Philips Gallery, 1990.
Amy Lawrence, Echo and Narcissus: Women’s Voices in Classical Hollywood Cinema. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.
Brandon LaBelle, Lexicon of the Mouth: Poetics and Politics of Voice and the Oral Imagination, London: Bloomsbury Academi, 2014.
---, Acoustic Territories: Sound Culture and Everyday Life, London: Bloomsbury Academi, 2010.
---. Background Noise: Perspectives on Sound Art, Continuum, 2006.
Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space, trans. Donald Nicholson-Smith, Blackwell Publishers Inc., Cambridge, MA, 1991.
Alan Licht, Sound Art: Beyond Music, Between Categories, Rizzoli, 2007.
Paul D. Miller, Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture, MIT Press, 2008.
David Morton, Off the Record: The Technology and Culture of Sound Recording in America, Rutgers University Press, 2000.
John Mowitt. Sounds: The Ambient Humanities. Berkeley, CA: University of Calufornia Press, 2015.
Jean Luc Nancy. Listening, Charlotte Mandell, trans., New York: Fordham University Press, 2007.
David Novak & Matt Sakakeeny, eds. Keywords in Sound. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2015.
Trevor Pinch and Karin Bijsterveld, eds., The Oxford Handbook of Sound Studies, New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Tara Rodgers, ed. Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2010.
R. Murray Schafer, The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World, Destiny Books, Rochester, VT, 1977.
David Schwarz, Listening Subjects: Music, Psychoanalysis, Culture. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1997.
Hillel Schwartz, Making Noise: From Babel to The Big Bang and Beyond,
Cambridge, M.A.: Zone Books, 2011.
Kaja Silverman, The Acoustic Mirror; The Female Voice in Psychoanalysis and Cinema, Indiana University Press, Indianapolis, 1988.
Mary Ann Smart, ed. Siren Songs: Representations of Gender and Sexuality in Opera. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000.
Mark M. Smith, Hearing History: A Reader, Athens: Georgia University Press, 2004
Jonathan Sterne, The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction, Duke University Press, Durham and London, 2003.
---, MP3: The Meaning of a Format (Sign, Storage, Transmission), Duke University Press, Durham and London, 2012.
Peter Szendy, Listen: A History of Our Ears, Fordham University Press, 2007.
Mark M. Smith, Hearing History: A Reader, Georgia Univ. Press, 2004.
Michael Taussig, Mimesis and Alterity: A Particular History of the Senses, Routledge, New York, 1993.
Timothy Taylor, Strange Sounds: Music, Technology and Culture, Routledge, 2001.
Grading
Your final grade will be based on the following |
| • |
Assignment 1 - 10% |
| • |
Assignments 2 and 3 - 20% each (40% total) |
| |
Assignment 4 - 30 % |
| • |
Class participation* 20% |
* Your general performance in class including participation, attendance,
and punctuality, except in the special cases listed above, such as if
you have more than 3 unexcused absences.
Generally, outstanding ('A') students in this class have good attendance
and completed all their assignments on time. They are consistently well
prepared for class, and actively participate in and advance our discussions
with pertinent information, questions, and observations. Their work demonstrate
their awareness of the issues at hand, the historical context for the
film and videos they are discussing, as well as their ability to articulate
their observations and analyses in a clear and concise manner. Only letter
grades are given out in this class.
Academic Accommodations - A student’s home campus is responsible for establishing and providing accommodations. You must contact your home institution to establish accommodations. Below is a list of coordinators:
CMC - Julia Easley, julia.easley@claremontmckenna.edu
Harvey Mudd – Deborah Kahn, dkahn@hmc.edu
Pitzer- Gabriella Tempestoso, gabriella_tempestoso@pitzer.edu
Pomona - Jan Collins-Eaglin, Jan.Collins-Eaglin@pomona.edu
Scripps - Academic Resources and Services (ARS) at ars@scrippscollege.edu
Academic Dishonesty - Academic dishonesty in any form -- including the representation of someone else's work as your own, the destruction or malicious alteration of the work of others, the re-use of work prepared for another course, and so on -- will be subject to the most severe penalties permitted under your school's student code.
Extra credit - Students are
encouraged to attend screenings, conferences, lectures, exhibitions and
web events related to this course. Write a two-page (typed and double-spaced)
report of the event or activity. Incorporate the event's relevance to
the class as well as your personal responses to it. Proof of attendance
is required (keep your ticket stubs, programs, etc.) Students are allowed
two extra credit papers. Announcements for events of interest to this
class are done in the first 5 mins. of each class.
* I try my best to make my grading criteria as clear as possible,
and you are welcome to come and discuss your grades and your class performance
with me. However, I only consider legitimate concerns, and be aware that
your grade is as likely to go down as it is to go up after I reassess
your assignment. I do not tolerate haggling, bribing, threats, and any
other pointless arguments. I consider all aspects of your performance
before I assign a grade, please respect my assessment as I respect your
efforts.
Equipment:
Equipment and editing rooms can now be reserved on-line at the Media
Studies web site
Equipment Checkout Days:
Mondays and Thursdays
DVD, CD, DAT tapes and other media for class projects can be purchased at the bookstore,
on-line, or at any good A/V supply store (Ametron, Studio Film & Tape,
etc.) If you go to a supply store or buy on-line, it is usually cheaper
to buy in bulk, so a group of you may want to organize and purchase tapes
together.
* A note on general respect and care: we are all depending on each
other to keep our equipment in good working order. If the equipment breaks
down, no one can complete his or her work! You are responsible for reading
and following rules for equipment usage. Stephanie Hutin, Eddie Gonzalez or myself may revoke
access privileges at any time if the rules are not followed. Use common
sense and please be considerate of each other: return the equipment on
time.
|
| |
Course Schedule:
Week 1: Introduction
Tuesday 9.4
• |
Introduction |
| • |
Go over syllabus, assignments, reading, etc. |
Screening (9.4, Tuesday, 7pm)
THE JAZZ SINGER (1927) Dir. Alan Crosland
Thursday 9.6
• |
What
is sound? |
| • |
What is the study of sound? |
| • |
Sound, vision, and Modernism |
Required Reading
Luigi Russolo, The Art of Noises: Futurist Manifesto, in Audio Culture, pp.10-14
Jonathan Sterne, "Sonic Imaginations," The Sound Studies Reader, pp. 1-17
I. 'SILENT' TO SOUND CINEMA
Week 2: The Coming of Sound
Tuesday 9.11
• |
The development and reception of sound technologies in American film industry |
Required Reading
Douglas Gomery, The Coming of Sound: Technological Change in the American Film Industry, in Film Sound, pp. 5-24
Screening (9.11, Tuesday, 7pm)
Excerpt from BIRTH OF A NATION (1915) Dir. D.W. Griffith
Thursday 9.13
| • |
THE JAZZ SINGER |
• |
The development and reception of sound technologies in European cinema |
| • |
Two versions of Dracula (1931) Dir. Tod Browning; Dir. George Melford |
| • |
Powerpoints from class: 1 |
Required Reading
Douglas Gomery, Economic Struggle and Hollywood Imperialism: Europe Converts to Sound, in Film Sound, pp. 25-36
Sergei Eisenstein, Vsevolod Pudovkin, and Grigori Aleksandrov, A Statement
Vsevolod Pudovkin, Asynchronism as a Principle of Sound Film
Rene Clair, The Art of Sound
Last 3 in Film Sound, pp. 83-95
Film
Excerpt from THE JAZZ SINGER (1927) Dir. Alan Crosland
Excerpt from BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN (1925) Dir. Segei Eisenstein
Suggested Reading
Scott Eyman, The Speed of Sound, the production and reception of THE JAZZ SINGER are discussed in the prologue and pp. 129-142
Week 3: Silent Film Sound
Tuesday 9.18
| • |
Writing silent film history |
| • |
Crisis Historiography |
| • |
Early film sound |
| • |
Film sound developed by Edison |
Reading
Rick Altman, Silent Film Sound, pp. 77-93 (read), 157-178 (read), 5-23 (skim)
Screening (9.18, Tuesday, 7pm)
REBIRTH OF A NATION (2004) by Paul D. Miller (AKA DJ Spooky - That Subliminal Kid)
Thursday 9.20
| • |
Silent film music |
| • |
Scoring BIRTH OF A NATION |
• |
Re-scoring BIRTH OF A NATION |
| • |
Powerpoints from class: 2 |
Reading
Rick Altman, Silent Film Sound, pp. 289-319 (read), 249-269 (skim)
Film
Excerpts from REBIRTH OF A NATION (2004) by Paul D. Miller (AKA DJ Spooky - That Subliminal Kid)
Suggested Reading
Scott Eyman, The Speed of Sound, pp. 25-107
Week 4: Sound Technology and Early Cinema
Tuesday 9.25
| • |
Audiovisual technology before 1927 |
Reading
James Lastra, Sound Technology and The American Cinema, pp. 92-122
Suggested Reading
James Lastra, Sound Technology and The American Cinema, pp. 1-92
Screening (9.25, Tuesday, 7pm)
PSYCHO (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Thursday 9.27
| • |
The standardization of sound practices |
| • |
Powerpoints from class: 3 |
Reading
James Lastra, Sound Technology and The American Cinema, pp. 154-179
Film
Excerpts from REBIRTH OF A NATION (2004) by Paul D. Miller (AKA DJ Spooky - That Subliminal Kid)
Watch and read more at Miller's web site
Suggested Reading
James Lastra, Sound Technology and The American Cinema, pp. 122-153, 180-222
II. FILM SOUND THEORIES
Week 5: Assignment #1 In Class, Audio-Vision
Tuesday 10.2
No Reading Assignment Today - go over your notes on the first four weeks of class to prepare for Assignment #1
Screening (10.2, Tuesday, 7pm)
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Thursday 10.4
| • |
Added value |
| • |
Vococentricism |
| • |
Empathetic vs. anempathetic music |
| • |
Spotting |
| • |
Different modes of listening |
Reading
Michel Chion, Audio-Vision, pp. 3-34
Film
Excerpts from PERSONA (1966) Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Excerpts from PSYCHO (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Excerpts from HERO (2002) Directed by Zhang Yimou
Excerpts from KISS ME DEADLY (1955) Directed by Robert Aldrich
Suggested Reading
Michel Chion, Audio-Vision, pp. 35-94
Week 6: Audio-Vision
Tuesday 10.9
| • |
Audio visual analysis |
| • |
Masking and forced marriage |
| • |
Standard outline of analysis |
| • |
Example of an audio visual analysis |
Reading
Michel Chion, Audio-Vision, pp. 185-198
Film
Excerpts from BLADE RUNNER (1982) Directed by Ridley Scott
Excerpts from PERSONA (1966) Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Screening (2.21, Tuesday, 7pm)
BLUE (1993) Directed by Derek Jarman
Thursday 10.11
| • |
Assignment 2 and 3 |
| • |
Audio Visual Analysis Assignment: Create an audio visual analysis of the film clip I show in class based on Chion's model analysis (p. 198) 3-5 pages, typed, single-spaced for scene breakdown, double-spaced for analysis. |
| • |
Powerpoints from class: 4 |
Reading
Michel Chion, Audio-Vision, pp. 198-213
Film
Excerpts from BLADE RUNNER (1982) Directed by Ridley Scott
Excerpts from PERSONA (1966) Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Suggested Reading
Michel Chion, Audio-Vision, pp. 95-137
Week 7: The Voice in Cinema, Assignment #4 Groups
Tuesday 10.16
| • |
Pre-filmic origins of voices
in cinema |
| • |
Voices on the screen and vococentrism |
| • |
Acousmetre |
Reading
Michel Chion, The Voice in Cinema, pp. 1-13, 13-29
Film
Excerpts from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Excerpts from THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) Directed by Victor Fleming
Screening (10.16, Tuesday, 7pm)
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1951) Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen
Thursday 10.18
| • |
Go over Assignment 4, form groups |
| • |
The I-voice |
| • |
Nailing and rigging |
| • |
Anacousmetre
|
| • |
Other voices |
| • |
Powerpoints from class: 5 |
Reading
Michel Chion, The Voice in Cinema, pp. 49-57, 125-151
Film
Excerpts from PSYCHO (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Excerpts from SANS SOLEIL (1982) Directed by Chris Marker
Excerpts from NEWS FROM HOME (1976) Directed by Chantal Akerman
Week 8: Body Talk, Fall Break
Tuesday 10.22 - Fall Break NO CLASS MEETING, NO SCREENING THIS WEEK
Thursday 10.25
| • |
Assignment 4 groups formed |
| • |
Freudian and Laconian psychoanalysis
and feminist film theory |
Reading
Kaja Silverman, The Acoustic Mirror, pp. 1-41
Film
Excerpts from PSYCHO (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Excerpts from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1951) Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen
Week 9: Body Talk, The Fantasy of The Maternal Voice
Tuesday 10.30
| • |
The voices of women in Hollywood films |
| • |
Sonic vraisemblable |
| • |
Unhinged female voices |
Reading
Kaja Silverman, The Acoustic Mirror, pp. 41-71
Film
Excerpts from PSYCHO (1960) Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Excerpts from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1951) Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley
Donen
Screening (10.20, Tuesday, 7pm)
DIVA (1981) Directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix
RIDDLES OF THE SPHINX (1981) Directed by Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen - optional
Thursday 11.1
| • |
Fantasy of entrapment (Chion) |
| • |
Fantasy of interiority (Kristeva's concept
of the chora) |
| • |
Motherhood in feminist film - Laura Mulvey's "voice-off" |
Reading
Kaja Silverman, The Acoustic Mirror, Ch. 3, pp. 72-100, Ch. 4,
pp. 101-140
Film
Excerpts from DIVA (1981) Directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix
Excerpts from RIDDLES OF THE SPHINX (1981) Directed by Laura Mulvey and
Peter Wollen
Week 10: The Screaming Point, Film Music
Tuesday 11.6
| • |
The Screaming Point: 2 perspectives |
| • |
Powerpoints from class: 6 |
| • |
Psychoanalysis Assignment: Create an psychoanalytic reading
of one of the film clips I show in class for this assignment, or a scene from a film of your choice, based on the theoretical frameworks deployed by Silverman as well as her reference to and critique of Chion. 5-7 pages, typed, double-spaced, with footnotes or other form of citation. |
Reading
Michel Chion, The Voice in Cinema, pp. 75-79
Kaja Silverman, The Acoustic Mirror, pp. 72-79
Film
Excerpts from FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) Directed by Sean Cunningham
Excerpts from SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (1948) Directed by Anatole Litvak
Excerpts from KUNG FU HUSTLE (2004) Directed by Stephen Chow
Screening (11.6, Tuesday, 7pm)
ZERO DE CONDUITE (1933) Directed by Jean Vigo, 41 mins
MILDRED PIERCE (1945) Directed by Michael Curtiz - optional (try to view at least half the film)
Thursday 11.8
| • |
Check-in on Assignment 4, due in 4 weeks |
| • |
The function of film music |
| • |
Film music and narrative |
| • |
Film music in Classical Hollywood practice |
| • |
Film scores by Max Steiner - the case study of MILDRED PIERCE |
Reading
Claudia Gorbman, Unheard Melodies, Introduction, pp. 1-7, Ch.4 pp. 70-98
Film
Excerpts from KING KONG (1933) Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack (uncredited)
Excerpts from MILDRED PIERCE (1945) Directed by Michael Curtiz
Suggested Reading
Claudia Gorbman, Unheard Melodies, Ch. 1-3 pp. 8-69
Week 11: Film Music
Tuesday 11.13
| • |
Steiner's score for MILDRED PIERCE |
| • |
Maurice Jaubert's score for ZERO DE CONDUITE |
| • |
Powerpoints from class: 7 |
Reading
Claudia Gorbman, Unheard Melodies, Ch. 6 pp. 113-139
Film
Excerpts from MILDRED PIERCE (1945) Directed by Miichael Curtiz
Excerpts from ZERO DE CONDUITE (1933) Directed by Jean Vigo, 41 mins
Suggested Reading
Claudia Gorbman, Unheard Melodies, Ch. 5 pp. 99-109; Ch. 7-8 pp. 161; her analyses of two additional films: Sous les toits de Paris (1930) Directed by Rene Clair; Hangover Square (1944) Directed by John Brahm
Screening (11.13, Tuesday, 7pm)
THELMA AND LOUISE (1991) Directed by Ridley Scott
LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989) Directed by Richard Donner - optional
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) Directed by John McTiernan - optional
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984) Directed by Steven Spielberg - optional
Thursday 11.15
| • |
Film music in contemporary Hollywood films |
| • |
Music and gender |
| • |
Composed score vs. compiled score |
| • |
Assimilation identifications vs. affiliating identifications |
| • |
The use of compiled scores in the 1990s - DANGEROUS LIAISONS, DESERT HEARTS, BAGDAD CAFE, DIRTY DANCING, THELMA AND LOUISE |
Reading
Anahid Kassabian, Hearing Film, Prologue pp. 1-14 (skim), Ch. 3 pp. 61-89
Film
Excerpts from THELMA AND LOUISE (1991) Directed by Ridley Scott
Excerpts from DESERT HEARTS (1985) Directed by Donna Deitch
Excerpts from DIRTY DANCING(1987) Directed by Emile Ardolino
Suggested Reading
Anahid Kassabian, Hearing Film, Ch. 1-2 pp. 15-60
Week 12: Film Music, Thanksgiving
Tuesday 11.20
| • |
Hollywood and nationalism - THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, LETHAL WEAPON 2 |
| |
Film music analysis: Kassabian's model |
| • |
Film Music Assignment: There are 2 options for this assignment. Click for more details |
| • |
Powerpoints from class: 8 |
Reading
Anahid Kassabian, Hearing Film, Ch. 4 pp. 90-116
Film
Excerpts from THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER (1990) Directed by John McTiernan
Excerpts from INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984) Directed by Steven Spielberg
Excerpts from LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989) Directed by Richard Donner
Suggested Reading
Anahid Kassabian, Hearing Film, Ch. 5 and Epilogue pp. 117-148
No Screening This Week
Thursday 4.6 - Thanksgiving Holiday NO CLASS MEETING
Week 13: Sound as Text / Sound as Event, Filmic Sound Spaces
Tuesday 11.27
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Groups formed for class activity on Thursday 11.29 |
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Sound recording workshop with Production Center staff TBC |
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We will be having class today in a number of different
places, please come on time so you will know where we are going. |
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Cinema as text |
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Cinema as event |
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Sound as event |
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4.5 Film fallacies |
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Reading
Rick Altman, Sound Theory/Sound Practice, pp. 1-31, 35-45
No Screening This Week
Thursday 11.29
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Group activity: Each group will choose an alternative spaces and set up a recording context for part of today's class. Excerpts of these recordings will be played back at the end of class back in the classroom. Each group should email me before class with their choice of space. |
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Filmic sound spaces |
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Theater and studio design |
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Sound engineers and the electrical construction of space |
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Recording Assignment: produce a 5 minute recording that responds to the various issues of the sound space and the reproduction of sound raised by Altman. The recording should demonstrate the way acoustics define that space - spatially, technologically, and theoretically. Click for more details |
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Powerpoints from class: 9 |
Reading
Emily Thompson, The Soundscape of Modernity, pp. 256-285
Additional Reading
Rick Altman, Sound Theory/Sound Practice, pp. 46-64
Michel Chion, Audio-Vision, pp. 66-94
Henri Lefebvre, The Production of Space, Ch. 1-4, pp. 1-291
Emily Thompson, The Soundscape of Modernity
Week 14: Assignment 4 Presentations
Tuesday 12.4 and Thursday 12.6
No Screening or Reading This Week
Week 15: Film Music & Recording Assignments Due; Final Class Meeting, Class Evaluation
Tuesday 12.11
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Film Music Assignment (option 2) and Recording Assignment in-class presentations, papers for Recording Assignment can be handed in today, final deadline 12.18 |
Thursday 12.13
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Wrap-up discussion |
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Class evaluations |
No Screening or Reading This Week
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