Film Sound, Music, and Musicals

Catalog description

This course explores the hundred-year history of music's use in cinema from live accompaniment of silent film to synchronized soundtracks and digital technologies. Students will develop basic tools for analyzing audio-visual relationships and examine landmark uses of film sound and music in the context of technological and industry developments. We will explore major composers such as Max Steiner, Bernard Herrmann, and John Williams, pop-based compilation scores, the introduction of Dolby noise reduction, and cultural analysis of the Hollywood musical. The objective is to develop a comparative understanding of the function and aesthetics of music and sound in cinema from its earliest days to the present. Prerequisite(s): A MUS 100 or permission of the instructor.