Module description
There are several possible topics that might be taught in this module, from popular European or Asian cinemas to popular music to popular media. This year the topic will be “Film and Popular Music.”
Music has since the inception of narrative film always been an important element of the cinema experience, from live accompaniment in the silent era through to the synergies which today find the two industries inextricably entwined. Moving beyond a conception of film music as merely a formal dimension of cinematic language, this module will acknowledge popular music's commercial and artistic heritages in order to enrich the ways in which Film Studies typically discusses movie music. Focusing on the last 70 years of film and popular music, we will be seeking to understand how film music is manufactured and consumed—as film and as music—through an exploration of various industrial, economic, historical, theoretical, and aesthetic factors. But the module also distinguishes music and cinema as something much larger than simply a film's soundtrack—popular music has developed to become an integral part of cinema on an array of fronts, particularly in the areas of stardom, performance, liveness, and genre.
The module will start with the introduction of rock 'n' roll into American film via the so-called "jukebox musicals" of the late 1950s, with our focus in the first two weeks being on Elvis Presley and The Beatles on film. From there we will proceed to cover several types of Anglo-American popular music and film interchange, including: the concert film and the access-all-areas documentary; the compilation soundtrack (e.g. "41 Original Hits from the Soundtrack of American Graffiti") and the soul performer soundtrack (of the Blaxploitation cycle); punk music and punk film; films representing and documenting youth music (sub)cultures; music stars as actors and/or film stars as musicians; and the director-as-DJ from Martin Scorsese through Wes Anderson. In all, we will examine in detail the myriad ways in which these two powerful entertainment industries have become so interwoven.
Assessment details
- Participation (10%)
- Essay 1300 words (30%)
- Essay 2700 words (60%)
Teaching pattern
Ten one hour lectures, ten three-hour screenings and ten one-hour seminars.