Through critical analysis and discussion of popular media scores and soundtracks, including films, video games, and series, this course unveils how the creation, production, and implementation of effective and affective music immerse spectator-listeners into a visual narrative.
Athena Title
Music and Media
Prerequisite
MUSI 1100 or MUSI 3550 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will analyze popular film scores and iterate how the music supports the narrative by describing the music’s type, function, and compositional components (e.g., melody, harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, spatialization.)
Students will identify the genre of a score through popular timbral and stylistic associations.
Students will deduce the a/effectiveness of a score by its type and temporal placement.
Students will relay the psychological aspects of successful music implementation in creating narratively immersive content.
Topical Outline
Class overview for Music and Media
Concepts: underscore, source music, melody, harmony, instrumentation/timbre, tempo/rhythm,
spatialization, music psychology/cognition, narrative immersion
• Introduction: Psychology of music in media, the power of association, and the key to
immortalizing a story
• Introduction: Forms of media (film, television, video games, musical theater,
commercials) and the differences in music-making processes
• In-depth discussion on genre with examples/case studies derived from popular media:
o Drama/Romance
o Science Fiction
o Thriller/Horror/Suspense
o Action & Adventure
o Comedy
o Animation
o Super/hero
o War/Military
o Western
o Documentary & Reality TV
o Commercials & Sonic branding
o Video games: 8- & 16-bit music
• Soundtracks vs. Score; source and diegesis
• Guest composers will be invited to speak on their scores depending on availability.
