“Music is the universal language of mankind.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Title: The Language We Don't Talk About: Hearing Time and Place in Film Scores
Abstract: This project delves into the world of musical color, specifically in relation to the creation of the sensation of a time and place in cinema. It is an in-depth exploration of this aspect of film music and its relationship with American culture via YOU (any American). This project argues the musical color in film scores has become a national language by comparing score motifs internationally and within American pop culture. It is targeted for any film listener (even the blind). It will be a pedagogical, interactive website (flash or html) that, if time permits, may launch a multi-layered, interactive game (flash).
Media Presentation & Justification: This thesis will include a flash website with film clips, sound clips, visual images, and game devices to allow decision making in order to let the user to declare their own connotations when they hear score motifs. This project should be in multimedia because "writing about music is like dancing about architecture" -Zappa. Also, this project requires the allowance of users to make decisions in a way that cannot be done in an essay. It is a personal discovery best revealed through interactivity.
9 comments:
I think your idea is really unique and innovative. Would you include analysis of why the specific song is associated with emotions (ex. a particular rhythm, chord progressions, etc)? Also, how are you planning on having the user make decisions? Will they go through a series of multiple choice questions, or have free range in their response?
sounds great!
i really like your ideas, but it seems a bit ambitious. if you could combine certain aspects or trim it down a little, i think your project would be perfect.
this sounds really riveting but i was wondering what music you are choosing based on what user experience (ie, emotions? genres? time period? all the above?)
The earliest print citation of the "dancing about architecture" phrase is an interview with Elvis Costello, in Musician magazine vol. 60, October 1983. Here's more detail. I think people cite Zappa in confusion with what he did say about music journalism: "Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read."
This is a really interesting project. I'm very excited for it!
I have to ask, though, whether you plan to really delve into ideas of multi-culturalism in music or if you're simply using americans as a way to refine your thesis? Like, could this educate non-Americans that are trying to learn more about our culture? Or vice versa?
I really like the topic of film scores; I don't think it's discussed enough.
I was wondering if the music would be separated from the film. In other words, does, for instance, the theme from Forest Gump carry the weight it does because of the film it's paired with, or does it stand alone with its own emotive feelings?
I'm specifying that my project is "for American users" because the way different cultures hear and use music can be completely different (though I realize that many cultures are incredibly similar in their use and reception). I have one activity that will show the differences/similarities between Hollywood cinema score motifs and Bollywood.
I am planning to focus mainly on time in place expressions in film scores.
Sorry about the misquote - I read that online and the citation was to Zappa. I didn't think to question it.
I might put some video in my intro, but for the most part I want to keep my project focused on scores unattached to video. That makes my project much more narrowed and easier to build. I am trying to prove that even without visual aids, we understand what the music is saying - even through different voices (the varied instrument choices different composers make to say the same thing).
No free range responses, just multiple choice - I plan to spice some of the activities up by having the results of all users' choices shown in a graph at the end of a question.
*time AND place expressions (not time in place...tyyypo)
I agree with everyone else's comments here...great idea for the synthesis of multimedia, education, and art. And, I think it will be really fun :)
I was just wondering if you were going to have any discussion of the scores in their original context...possibly to show how they were used and how the could be used differently.
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