Students
MMCS303 – Music, Sound and Moving Image
2016 – S1 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer in Media Studies
Ilona Hongisto
Contact via email
Y3A 193F
Thursdays 2-4pm
Associate lecturer
Waldo Garrido
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| Credit points |
Credit points
3
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
Moving images, in whatever form we consume them, are nothing without the soundtracks that underpin them and the soundscapes that surround them. This unit allows students to explore, analyse and create screen soundtracks building on theories of film and television studies, popular music studies, interactivity and gaming, genre, cultural history, audience engagement, narrative and character development. Fans, musicians, screen makers and anyone interested in exploring multimedia communication would benefit from this exploration into the unique interactions between music, sound and the moving image, as we break down the effectiveness of visual and sonic storytelling in a variety of contexts. Music, Sound and the Moving Image explores histories of screen and sound technologies and their interactions, but also uses these as a way to track and predict how future developments might play and sound out.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Understand and recall 'vocabulary' for screen sound analysis
- Create/synthesise practical skills in screen sound creation
- Apply focused listening skills directly related to soundtracks
- Evaluate the historical and technological developments in screen sound
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due | Groupwork/Individual | Short Extension | AI Approach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Task 1 | 30% | 29 March 5pm | No | ||
| Assessment Task 2 | 30% | 29 April during tutes | No | ||
| Assessment Task 3 | 40% | 10 June 5pm | No |
Assessment Task 1
Due: 29 March 5pm
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach:
Assessment Task length: Must not exceed 1500 words (including your cue sheet).
Submission is via TURNITIN – no hard copy submission.
Choose ONLY ONE of the three scenes listed below from Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001) and complete an analysis of screen sound including, but not limited to, music's emotional effect and relationship with narrative.
These are the ONLY scene choices for analysis:
1. A kingdom of night-time pleasures: http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/moulin-rouge/clip1/
2. Satine, the sparkling diamond: http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/moulin-rouge/clip2/
3. Love: http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/moulin-rouge/clip3/
While you only need to engage with one clip, you will need to see the rest of the film in order to understand the contextual importance of the scene you are analysing and develop an argument of the overall importance of this scene.
The unit reader includes two existing readings of the film to support the analysis.
Students will present their findings as an annotated cue sheet (a blank template will be placed in iLearn) and a written analysis based on the identified cues. The cue sheet functions as the basis for the written analysis.
The most productive responses will begin by diagnosing key aspects of the relationship between sound and image, then exploring how these impact the film overall. You do not have to note every sound and image edit, but you will be expected to note and discuss at least 10 cues.
Assessment criteria: You will be assessed on your ability to diagnose screen sound as it occurs (i.e. log sound cues as they occur) AND comment on their significance critically. You will need to use appropriate vocabulary for film sound analysis.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand and recall 'vocabulary' for screen sound analysis
- Apply focused listening skills directly related to soundtracks
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Assessment Task 2
Due: 29 April during tutes
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach:
Working in groups of 3–4 that will be allocated by the tutors students will create the soundtrack to a short section of a film as well as a 500 word justification (each student submits their own justification which will be marked separately to the group work).
Assessment tasks are to be submitted IN PERSON during your tutorials on April 29. Each member of the group MUST BE PRESENT to submit. Each group must submit one AUDIOVISUAL FILE (please label the file with all contributors' names or student IDs. In addition, each student must print and submit their own 500 WORD JUSTIFICATION. The group works will be presented to the rest of the class on the day of submission.
Groups must choose between the following clips:
1. http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/the-woman-suffers/clip1/
2. http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/the-woman-suffers/clip2/
3. http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/the-woman-suffers/clip3/
Please note: In order to complete the task, students must download a clip from the links above and synch the sound to the given image track.
The focus of the assessment task is to create a soundtrack that works effectively with the events depicted in the scene.
Soundtracks should reflect the theoretical and practical foundations covered throughout the course. It is recommended that groups link the image and sound tracks on a simple home computer system such as iMovie or a PC equivalent. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO DO THIS WITH YOUR EXISTING EQUIPMENT IT IS UP TO YOU TO DISCUSS WITH THE TUTORS SO THAT TIMELY ACCESS CAN BE ARRANGED.
Assessment criteria: The group work will be assessed on a pass/fail basis with a focus on the effectiveness of the created relationships between image and sound. The individual 500 word justifications will be assessed separately with a focus on the student's ability to reflect on the group choices analytically.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Create/synthesise practical skills in screen sound creation
- Evaluate the historical and technological developments in screen sound
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Assessment Task 3
Due: 10 June 5pm
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach:
Assessment Task length: Must not exceed 2000 words (including references).
Submission is via TURNITIN – no hard copy submission.
Assessment task 3 will draw primarily on material from the second half of the course, however material from the first half of the course will also benefit here.
The best way to achieve maximum results for this task is to maintain a commitment to the course by keeping up with weekly lectures, tutorials and readings.
Please note: This is a formal essay which will require clear referencing and appropriate research. The weekly readings and other recommended texts are an important place to start for this assessment task. You MUST refer to at least three (3) academic sources on the topic in your essay.
Essay question choices:
1. Musical moments in film. Choose two 'musical moments' (as defined by Amy Herzog) from films that abide to different genre conventions. Analyse the impact of the musical moments on the films' narratives and reflect on your findings in relation to their genre specificity.
2. Sounding bodies. Choose two screen media pieces from different time periods that depict the actions of human bodies with sound. Examine the ways in which sound relates to the body and compare your examples analytically with reference to their historical context.
Assessment criteria: You will be assessed on your ability to describe the audiovisual texture of your chosen examples as well as on your ability to contextualize the examples to genres and/or historical periods. Your use of academic literature will be assessed with particular attention placed on the appropriateness of the literature to your examples.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand and recall 'vocabulary' for screen sound analysis
- Evaluate the historical and technological developments in screen sound
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Delivery and Resources
Compulsory weekly readings are listed below. They are available at the Printery for on demand printing. Students are expected to bring the unit reader to class each week.
Week 1 (4.3.)
Anahid Kassabian (2001) ‘How Music Works in Film’ in Hearing Film: Tracking Identifications in Contemporary Hollywood Film Music. New York: Routledge, pp. 37–60.
Carol Piechota (2006) ‘Give Me a Second Grace: Music as Absolution in The Royal Tenenbaums’. Online: http://sensesofcinema.com/2006/on-movies-musicians-and-soundtracks/music_tenenbaums/
Week 2 (11.3.)
James Buhler & David Neumeyer (2010) ‘The Musicality of the Sound Track: Concepts and Terminology’ in Hearing the Movies: Music and Sound in Film History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 34–64, 425–432.
Week 3 (18.3.)
Richard Dyer (2002/1977) ‘Entertainment and Utopia’ in Steven Cohan (ed.) Hollywood Musicals, The Film Reader. New York: Routledge, pp. 19–30.
Rick Altman (2002) ‘The American Film Musical as Dual-Focus Narrative’ in Steven Cohan (ed.) Hollywood Musicals, The Film Reader. New York: Routledge, pp. 41–51.
Week 4 (1.4.)
Michel Chion (1994) ‘The Audio Visual Scene’ in Audio-Vision. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 66–94.
Robynn J. Stilwell (2013) “Audiovisual Space in an Era of Technological Convergence” in John Richardson, Claudia Gorbman & Carol Vernallis (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 125–145.
Week 5 (8.4.)
Amy Herzog (2010) ‘The Musical Moment’ in Dreams of Difference, Songs of the Same: The Musical Moment in Film. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, pp. 5–8.
John Richardson (2013) “The Neosurrealist Musical and Tsai Ming-Liang’s The Wayward Cloud” in John Richardson, Claudia Gorbman & Carol Vernallis (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 284–308.
Week 6 (29.4.)
Stephen Deutsch (2010) ‘Psycho and the orchestration of anxiety’ in The Soundtrack 3:1, 53–66.
Week 7 (6.5.)
Graham Wood (2008) ‘Why do they start to sing and dance all of a sudden? Examining the film musical’ in W. Everett & P. Laird (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to the Musical. Cambrisge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 305–324.
Stan Hawkins (2013) Aesthetics and Hyperembodiment in Pop Videos: Rihanna’s “Umbrella”’ in John Richardson, Claudia Gorbman & Carol Vernallis (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 466–482.
Week 8 (13.5.)
Jeffrey Ruoff (1992) ‘Conventions of Sound in Documentary’ in Rick Altman (ed.)
Sound Theory, Sound Practice. New York: Routledge, 217–234. Online: https://www.dartmouth.edu/~jruoff/Articles/ConventionsofSound.htm
Selmin Kara & Alanna Thain (2015) ‘Sonic Ethnographies: Leviathan and New
Materialisms in Documentary’ in Holly Rogers (ed.) Music and Sound in Documentary Film. New York, Routledge, pp. 180–192.
Week 9 (20.5.)
Aline Remael (2012) ‘For the Use of Sound. Film Sound Analysis for Audio-Description: Some Key Issues’ in MonTI 4, pp. 255–276.
Week 10 (27.5.)
Mary Ann Doane (1985) ‘The Voice in the Cinema: The Articulation of Body and
Space’ in Elizabeth Weis and John Belton (eds.) Film Sound: Theory and Practice. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 162–176.
Week 11 (3.6.)
Nicholas Cook (2013), ‘Beyond Music: Mashup, Multimedia Mentality, and Intellectual Property’ in John Richardson, Claudia Gorbman & Carol Vernallis (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 53–76.
Philip Auslander (2013) ‘Sound and Vision. The Audio/Visual Economy of Musical Performance’ in John Richardson, Claudia Gorbman & Carol Vernallis (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of New Audiovisual Aesthetics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 605–621.
Readings for Assessment Task 1:
Sangita Gopal & Sujata Moorti (2011) ‘Bollywood in Drag: Moulin Rouge! and the Aesthetics of Global Cinema’ in Camera Obscura 25:3, pp. 29–67.
Katherine R. Larson (2009) ‘Silly Love Songs: The Impact of Puccini’s La Bohème on the Intertextual Strategies of Moulin Rouge!’ in The Journal of Popular Culture 42:6, pp. 1040–1052.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/
Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Additional information
MMCCS website https://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/faculties_and_departments/faculty_of_arts/department_of_media_music_communication_and_cultural_studies/
MMCCS Session Re-mark Application http://www.mq.edu.au/pubstatic/public/download/?id=167914
Information is correct at the time of publication
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
Creative and Innovative
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Create/synthesise practical skills in screen sound creation
Assessment task
- Assessment Task 2
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Apply focused listening skills directly related to soundtracks
- Evaluate the historical and technological developments in screen sound
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Assessment tasks
- Assessment Task 1
- Assessment Task 2
- Assessment Task 3
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand and recall 'vocabulary' for screen sound analysis
- Create/synthesise practical skills in screen sound creation
- Evaluate the historical and technological developments in screen sound
Assessment tasks
- Assessment Task 1
- Assessment Task 2
- Assessment Task 3
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand and recall 'vocabulary' for screen sound analysis
- Apply focused listening skills directly related to soundtracks
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Assessment tasks
- Assessment Task 1
- Assessment Task 2
- Assessment Task 3
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand and recall 'vocabulary' for screen sound analysis
- Apply focused listening skills directly related to soundtracks
- Evaluate the historical and technological developments in screen sound
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Assessment tasks
- Assessment Task 1
- Assessment Task 2
- Assessment Task 3
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Evaluate the historical and technological developments in screen sound
Assessment tasks
- Assessment Task 2
- Assessment Task 3
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand and recall 'vocabulary' for screen sound analysis
- Create/synthesise practical skills in screen sound creation
- Apply focused listening skills directly related to soundtracks
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Assessment tasks
- Assessment Task 1
- Assessment Task 2
- Assessment Task 3
Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Assessment tasks
- Assessment Task 1
- Assessment Task 2
- Assessment Task 3
Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Create/synthesise practical skills in screen sound creation
- Evaluate the historical and technological developments in screen sound
- Analyse the role of sound in different genres
Assessment tasks
- Assessment Task 1
- Assessment Task 2
- Assessment Task 3