Entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree, equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen, from an internationally recognised university. Proficiency in English equivalent to the general entry requirements for first-cycle (Bachelor's level) studies

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of this course, the student is expected to be able to

- have an understanding of the state of scholarship concerning the use of music in film and other moving visual media.

- assess and apply different methods of film music analysis and account for their basic terminologies and concepts.

- have a solid understanding of the technological conditions, historical developments, and conventions of film music in different periods and genres.

Content

Music has been an important component in film ever since moving images were established as an art form at the end of the 19th century. Prior to that, film music has deep roots in different traditions of opera and theatre music. In this course we study film music as an art form, its relations to film technology, narrative, dramatic interpretation etc.

This course covers methodological orientation and theoretical applications based on current literature, as well as case studies discussed in seminar form.

The material studied may vary according to case studies, including e.g. the following:

- musical practice in the silent film period

- composer biograph films

- music in the films of Ingmar Bergman

- music of avant-garde films in the 1920s

- Rock Musicals from the 1960s through 1990s

- Opera films

Instruction

Introductory lectures will provide historical context for the course material and texts, methodological issues, and basic terminology of film music studies. In subsequent seminars seminal research literature and case studies based on student presentations will be discussed.

Assessment

Presentation of individual texts and/or film scores, active seminar participation, and one major essay.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.