Film Music Research Articles

The Great Pretenders: Genre, Form, and Style in the Film Musicals of John Carney

The Great Pretenders: Genre, Form, and Style in the Film Musicals of John Carney

The role of gender in emotional reactions elicited by music: Autonomic reactivity, facial expression, and self-reports

Studies in the field of emotions have yielded mixed findings regarding differences between women’s and men’s emotional reactivity. In the majority, emotional scenes, facial expressions, and movies were used as stimuli. However, music has been less frequently used, despite its capacity to evoke strong emotional responses in the listeners. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of gender in emotional reactivity to music. A sample of 110 healthy participants (60 women) listened to 42 excerpts (14 pleasant, 14 neutral, 14 unpleasant) from the Film Music Stimulus Set (FMSS) for 8 s, while their autonomic reactivity and facial expression were continuously recorded. Participants then rated each excerpt on affective dimensions (hedonic valence, tension arousal, and energy arousal), discrete emotions (happiness, anger, fear, tenderness, and sadness), musical preference, and familiarity. Some differences were found between women’s and men’s reactivity to the stimuli, such that women showed a greater deceleration of heart rate while listening to both emotional (pleasant and unpleasant) and neutral music, and rated unpleasant excerpts as less preferred. Women also scored higher on trait anxiety compared to men. These results suggest that women may have heightened sensitivity to emotional stimuli, particularly unpleasant music, which could have implications for better understanding clinical pathologies that vary in prevalence based on gender.

‘Martenaut Waves’ in the Music of the French Avant-Garde Cinematographer of the First Half of the 20th Century (on the example of the creativity of A. Honegger)

The purpose of the study is to reveal the figurative, semantic and symbolic specificity of the interpretation of the timbre of "Martenaut waves" in the music of the French avant-garde cinematography of the first half of the 20th century, including in the work of A. Honegger. Research methodology. Cultural-historical, interdisciplinary historical-cultural, as well as analytical-musicological methods were essential for this work. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that it introduces for the first time into the circulation of art historians the materials related to the film music of A. Honegger and its timbral specificity, marked by an appeal to the semantic and expressive features of the "Martenaut waves". Conclusions. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, as a result of rapid scientific and technical progress, cinematography came to the forefront of world art. The unity of cinematography as a synthetic art and music is strengthened by the emergence of sound cinema in 1926-1927, in which music is recorded on the same film as the image. The use of electric musical instruments, including "Martenaut waves", becomes organic in this process. Thanks to their unusual timbre, they acquired the meaningful status of the embodiment of "the materialisation of the intangible." The world of hallucinations and dreams, mystical spiritual revelations and unusual natural phenomena – such was the range of images that were conveyed with the help of this instrument in French film music of the 1930s and 1940s. A. Honegger worked most fruitfully in this field during the mentioned period, whose creative output includes more than forty soundtracks, including those using "Martenaut waves". One of the first films in which the expressive timbre of this instrument is used was the science fiction film "The End of the World" (1931) directed by A. Gans, as well as the animated film "Idea" (1934) directed by B. Bartosh and artist F. Mazerel. In the musical accompaniment of these films, the timbre of the "Martenaut waves" occupies almost the most important place, revealing the connection of the instrument with the sphere of the Sacred and the Cosmic and the spiritual and stylistic searches of European modern culture.

Discussion on Empathetic Communication of Chinese Film Music -- Take Lost in the Stars as an example

Film music, as an artistic individual that can be independent of anything and a media tool that can assist film communication, has a profound impact on the development of the film market due to its highly permeable and emotional characteristics. From the perspective of empathy, film music has the connecting function of evoking emotional resonance, so film music is one of the important factors affecting audience experience and communication effect. This paper will take the movie Lost in the Stars as an example to discuss the empathetic communication of Chinese film music in four parts.

Music Education using Film Music in Liberal Arts Education

Music Education using Film Music in Liberal Arts Education

Analyzing the Form and Function of Film Music in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon within Anthropological Contexts

Analyzing the Form and Function of Film Music in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon within Anthropological Contexts

Out-group Characters Depicted in American Musical Films: Take the Film The Greatest Showman as an Example

The Greatest Showman, a 2017 film directed by Michael Gracey, focuses on the first circus in history, its founder, and its members under the background of The Great Depression. Therefore, this paper primarily examines the dialogue and lyrics in the film, and how these elements help to portray the out-group characters and describe what they have gone through. The data source of this research is The Greatest Showman (2017), which includes scripts, dialogues, and lyrics from the film soundtrack. Based on the content of the film, the authors carefully read the script credits and the soundtrack, subsequently selecting data relevant to the research topic and consulting secondary sources (research articles and audience reviews). By recording and analyzing relevant data, this paper relates them to the mechanisms of social identity theory. The paper finds that the film uses monologues, dialogues and title tracks to reflect the positions and emotions of out-group individuals, all of whom are discriminated against because of who they are, all of whom have good character traits, and all of whom dare to change the status quo, build shelters for themselves and ultimately take pride in their uniqueness and accept their out-group identity.

Echivalența versurilor în subtitrări ale filmelor Disney

This paper proposes a detailed analysis of the translation process of Disney movies´ lyrics, focusing on the concept of lexical equivalence and ways of correspondence between English and Romanian. Three Disney musical films – „Frozen” (2013), „The Lion King” (1994 and 2019), and „Moana” (2016) – are selected to illustrate various lexical contexts, highlighting the ways in which words and phrases are translated and adapted to preserve the melodicity of the lyrics. The analysis also focuses on translation errors, explaining the reasons for them and offering suggestions for replacing those lyrics. In the context of translation theory, it is emphasized that the process of transfer from source to target language involves creating an equivalence that preserves the specific features of the original text. Through the Disney films, the text explores the phenomenon of equivalence in lexical correspondence, which is partial in most cases. It also discusses the particularities of verse translation, focusing on the restrictions and challenges faced by the translator, such as adjusting the number of syllables to match the musical notes. Aspects such as repetition of words and phrases, placement of punctuation marks and rhythmic characteristics of the vocal line are also considered in the translation process. In addition to linguistic issues, this analysis explores the influence of Disney films on culture and language in childhood, highlighting the importance of adapting texts written for children to moral rules and age appropriateness. By addressing these issues, the paper provides a significant insight into understanding the complexity of the translation process and how it influences the reception of cultural elements between different languages.

Part of whose world? How The Little Mermaid (2023) attempts to revise the racist tropes of the 1989 animated film musical

The Little Mermaid (1989) has been the subject of much critical discussion but there has been little attention paid to its representation of race. Utilising textual analysis and drawing upon relevant critical paradigms from Disney studies and scholarship of film musicals, this article argues that The Little Mermaid was an implicitly racist narrative. Through analysis of the musical sequences this article shows how The Little Mermaid created a dichotomy between an exclusively white land life that is coded as superior to multiethnic Mer life. While white society on land is represented as postindustrial, well ordered and crime free, the multiethnic culture under the sea is coded not only as sexually unbridled, where promiscuous fish all “get the urge and start to play” with each other’s bodies, but as a thoroughly corrupt society racked with Welfare Queen coded villainesses dealing in black magic. The article contends that the 2023 remake attempts to revise many of the racist tropes of the original song sequences but, in its depiction of a society in which racial difference is devoid of socio-political significance, The Little Mermaid (2023)—especially in its Berkeley inspired dance sequences—reduces racial difference to a mere aesthetic of colour.

“He has music in him”: Musical moments, dance and corporeality in Joker (2019)

Danijela Kulezic-Wilson has discussed at length how the use of music in cinema adds to its corporeality and both fleshes out and gives life to otherwise spectral images. Todd Philips’ Joker (2019) both narratively and aesthetically leverages music to embody Arthur Fleck’s (Joaquin Pheonix) transformation from outcast to popular villain. In a Q&A with The Academy, Philips described the character of Fleck as full of grace and someone who “has music in him”, and it is Fleck’s performative interaction with the music as he becomes the Joker that leads to the corporeal reading of the film presented in this article. At the beginning of the film, Fleck is a thin and gaunt man, a ghostly figure lacking love or meaning, but he soon grows more bold and violent. Fleck’s horrifying acts of violence are accompanied by his bodily interaction with the music as he dances to both the soundtrack and the score as if it were emanating from him in some meta-diegetic sense. Joker is a deeply musical film, and its protagonist engages with both Hildur Guðnadóttir’s composed score and its compilation soundtrack, giving physical form to his metamorphosis. This paper investigates how musical moments and dance in Joker give corporeal form to Fleck’s alter ego and simultaneously encourage audience identification with its protagonist’s transformation.

Dubbing in Favour of Distinction

Dubbing has been employed to fabricate characters’ bodies onscreen since the inception of spoken and sung cinema. In Hollywood musicals, this technical device has given rise to various social problems, including uncredited singers, labour exploitation, and identity-related issues. In this context, this article explores how dubbing has been consistently used as a tool for constructing characters’ bodies onscreen, producing social differences in hierarchical ways. The discussion focuses on film scenes dubbed by the ghost singer Marni Nixon since, in the films on which she most famously worked, characters’ voices are important aspects of their racial, class, national, and gendered distinctions. Throughout the analysis, the essay also engages with other work on dubbed cases, such as Masha Siefert’s (1995), Merrie Snell’s (2020), and Jeff Smith’s (2003), to facilitate a broader discussion on the politics of dubbing in film musicals. In doing so, the paper frames various normative notions about body, voice, and identity highlighted by dubbing. Ultimately, it posits that dubbing constructs characters’ bodies onscreen by often aligning with normative ideals while also opening risks of exposing cinematic artifices in queer ways.

The Characteristics of Film Music and Its Function in Film Works

Film is a complex medium with multiple elements and art forms. It integrates various elements such as picture, sound and text, which together present the artistic language of film. Among these elements, music is a powerful artistic element. Through the combination of music, the picture creates different environmental atmosphere, shows the characters, promotes the story plot, and deepens the theme of the work, thus enhancing the appeal and artistic expression of the film. Based on this, this paper will analyze the characteristics and functions of film music, and explore the artistic value and practical significance of film music in film works.

뮤지컬 영화 구성요인의 관람 만족 및 재관람의도 영향 연구 : 한국 영화〈인생은 아름다워〉를 중심으로

뮤지컬 영화 구성요인의 관람 만족 및 재관람의도 영향 연구 : 한국 영화〈인생은 아름다워〉를 중심으로

Fostering a Public Appreciation of Film Music in the U.S.A.

The American periodical Film Music Notes spurred a critical consideration of film music and of building public appreciation of the arts during its run from 1941 to 1958. This history of its first decade starts with the connections and efforts of a group of Hollywood women on behalf of the National Federation of Music Clubs, to their founding of the National Film Music Council, to the final stage in editor turnover from the founding editors. It contributes to histories of professionalization of artistic and cultural study through its analysis of how the editors experimented with structuring content in a way to encourage the public to appreciate film music. This was influenced by changing relations between Film Music Notes and Hollywood studios, the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, and educational organizations. This context explains how prominent composers and critics came to contribute to the periodical and the larger debates that were shaping their writings.

Acting and Dancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic as Art Therapy for the Rehabilitation of Children with Behavioural Disorders Living in Socially Disadvantaged Environments.

Art therapy is employed in numerous ways in rehabilitation. This study focuses on an art and movement therapy project carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Acting and dancing methods were adapted to produce a short musical film series for ten children from disadvantaged social backgrounds displaying nonorganic behavioural disorders. The aim was to acquire novel ways of expression on the part of the participants to release painful emotions in a safe setting using the method of catharsis through acting and dancing, triggering relaxation as a physiological response and improving their attitude. This study retrospectively analyses the changes in the children's behaviour and their active participation in the project through quantitative and qualitative research. The children improved their attention and self-esteem, their behaviour became less aggressive and impulsive, and half showed increased empathy. The active participation rate during the project was 82%.

Relentless Melt: visual trends and aesthetics of contemporary visual music films in Hong Kong

In recent years, a growing trend of abstract and experimental animation has emerged in Hong Kong, with an increasing number of works produced over the last two decades, particularly since around 2015. This article examines how Hong Kong artists approach abstract animation, the predominant aesthetic trends, and how these trends relate to or diverge from Western traditions in visual music, following pioneers such as Hans Richter, Viking Eggeling, Oskar Fischinger, Harry Smith and Norman McLaren. Employing content analysis, as used by Emmanouil Kanellos (2018) and textual analysis, this study investigates 95 selected works from the Relentless Melt screening series curated by Max Hattler and organized by the Hong Kong-based society Relentless Melt. By categorizing the data under two separate systems – the ‘What System’ and the ‘Where System’, as suggested by Margaret Livingstone in Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing (2002) – the analysis encompasses aspects related to the perception or recognition of objects, faces, or other properties under the ‘What System’, and the perception of motion, depth, spatial organization and figure/ground segregation under the ‘Where System’. Unlike pioneering visual music artists who largely abandoned mimetic constructions in their aesthetics, some Hong Kong artists employ various types of representational abstraction. In addition, many do not shy away from expressing concepts or narratives in their hybrid visual music works while retaining fundamental elements, such as audio-visual synchronization. This project represents an initial step towards a more systematic understanding of Hong Kong’s visual music practices, aiming to promote plurality over homogeneity by critically examining the multiple facets of artistic practice in Hong Kong. It is hoped that this study will contribute to international scholarly discourse and establish a trajectory for further exploration.

Imagining Women’s Archives of Silent Film Music

Although women comprised the majority of American cinema accompanists during the silent film period (c. 1895–1927), few of their music libraries or compositions have survived, whereas collections created by male cinema musicians dominate the silent film music archives. Women musicians suggested, shaped, and helped define the musical tastes of the time; educated listeners; and showed how music could serve as a creative, narrative, and interpretative force in the cinema. I offer an accounting of extant collections by women accompanists and read their contents and contexts from a feminist perspective. Using hints and fragments found in letters, period trade journals, and catalogs, I then speculate on an imaginary archive, one that collects music composed or played by female silent film musicians whose work has been lost to us, but whose influence in the development of film music is unmistakable.

Femininity and utopia in MGM’s adaptation of Sally Benson’s Meet Me in St. Louis

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) is often described by scholars as representing a ‘utopia’, with the definition of that term varying between disciplines. The movie’s vision of small-town living at the turn of the century is a comforting one, and its idyllic portrayal of domesticity has contributed to its success as one of MGM’s greatest film musicals. This article extends the utopian readings found in existing literature by providing an interdisciplinary approach that asks how and why this utopia was built, and that presents new findings gleaned through a comparative study of the film and its source material (Sally Benson’s novel of the same title). I argue that Meet Me in St. Louis represents a specifically patriarchal utopia; an ideological structure made powerful by a distractive form of ‘resistance’ in its musical moments. This article’s approach reveals the interplay between the film’s ‘audible’ and ‘visual’ realms and demonstrates how the two work together to create a narrative that champions nineteenth-century gender ideals to wartime audiences.

Cinematic musicking in Mozambique

Cinematic musicking in Mozambique

Analysis of Music Education Research Trends for Film Music in South Korea

본 연구의 목적은 영화음악 교육 연구의 동향을 분석하고 향후 연구의 방향을 제안하는 데 있다. 2013년~2023년 8월까지 영화음악 교육에 해당하는 논문은 국내 석사학위논문 31편, KCI 학술논문 5편(총 36편)이 검색되었다. 분석 결과, 매년 9편 내의 논문이 발표되었고 연구 대상은 중고등학생에 집중되었다. 영화음악 활용의 목적은 기존 음악 이해(69.44%), 영화음악 이해(30.56%)로 2가지였다. 활용된 영화는 음악영화(47.22%)가 많고 일부 일반 극영화(11.56%,)가 있었다. 음악 활동은 이론 강의식 수업이 중심이 되는 감상(63.89%) 또는 간단한 음악 창작(33.33%)이 제시되었다. 교육학적 이론 및 교수학습 방법은 14편만이 적용되었고, 음악 및 영상 제작 프로그램은 7편에 활용되었다. 이에 따라 영화음악 자체에 대한 교육적 관심을 높이는 것이 중요하며, 영화음악의 기능과 역할을 교육하고 학생 주도의 활동을 중심으로 한 구체적이고 체계적인 음악 수업을 개발할 것을 제안하였다.