508752 - FILM MUSIC

courses

ID:

508752

Duration (hours):

36

CFU:

SSD:

MUSICOLOGIA E STORIA DELLA MUSICA

Located in:

CREMONA

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (29/09/2025 - 23/01/2026)

Course Objectives

The course provides provides a historical and theoretical framework around the main trends in film music, with particular focus on the relationship between film genre and soundtrack. At the end of the course the student: - will learn about film music's main trends from a historical and theoretical perspective; - will face the study and analysis of the soundtrack of audiovisual texts and contextualize its role in the cinematic experience from an intermedial perspective; - will analyze and formulate judgments on the soundtrack of cinematic works in a historical-critical key, recognizing its constitutive elements and its impact on audiovisual communication; - will be able to use the terminology used to describe the fundamental sound elements of an audiovisual text adequately and will be able to elaborate reflections on them in oral form; - will be able to consult sources, documents, and web resources, so that they will be continuously updating the skills acquired in anticipation of the Master's degree and any further training courses.

Course Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of the general outlines of film history. Fundamentals of music theory and the ability to read and analyze the score are also required.

Teaching Methods

Lectures accompanied by film sequences analysis.

Assessment Methods

The exam consists of an oral discussion in which the knowledge of the assigned bibliography and the ability to discuss the case studies addressed during the course will be checked. The following elements will be involved in determining the final grade: mastery of the subject matter, ability to apply the knowledge acquired, and accuracy of terminology. For attending students, on an optional basis, it will be possible to produce a podcast following the guidelines provided in class.

Texts

For an initial orientation, consult the following texts: – R. Calabretto, Lo schermo sonoro, Marsilio, Venezia 2010; – M. Chion, L’audiovisione. Suono e immagine nel cinema, Lindau, Torino 2001; – M. Mariani, Il suono per il cinema. Elementi per l'analisi e la progettazione della materia sonora nell'audiovisivo, UTET, Torino 2020; – The Cambridge Companion to Film Music, ed. by Mervyn Cooke and Fiona Ford, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2016. – The Routledge Companion to Screen Music and Sound, ed. by Miguel Mera, Ronald Sadoff and Ben Winters, London/New York, Routledge, 2021. A detailed bibliography will be provided during the course.

The course examines the main theoretical approaches to music for film and audiovisual media, illustrating its technical and communicative functions within narrative. Particular attention will be devoted to the sources available for the study of film music and to analytical strategies useful for its investigation, starting from paradigmatic cases drawn from significant phases in the history of cinema. The course will also explore examples that thematize music and its forms of representation in a self-reflexive perspective. In particular, emphasis will be placed on the audiovisual construction of performance and on strategies for the visualization of music, examined across different narrative contexts. A list of reference films will be provided during the lectures, serving as the basis for discussions, exercises, and collective analyses.

Course Language

Italian

More information

Due to the nature of the course, class attendance is highly recommended. Non-attending students must contact the teacher to define the program. For all students, teaching will be in presence (except in cases of major force). However, according to the resolution of the academic governing bodies, inclusive teaching methods will be implemented upon request for particular categories of students during the course: online reception, provision of material on the kiro platform and any seminars. However, it is essential that interested students report their situation in time to be able to benefit from it.