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UGS 303: Introduction to and Sound

Unique: 64605, 64610, 64615, 64620, 64625, 64630 Lecture: NOA 1.126 2:00-3:30 TTh Required Screening: Mezes B0.306 5:00-7:30 W

Sections: 64605 Main 220D 9:00-10:00 F 64610 Main 220E 9:00-10:00 F 64615 Main 220D 10:00-11:00 F 64620 Main 220E 10:00-11:00 F 64625 Main 220B 11:00-12:00 D 64630 Main 220B 12:00-1:00 D

Primary Instructor James Buhler Office: MRH 3.722 Office Hours: 1-2 W; 12:00-1:00 Th; or by appointment

DESCRIPTION

Why do have music? How do music and sound shape what we see in film? This course develops terms and methods for analyzing and interpreting the sound tracks of films.

This course is divided into two large units. The first will develop terms and methods for analyzing and interpreting the sound tracks of films, paying particular attention to music’s role in the sound track and the overall relation between sound track and image track. The second part will focus on the sound, with particular attention given to sound track technology and how it affects aesthetic choice of film makers. We will explore the thesis that each major technological advance alters the structural relationships that obtain among the three relatively autonomous components of the —dialogue, music and effects.

Texts Buhler, Neumeyer, and Deemer, Hearing the Movies (Oxford University Press, 2010) Additional readings will be available through the links specified and through Blackboard.

Canvas, Blackboard and Reserves PowerPoint slides for each lecture will be distributed via Canvas and/or Blackboard. Generally, these will be available the day after the lecture. Copies of all assignments will also be available on Canvas or Blackboard. PDFs and links to additional readings will be posted to Canvas and/or Blackboard as will occasional announcements.

Spring 2012 Buhler, UGS 303, p. 2

The required films are on reserve and available for consultation at the Fine Library.

Required Screening We will be screening twelve films over the course of the semester. The screenings occur from 5:00-7:30 on Wednesdays. Attendance at these screenings is mandatory and a failure to attend the screening will be treated like an absence from lecture or discussion section.

Grading Screening Reports 20% Final Project 35% Oral Report on Film Reviews 5% Discussion questions and section participation 10% Ransom Center Report 5% University Lecture Report 5% Quizzes 20%

Attendance will be taken at all lectures, at the discussion sessions and at the required screenings. It is your responsibility to make sure that you have signed in. (On days quizzes are administered, the quizzes will serve as proxies for sign-in.) Three percent will be deducted from the overall grade for each unexcused absence beyond six. Anyone caught abusing the sign-in mechanism by leaving after signing or coming in at the end of class only to sign-in will be counted absent and warned about violating the honor code. Subsequent violations be reported as honor code violations.

Each assignment is worth 100 points. Late work will be penalized 1 point per hour lateup to 10 points per day, unless you have prior approval for an extension. If you are ill for a quiz, please let me know before the quiz is administered.

Grades will be assigned with plus and minuses. The grade ranges are: A 92.5-100; A- 90-92.5; B+ 88-90; B 82.5-88; B- 80-82.5; C+ 78-80; C 72.5-78; C- 70-72.5; D+ 68-70; D 62.5-68; D- 60-62.5; F <60

Quizzes There will be six quizzes on terminology and the readings. The dates for the quizzes are listed in the course schedule. Most quizzes are planned to last between 15-30 minutes. In addition, you are required to take the quiz that will be administered via Blackboard.

Oral Report You will be required to present an oral report on a film you have seen recently. Details of this assignment and assignment of a presentation time will be given during the second week of classes. Buhler, UGS 303, p. 3

University Lecture Signature courses require attendance at a Undergraduate College approved lecture or cultural event. Details on the university lecture will be forthcoming. You will be required to write a short paper documenting your attendance at this event.

Discussion Sections Active participation in the discussion sections is expected. Please be prepared to contribute substantively to each meeting of your discussion section on Fridays. Your participation in the sections will be noted by your TAs.

Screening Reports You will be required to make a variety of reports on the films we will be screening in class. Two of these will be combined with signature course requirements that will involve incorporating material from the university lecture and a visit to the Ransom Center into the report. You will also be required to participate in a number of peer- reviewing activities of your classmates’ papers. In addition to the screening reports detailed in the course schedule, you will receive one other short writing assignment later in the semester for a report on a relevant university lecture.

Final Project You will be required to write a 6-8 page critical on the sound track of a film. You will have a number of preparatory assignments for this project.

Laptops and Tablets You are allowed to use laptops or tablets to take notes in class and check for pertinent information on the . We will also be experimenting with using Twitter for both distributing updates and for backchannel discussion during and after class. Please do not the privilege by using your device to email, IM, text message, or update your facebook status. Anyone caught using a computer, cellphone or other electronic device for non-class activities will be marked absent for the day.

Religious Holidays UT Austin policy states that you must notify your instructor at least fourteen days prior to the date of a religious holy day you will be observing. If you will have to miss a quiz or an assignment falls due on a religious holy day, please contact me so we can make appropriate arrangements.

Honor Code From the official course catalog: “The core values of the University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the University is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.”

Buhler, UGS 303, p. 4

Plagiarism You are required to take the plagiarism quiz that will be available on Blackboard and/or Canvas. This quiz will count toward your quiz grade; and you are allowed to retake it once.

Using the words or ideas of another person without credit and constitutes plagiarism. It is a form of academic , a violation of UT’s honor code, and subject to severe sanction in the . Basically, you always want to cite any words or thoughts that are not your own. Narrow exceptions to this rule include simple information (but not words or ideas) widely available in multiple databases and works (“common knowledge”) and the use of simple rhetorical templates and common grammatical forms of expression.

An example of the first type of exception would be looking up the year a film was made in the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) or , in which case you would not need to cite IMDb or Wikipedia as your source because the information is considered “common knowledge.” But using other materials from such sites (reviews, synopses, etc.) without attribution would constitute plagiarism. Please note that even when a text does not indicate an or bear a notice, you must still cite the source if you take words or ideas from it.

An example of the second type of exception would be templates for constructing certain types of sentences that you will be following for some of your assignments. By turning in a paper or assignment, you are claiming that aside from the narrow exceptions specified above all words without marks and all ideas without citation are the product of your own intellectual labor.

A tip sheet produced by the library on how to avoid plagiarism is available here: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/services/instruction/resourcesheet.pdf The Dean of Students Office explains varieties of plagiarism here: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis_plagiarism.php

Official Statement on Disabilities “The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.”

Buhler, UGS 303, p. 5

Course Schedule

HtM Buhler, Neumeyer, and Deemer, Hearing the Movies All other readings on Blackboard or via links

Week 1 (15-18 January) Film: Catch Me If You Can (2002) Reading HtM, Introduction, Part 1 introduction, & Ch. 1 (pp. xxi-33). Class Topics • Lecture (15 January): Course organization; music and the sound track: a brief overview; sound track components; taking screening notes on a film sound track • Lecture (17 January): Commutation test; masking exercise; how to write an effective synopsis; review taking screening notes on a sound track • Section (18 January): review taking screening notes on a sound track; bring draft of synopsis to class; discussion of Catch Me If You Can

Week 2 (22-25 January) Film: Casino Royale (2006) Reading HtM, Ch. 2 (pp. 34-64) Class Topics • Lecture (22 January): Terminology: Music and Sound • Lecture (24 January): Musicality of the Sound Track • Section (25 January): Discussion of Casino Royale; instructions for oral reports; draft of statements on sound elements in Casino Royale Important Dates *QUIZ 1: 24 January *DUE: 25 January: Synopsis and credit list for Catch Me If You Can

Week 3 (29 January-1 February) Film: Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Reading HtM, Ch. 3 (65-91) & Interlude 1 (114-27) Class Topics • Lecture (29 January): Terminology: Sound and Image Relationships; voice- over; overview of final paper project • Lecture (31 January): Audio Dissolve and acousmêtre (McDonnell) • Section (1 February): Discussion of Moonrise Kingdom; theme *DUE: 1 February: Statements on Sound Elements (Casino Royale).

Buhler, UGS 303, p. 6

Week 4 (5-8 February) Film: Casablanca (1942) Reading HtM, Ch. 4 (92-113) http://www.davidbordwell.net/essays/hook.php Class Topics • Lecture (5 February): Music and Narrative; Transitions; how to write a basic screening report • Lecture (7 February): Synchronization; Counterpoint • Section (8 February): Discussion of Casablanca; bring drafts of screening report to class Important Dates *QUIZ 2: 8 February

Week 5 (12-15 February) Film: Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (Spirited Away) (2001) Reading HtM, Part 2 introduction & Ch. 5 (pp. 129-64) Class Topics • Lecture (12 February): Film Form; Audiovisual Phrasing (Kausalik) • Lecture (14 February): Issues of large-scale form. Making a cue sheet. • Section (15 February): Discussion of Spirited Away; bring drafts of synopsis of final paper to class *Due 12 February: Basic screening report (music) on Casablanca.

Week 6 (19-22 February) Film: Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) Reading HtM, Ch. 8 (pp. 195-215) HtM, Chs. 6-7 & 9 (pp. 165-94; 216-33) Craig L. Byrd, “Interview with John Williams” Supplemental Reading Buhler, “Star Wars, Music and Myth,” in Music and Cinema, ed. Buhler et al. (Hannover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 2000), 33-57. Class Topics • Lecture (19 February): Style Topics and Leitmotifs • Lecture (21 February): and Modes of Musical Signification (McDonnell) • Section (22 February): Discussion of Star Wars; bring draft of cue sheet and scene log to class; finding scholarly essays on film. Important Dates *DUE 19 February: Synopsis and credit list for final project film

Buhler, UGS 303, p. 7

Week 7 (26 February-1 March) Film: Program of Silent Shorts Reading HtM, Part 3 introduction, & Ch. 10 (pp. 245-77) http://www.davidbordwell.net/essays/doing.php http://hearingthemovies.blogspot.com/2009/07/illustrating-song-slides.html http://hearingthemovies.blogspot.com/2009/07/jackass-music.html http://hearingthemovies.blogspot.com/2009/09/orchestra-conversation-and-censorship.html http://hearingthemovies.blogspot.com/2010/03/musical-conditions-in-new-york.html http://www.cinemaweb.com/silentfilm/bookshelf/3_etwag2.htm Class Topics • Lecture (26 February): Music and Sound in ; Exhibition Practices of the Nickelodeon • Lecture (28 February): Exhibition Practices of the Picture Palace (Buffington- Anderson) • Section (1 March): Discussion of silent film; bring draft of screening report to class Important Dates *Due 26 February: Peer-review of synopsis *Due 1 March: Cue sheet and scene log for final project film

Week 8 (5-8 March) Film: No Film Reading Class Topics • Lecture (5 March): Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari • 8 March No Class Important Dates *DUE 8 March: Screening report (Effects) on Star Wars *QUIZ 3: 7 March

Week 9 (19-22 March) Film: King Kong (1933) Reading HtM, Ch. 11 (pp. 278-307) http://hearingthemovies.blogspot.com/2009/04/truth-about-voice-doubling-part-i.html http://hearingthemovies.blogspot.com/2009/04/truth-about-voice-doubling-part-ii.html http://hearingthemovies.blogspot.com/2009/04/truth-about-voice-doubling-part-iii.html http://hearingthemovies.blogspot.com/2009/04/truth-about-voice-doubling-part-iv.html Class Topics • Lecture (19 March): Early Sound Film Practice; Types of Sound Films • Lecture (21 March): the Construction of Non-Diegetic Sound Space (McDonnell) • Section (22 March): Visit to HRC Important Dates *DUE 21 March: Annotated bibliography for final paper Buhler, UGS 303, p. 8

Week 10 (26-29 March) Film: Rebecca (1940) Reading HtM, Ch. 12 (pp. 308-35) , “Scoring the Film” Aaron Copland, “Music in the Films” Class Topics • Lecture (26 March): Codification of Soundtrack Practice; ; Miking and Mixing; Refinements of Technology • Lecture (28 March): Rebecca as classic Hollywood • Section (29 March): Discussion of Rebecca. Important Dates *QUIZ 4: 26 March *Due 28 March: Report on Rebecca incorporating visit to HRC (Gem of the University Assignment).

Week 11 (2-5 April) Film: On The Waterfront (1954) Reading HtM, Ch. 13 (pp. 336-65) Harold Schonberg, “Music or Sound Effects?” Class Topics • Lecture (2 April): Foreground/background; the emergence of ambient sound; music’s changing place in the sound track; instructions for scene analysis • Lecture (4 April): The Transition to Stereo; Widescreen and Stereo Sound • Section (5 April): Discussion of On the Waterfront. Bring scene analyses for final paper project to class. Important Dates *Due 5 April: Paragraph on Scholarly Source

Week 12 (9-12 April) Film: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) Reading John Belton, “The Frozen Revolution” Eddie Kalish, “Mancini Debunks Album Values” Gene Lees, “The New Sound on the ” Class Topics • Lecture (9 April): The Frozen Revolution; in the cinema to 1960 • Lecture (11 April): Popular music in the cinema, 1960-1980; scoring with recordings; the rise of sound track albums (Kausalik) • Section Topic (12 April): Discussion of Breakfast at Tiffany’s; developing a thesis statement Buhler, UGS 303, p. 9

Important Dates *Due 9 April: Write up comparison of scene analyses of two contrasting scenes for final project film. *Quiz 5: 11 April

Week 13 (16-19 April) Film: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) Reading HtM, Ch. 14 (pp. 366-91) Michel Chion, “The Quiet Revolution” Susan Peterson, “Selling a Hit Soundtrack” Stephen Holden, “How Rock Is Changing Hollywood’s Tune” Class Topics • Lecture (16 April): ; Popular music after 1980 (Buffington- Anderson) • Lecture (18 April): Issues of TV; Dolby stereo; Thawing of the Frozen Revolution • Section Topic (19 April): Discussion of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: advice on final paper

Week 14 (23-26 April) Film: Lola rennt (Run Lola Run) (1998) Reading HtM, Ch. 15 (pp. 392-418) Mark Kerins, “Constructing the in a Multi-Channel World,” Offscreen 11.8-9 (2007). Terry Atkinson, “Scoring with ” Class Topics • Lecture (23 April): Transition to digital sound; importance of nonlinear editing; digital formats • Lecture (25 April): The new multiplex; DVD and changing screen technologies • Section Topic (26 April): Discussion of Run Lola Run; advice on final paper Important Dates *DUE 23 April: Draft of final paper.

Week 15 (30 April-3 May) Film: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World (2010) Reading HtM, Afterword (pp. 419-24) Rob Bridgett, “Hollywood Sound” Class Topics • Lecture (30 April): Music and the soundtrack today; The sounds of War • Lecture (2 May): Future of the Sound Track; Course Summary • Section Topic (3 May): Discussion of Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World Buhler, UGS 303, p. 10

Important Dates *Due: 30 April: Peer evaluation of final paper *QUIZ 6: 3 May

*Final paper due: 9 May