n Mollaghan, Aimée (2011) The musicality of the visual music film. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3205/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] THE MUSICALITY OF THE VISUAL MUSIC FILM Aimée Mollaghan MPhil, B.A. (Hons) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirement of Ph.D. Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies University of Glasgow 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my two supervisors, Dr. Ian Garwood and Dr. Sarah Smith for their guidance, advice and extreme patience over the years. Without their constant encouragement, kindness and fortitude it is doubtful that this thesis would ever have contained a coherent beginning, middle and end. I would also like to thank the astonishing Macrae clan, particularly Tanya, for the steadfast stream of cake, misshapen vegetables, advice and humour that they have kindly bestowed on me over the years. I also want to thank my sisters, Zoe, Avril and Alma, for being a constant source of joy and amusement. I am indebted to my darling Levi for all of his love and support. I would undoubtedly have starved without your endless supply of elaborate omelettes and chocolate. Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank my parents, Michael and Dorothy, for all of their love, support, encouragement and sacrifice over the years, for knowing just when to telephone or visit and for unfailingly supporting my eccentric ideas and ambitions without question. I would never have made it this far without you. 1 LIST OF TABLES Table 5.1: Example of binary code ........................................................................238 2 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1: Still image from Stan Brakhage‘s 1986 film Night Music demonstrating the painterly quality of the film. http://shortcutcinema.blogspot.com/2009/08/avant-garde- night-music-1986-stan.html .................................................................................................48 Figure 1.2: Examples of variations on the harp figure from Symphonie Diagonal. (1921-24). Images from Viking Eggeling. Symphonie Diagonale (1921-24). Cinema Dada [DVD]. 2005. Re:Voir..........................................................................................................55 Figure 1.3: Variations on the comb figure from Symphonie Diagonale (1921-24). Images from Viking Eggeling. Symphonie Diagonale. (1921-24). Cinema Dada [DVD]. 2005. Re:Voir .......................................................................................................................56 Figure 1.4: Variations on the shooting star figure from Symphonie Diagonale. Images from Viking Eggeling. Symphonie Diagonale (1921-24). Cinema Dada [DVD]. 2005. Re:Voir. ......................................................................................................................56 Figure 1.5: Complex motif from Symphonie Diagonale (1921-24). Images from Viking Eggeling. Symphonie Diagonale. Cinema Dada [DVD]. 2005. Re:Voir. ...............57 Figure 2.1: Still Image from Hans Richter. Rhythmus 21. (1921-24). Cinema Dada [DVD]. 2005. Re:Voir showing the four sided figure that forms the basis of the film .......77 Figure 2.2: Theo Van Doesburg. Composition VI (On Black Fond. (1917?) Ad Petersen (Ed.; 1968) De Stijl [Vol] 2. 1921_1932. Complete Reprint 1968, Amsterdam: Athenaeum, Den Haag: Bert Bakker, Amsterdam: Polak & Van Gennep, p. 474. http://commons.wikimedia.org/Wiki/File:Theo_Van_Doesburg_Composition_VI.jpg .....77 Figure 2.3: Theo van Doesburg. Composition VII (The Three Graces) (1917) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/file:theo_van_doesburg_composition_vii_(the_three_ graces).jpg ............................................................................................................................77 Figure 2.4: Image from Hans Richter. Rhythmus 21 (1921-24). Cinema Dada [Dvd]. 2005. Re:Voir demonstrating the resemblance of the imagery to the Neo-Plastic paintings of Theo Van Doesburg and Piet Mondrian...........................................................78 Figure 2.5: Piet Mondrian. Composition in Red, Yellow and Blue (1921) .................. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mondrian_CompRYB.jpg ...............................................78 Figure 2.6: Kazimir Malevich. Black Square (1913)................................................. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Malevich.black-square.jpg. .............................................79 Figure 2.7: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the balloon motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn0 .....................................................................................86 3 Figure 2.8: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the brush stroke motif. http://yoautu.be/ahzddmyfzn0 ........................................................................87 Figure 2.9: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the cotton wool motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn0 ............................................................................87 Figure 2.10: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the paint motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn0 .....................................................................................88 Figure 2.11: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating a variation on the paint motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn0 .................................................................88 Figure 2.12: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the triangle motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn .......................................................................................88 Figure 2.13: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating a variation on the triangle motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn ...............................................................88 Figure 2.14: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the blob motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn .......................................................................................89 Figure 2.15: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the motif of a triangle attacking a curved shape http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn .........................................90 Figure 2.16: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the swimming fish motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn .............................................................91 Figure 2.17: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the wave motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn ......................................................................................91 Figure 2.18: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the strobe motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn ......................................................................................92 Figure 2.19: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the red sun motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn ......................................................................................92 Figure 2.20: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the merging waves motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn ............................................................93 Figure 2.21: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the square motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn ......................................................................................93 Figure 2.22: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the furtive balloon motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn .........................................................................94 Figure 2.23: Walter Ruttmann. Lichtspiel Opus I (1921) demonstrating the interactive strobe motif. http://youtu.be/ahzddmyfzn .........................................................94 Figure 2.24: Barnett Newman. Onement VI (1953) .................................................... http://nonicoclolasos.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/konst-for-den-universella-manniskan/ 100 4 Figure 2.25: Still image from Norman McLaren. Lines Vertical (1960). Norman McLaren: The Master‘s Edition [DVD]. 2006. CA: N.F.B.C. Note the similarity of the composition with Newman‘s zip painting. .........................................................................100 Figure 2.26: Still Image from Norman McLaren. Lines Horizontal (1962). Norman McLaren: The Master‘s Edition [DVD]. 2006. CA: N.F.B.C. demonstrating the horizontal arrangement of lines ...........................................................................................................103 Figure 2.27: Still image from Norman McLaren. Mosaic (1965). Norman McLaren: The Master‘s Edition [DVD]. 2006. CA: N.F.B.C ..........................................................107 Figure 3.1: Still from James Whitney. Yantra (1957). http://youtu.be/nvwwlzsxar0 ............................................................................................................................................130 Figure 3.2: Still from James Whitney.