FILM/MUSIC in Spring 2026 (FM3040)

This course examines the reciprocal relationship between film and music, in particular focusing on the ways in which the artistic concerns, technological developments and cultural contexts of each art form has influenced or otherwise shaped the other. The celebrated American sound designer Walter Murch once wrote that “we do not see and hear a film, we hear/see it,” by which he meant to dismantle the conventional division between an image and a sound track as if they are separate, independent streams. It is by no coincidence that those very words appeared at the beginning of Michel Chion’s book Audio-vision, which describes a new form of multisensory perception and mode of critical analysis, where we are simultaneously engaged in the embodied processes of listening and watching. Throughout the course we will investigate a diverse array of film practices and musical pieces, engage in listening/viewing exercises, and apply experiential analytical techniques in order to enhance our critical understanding and appreciation of the arts of film and music. Please note that the graded assignments will include museum visits to ticketed exhibitions.