58勛圖

FM4307 Film and Music

Academic year

2026 to 2027 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Planned timetable

To be confirmed

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Prof G P Davis

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Prof Glyn Davis

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module will explore the complex intersections between music and the moving image, situating the dynamic relationships between the audio and the visual in global and historical contexts. Attention will be paid to early uses of music to soundtrack "silent" cinema, classical soundtracks and the industrial processes involved in score production, the place of song in cinema, the relationships that are forged between particular directors and composers, the ways in which particular genres of music (jazz, folk, hip-hop, country) have shaped individual films, and the role of the soundtrack as a consumable commodity. Particular forms of cinema that engage directly with music - the musical, biopics of musicians, documentaries about artists and bands - will be studied and unpacked. Though not a module on musicology, insights from musical theory will be used to understand how film soundtracks achieve their effects.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS FM2002 AND PASS FM2003

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 100%

Re-assessment

Coursework = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1x2-hour screening and 1x2-hour seminar

Scheduled learning hours

44

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

260

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • articulate an understanding of the history of the film soundtrack, within global contexts;
  • identify the ways in which cinema and music are interrelated as cultural industries;
  • critically articulate the varied ways in which music is used by filmmakers to foster and enhance audience engagement;
  • demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge of how specific genres of cinema deploy music;
  • creatively demonstrate knowledge of the practices of film scoring and soundtrack curation.