Course coordinator
Associate Professor Eve Klein
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Music School
This course is an historical overview of musical accompaniment in film and television and provides access to theoretical frameworks that have evolved within the emerging field of film and television music studies.
In this course you examine how music is utilised in film, television, online media and video games from scholarly, industry and practical perspectives.ﾠScholarly examination draws from perspectives in film and media, cultural studies, popular music theory and performance, literature studies and musicology to provide a historical and theoretical overview of musical accompaniment on screen from the early 20th Century to music relationships in contemporary media like video games. You unpack the distinctions between music created for linear media such as film and television, and music created for video games. Video games respond to a player's actions, which means that the music must adapt to gameplay. This is distinct from linear or fixed media such as film, where the music plays from start to finish in a pre-determined way.
This course has two learning pathways. You select your preferred path, which forms the focus of tutorials.
Pathway 1 focuses on understanding and interpreting screen music. You focus on group discussion and listening, with assessments focused on student-led research projects.
Pathway 2 focuses on developing practical skills in making interactive music for games and interactive media. You learn how to mix and implement music and sound for games using industry-standard game audio software Wise.
Course requirements
Assumed background
This course has two learning pathways. You will select your preferred path from:
Pathway 1: Understanding and Interpreting Screen Music
In this learning pathway, there is no definitive prerequisite knowledge required for this course other than a good command of the English language and an appreciation of music for film, television and games.
Pathway 2: Making Game Music
This learning pathway is for students interested in developing practical skills in making interactive music for games. It assumes that you will have completed at least one UQ music technology course and be comfortable creating short original songs or compositions in a digital audio workstation.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Associate Professor Eve Klein
Dr Cory Messenger
Tutor
Mr Peter Kurucz
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
This course has two learning pathways.ﾠ Learning pathways are assigned based on which tutorial you enrol in, so please consider this when making your timetable preferences.
ﾠ
Pathway 1: Understanding and Interpreting Screen Music
ﾠ
To enrol in this learning pathway, you can select any tutorial time ﾠwhich is not Thursday 2-4pm. Students work with UQ Music's screen music specialist Dr Cory Messenger.ﾠ
ﾠ
Pathway 2: Making Game Music
ﾠ
To enrol in this learning pathway, you ﾠmust enrol in the Thursday 2-4pm tutorial. You learn with Mr Peter Kurucz, an audio post-production specialist.ﾠ
NB: Places in Pathway 2 are strictly limited to the Thursday 2-4pm tutorial slot. No other tutorial times will be offered for Pathway 2, so please enrol early to avoid disappointment.
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Aims and outcomes
You will gain a greater appreciation of film and video game music and its cultural implications as the course investigates the following key issues:
- the industrial and cultural place of the film and video game score, the film musical, the soundtrack album, the pop music television program, and video game and online musicﾠ
- music as support to action, narrative, and emotional affect;
- music as cultural, ethnic or period marker;
- music as a locus for gender, race or youth audience identification.
You will also learn how video game composers create music for interactive gameplay, and within Learning Pathway 2, you will gain practical experience using industry standard software.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Appreciate and more fully understand film and video game music and its cultural and industrial implications.
LO2.
Access cultural production and media analytically and critically.
LO3.
Hear, identify, and discuss the musical characteristics and sonic production techniques that are employed in film and video games, and understand their methods of creation both technically and artistically.
LO4.
Unpack the relationship between sonic, cultural and narrative tropes presented in film, television and games.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz |
Online Quiz/Weekly Online Multiple-Choice Tests
|
10% |
Tests open 9am Monday and close 1pm Monday of the following week. 29/07/2024 - 14/10/2024
Students must complete at least 8 of the weekly tests for this assessment to be considered an attempt at the assessment. |
| Creative Production/ Exhibition, Essay/ Critique, Portfolio | Minor Essay or Practical Folio | 30% |
30/08/2024 3:00 pm |
| Creative Production/ Exhibition, Essay/ Critique, Practical/ Demonstration |
Major Essay OR Major Project
|
60% |
25/10/2024 3:00 pm
Students in Learning Pathway 2 should bring this assessment to the Week 13 tutorial for presentation and feedback from their class. |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Online Quiz/Weekly Online Multiple-Choice Tests
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
Tests open 9am Monday and close 1pm Monday of the following week. 29/07/2024 - 14/10/2024
Students must complete at least 8 of the weekly tests for this assessment to be considered an attempt at the assessment.
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L04
Task description
Weekly multiple choice tests covering aspects of the course readings and lectures.
Each week you are required to complete an online multiple choice test covering aspects of the weekly lectures and readings. The tests will be available in Learn.UQ. You may attempt the test at any time during the week, but there will be a 20-minute time limit once you commence; it is thus recommended that you read each article thoroughly and attend the lecture before you commence the quiz. See Learn.UQ for more details.
Please note:
- Each week’s test is worth one per cent of your final mark.
- You get one single attempt at the quiz. If you have not completed the quiz within the 20-minutes of commencing, it will be autosubmitted on your behalf.
- Tests will not be reopened for students who experience technical difficulties, internet outages or other complications. Make sure you are in a suitable location with a stable internet connection and on a reliable computer before you commence the test. In our experience, students who swap between browser tabs, complete the test on a mobile device, or are multitasking tend to encounter completion issues so we recommended that you take care and only attempt the test under optimal conditions. Contact ITS for help if you have technical difficulties that you cannot resolve.
Submission guidelines
Submit via the Learn.UQ Assessment section.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.
Minor Essay or Practical Folio
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Creative Production/ Exhibition, Essay/ Critique, Portfolio
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
30/08/2024 3:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
You must complete the assessment item relevant to the tutorial pathway you are formally enrolled in.
1) FOR LEARNING PATHWAY 1: Minor Essay (1000 words; 30%):
Write a close textual analysis of a brief (approx. five minutes) music sequence from a film or television programme of your choice. The essay should take the form of an examination of the narrative relationship between music and image in your chosen clip, and highlight pertinent theoretical or industrial connections relevant to the course, placing the chosen sequence within an established scholarly framework. For example, you may find it helpful to discuss your sequence with reference to Gorbman’s 'seven principles of film music', or Kassabian's 'three broad purposes of film music'. It is strongly recommended that you plan your essay in consultation with your tutor.
Please note:
- This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
- You are required to save your work on this assessment at least once per day, every day you work on it as a separate file with a new name. These files will be used to verify your progress over time and may be requested for inspection by the Course Coordinator. Please retain these files until you have received your final course grade for MUSC3720.
- Detailed criteria will be available at Learn.UQ.
OR
2) FOR LEARNING PATHWAY 2: Practical Music Folio
You choose a real video game and find four gameplay sequences from accessible online video platforms such as YouTube. Based upon the gameplay, you create short music appropriate to accompany gameplay, demonstrating:
- Seamless looping (Guide: 20-30 seconds).
- A music piece deploying vertical remixing (Guide: 1-minute).
- A music piece designed for horizontal resequencing (Guide: 1-minute).
- A musical 'stinger' to accompany an important gameplay event.
You will need to position these examples over your chosen gameplay video sequences to demonstrate that your concept works with the gameplay. Total video length of gameplay sequences should be 2-5 minutes.
You must also submit a 300 word written explanation of your design choices explaining the relationship between the music and gameplay.
Please note:
- This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
- You are required to save your work on this assessment at least once per day, every day you work on it as a separate file with a new name. These files will be used to verify your progress over time and may be requested for inspection by the Course Coordinator. Please retain these files until you have received your final course grade for MUSC3720.
- Detailed criteria will be available at Learn.UQ.
Submission guidelines
Items of written assessment are to be submitted via Turnitin.
Media items can be submitted via Blackboard.
- Before you submit, preview the uploaded document to make sure you have chosen the correct file.
- When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin, you should see the "Submission Complete!" message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send it to you automatically.
- If you don't see the downloadable Digital Receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
- If the submission was not successful, note the error message (preferably take a screenshot), then go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again. If you cannot submit again, email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Major Essay OR Major Project
- Hurdle
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Creative Production/ Exhibition, Essay/ Critique, Practical/ Demonstration
- Weight
- 60%
- Due date
25/10/2024 3:00 pm
Students in Learning Pathway 2 should bring this assessment to the Week 13 tutorial for presentation and feedback from their class.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
You complete one of the following two assessment options based on your formal tutorial enrolment:
1) LEARNING PATHWAY 1: Major Essay (2000 words; 60%)
Present a focused historical and/or theoretical research essay based on one of the following general topics:
· silent film accompaniment
· the introduction of film sound
· industrial and cultural implications of the classical Hollywood score
· music and film genre
· alternatives to the classical score
· jazz and film
· art film or world cinema scores
· rock movies since the 1950s
· the rock compilation score
· music documentary
· film music and the auteur director
· the film musical
· video game music
· the online relationship of music and visuals
Your essay should demonstrate an ability to define and research relevant areas of film music studies. Research should take into account existing scholarly studies of the interrelations between music and visual media, and attempt to place representative texts within an established scholarly framework. Detailed analyses of selected aspects of musical soundtracks from specific films or television programs should be provided where appropriate in order to illustrate the narrative relationship between music and image, or highlight pertinent theoretical or industrial connections. It is strongly recommended that you devise your essay topic in conjunction with your tutor.
Please note:
- This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
- You are required to save your work on this assessment at least once per day, every day you work on it as a separate file with a new name. These files will be used to verify your progress over time and may be requested for inspection by the Course Coordinator. Please retain these files until you have received your final course grade for MUSC3720.
- Detailed criteria will be available at Learn.UQ.
2) LEARNING PATHWAY 2: Major Game Music Project
Wwise is the industry-standard software for implementing music in video games. You will work through the official Wwise-101 and 201 interactive music tutorials during the semester. After completing these tutorials, you will create your own original music to replace music in the Wwise-201 demonstration game. To show how your music works interactively, you must also create a 5 minute screen capture video of the gameplay, including a voiceover describing what is happening with the music integration.
Please note:
- This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
- You are required to save your work on this assessment at least once per day, every day you work on it as a separate file with a new name. These files will be used to verify your progress over time and may be requested for inspection by the Course Coordinator. Please retain these files until you have received your final course grade for MUSC3720.
- You are required to complete this assignment using software specified in Blackboard. You will receive a score of 0 for this activity if you complete it in using other software.
- Detailed criteria will be available at Learn.UQ.
Hurdle requirements
You must pass this assignment to receive a passing grade for the course. If you fail this assessment you will receive a final course grade of 2 or less.Submission guidelines
Items of written assessment are to be submitted via Turnitin.
Media items can be submitted via Blackboard.
- Before you submit, preview the uploaded document to make sure you have chosen the correct file.
- When you successfully submit your assessment to Turnitin, you should see the "Submission Complete!" message. After this, a downloadable Digital Receipt will display on your Assignment Dashboard. It is your responsibility to download the Digital Receipt as proof of submission. Turnitin will not send it to you automatically.
- If you don't see the downloadable Digital Receipt on your assignment dashboard, you should regard your submission as unsuccessful.
- If the submission was not successful, note the error message (preferably take a screenshot), then go to your assignment page and see if it is possible to submit again. If you cannot submit again, email your course coordinator immediately.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 1 grade for each 24 hour period from time submission is due will apply for up to 7 days. After 7 days you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 1 - |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Work does not satisfy the basic requirements of this course. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Work does not satisfy the requirements of this course. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Work falls short of satisfying all requirements for a pass. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Satisfies many of the basic requirements of the course, including a sufficient grasp of the fundamental issues and concepts and an adequate demonstration of written skills. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Demonstrates an ability to use and apply fundamental concepts and facts going beyond mere replication of content knowledge to show an understanding of central ideas and subject matter. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Demonstrates an understanding of some of the more subtle aspects of the course with an ability to identify and debate critical issues while also demonstrating a broad knowledge of the course. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Demonstrates initiative, imagination, originality and flair. Work should also demonstrate competence and proficiency and a thorough knowledge of the course. |
Additional course grading information
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
If you do not attempt all required assessments for this course you will receive a final grade of 2 or less. For this course, that means completing the assessment associated with your enrolled tutorial. Students enrolled in tutorials for Learning Pathway 1 must complete assessments for Learning Pathway 1. Students enrolled in the Learning Pathway 2 tutorial must complete the Learning Pathway 2 assessments. In Learning Pathway 2, students must complete assessments in the prescribed course software to ﾠreceive marks for assessment activities.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Other course materials
If we've listed something under further requirement, you'll need to provide your own.
Required
| Item | Description | Further Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Two 16 GB external USB storage drives | Students in Learning Pathway 2 need at least two 16 GB external USB storage drives for use in this course. You should bring these to every class. | own item needed |
| Studio monitoring headphones | Students in Learning Pathway 2 also need to bring a working pair of studio monitoring headphones to every tutorial class in order to complete the required activities. You are responsible for checking whether your headphones are functional and compatible with the class space. The School of Music teaching labs use Focusrite Scarlett audio interfaces which receive ¼”( 6.35 mm) headphone inputs. If your headphones have a 3.5 mm connector (the standard size for listening on laptops and mobile devices) you will need to bring a converter with you to every class. | own item needed |
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Lecture |
Lectures You attend a weekly Lecture which develops your conceptual understanding of sound and music production. Your attendance is a requirement of this course. NB: There is no lecture during Project Week. See Blackboard for details. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Tutorial |
Tutorials You attend a weekly Tutorial which:
Your attendance is a requirement of this course. NB: There is no tutorial during Project Week. See Blackboard for details. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Not Timetabled |
Weekly Readings and Media You will engage with a range of readings and media before the commencement of lectures and tutorials each week. These are detailed in the Course List available via the UQ Library and Blackboard. Your lectures will explain concepts from this preparatory material, and expand your knowledge of concepts with examples and discussion. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Additional learning activity information
Project Week
The School of Music has a week dedicated to performances and projects. During this time, you take a break from lectures and laboratories. Details are provided in Blackboard.
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course:
- School of Music site