Music for AV Comm
Module Title: Music for Audiovisual Communication
Module Code: AF430 008S
Location of Delivery: Cambridge
Pathway: Creative Music Technology
Workshop/Lecture: 6pm to 8pm, Mondays at Hel 040
Module Leader and Tutor: Julio d’Escrivan
Cambridge / Helmore Building / Room 242
Extension: 2978
Email: julio.d’escrivan@anglia.ac.uk
Module Description
This module prepares a composer or sound artist for the different working scenarios they are likely to encounter in the audiovisual industry. It equips students with the technical skills, theoretical understanding and cultural awareness needed to create successful audio-visual work for a variety of contemporary applications.
During seminars the module tutor will examine the role of sound and music in a broad range of audiovisual work, charting the historical evolution of film-with-sound from its very beginnings to contemporary digital practice. Students will be introduced to theory and criticism relevant to the audiovisual medium through the work of practitioner-theorists from Eisenstein to Chion. The tutor will discuss the distinction between diegetic and non-diegetic sound and will alert students to the creative potential inherent in confounding these two modes.
An established composer working in the audiovisual industry will present a case-study to students, describing in detail the brief of their client and explaining how they responded to that brief. Drawing inspiration and practical insights from this case study, students will embark upon the creation of their own portfolio of original work. Working to meet the demands of non-musical clients, the student will create original music or sound design to accompany a dramatic film scene, a thematic TV sequence, a computer game, a commercial web page, or a commercial branding package.
Although the emphasis within the MA in Creative Music Technology for Media is on the creation and reflective documentation of intermedial artefacts, it is expected students will engage in a comprehensive and systematic way with current academic literature relevant to their explorations. All written components should exhibit this scholastic approach as appropriate. In this respect, it is not only the writing of essays that should exhibit such discipline but also the reasoned consideration of the methodological, analytical and evaluative aspects of the student’s original work.
Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module the student will be expected to be able to:
- Understand how the choice of musical material, including raw sound, affects the perception, interpretation and cultural associations of an audiovisual work.
- Demonstrate a systematic understanding of current trends in theorising about the role of sound and music in audiovisual communication, especially in film.
- Command techniques of musical composition and sound design appropriate to a variety of scenarios in the audiovisual industry.
- Negotiate and respond to creative guidelines for composition/sound design under the direction of non-musical clients.
- Show a comprehensive understanding of the techniques necessary to devise projects of realisation/recording of music/sound for media, preferably involving other musicians or sound artists as part of a team.
Outline Delivery
All details of the delivery, content and assessment are detailed on the lesson plan.
Attendance Requirements
Students are expected to attend all teaching sessions on the courses for which they have registered. Practical projects, rehearsals and ensemble performances are collaborative in their nature and require full attendance. Students taking practical and performance modules should be aware that at certain times a more intensive commitment is required which must be balanced against other life and work commitments. You will be notified of these extra rehearsals as far in advance as possible.
If you need to be away from classes for an extended period, it is very important that you inform your Student Adviser, and that you complete a ‘mitigating circumstances’ form.
Please see the notes on ‘Attendance’ in the Anglia Ruskin Undergraduate Student Handbook for full University regulations.
To be effectively prepared for a teaching session, you should:
- have completed all the set reading or other prescribed work as described in the course handbook or as set by your lecturer
- have your own copy of the required text or other material
- bring adequate writing materials for taking notes
- arrive mentally and physically prepared for the session
International students who are non-EEA nationals and in possession of entry clearance/leave to remain as a student (student visa) are required to be in regular attendance at Anglia Ruskin. Failure to do so is considered to be a breach of the immigration regulations. From the academic year 2008/09 onwards, Anglia Ruskin is required to inform the Border and Immigration Agency (Home Office) of significant unauthorised absences by any student visa holders.
Attendance for Group and Collaborative Work
For modules that include collaborative practical work, especially those leading to live performance events, there is an especial necessity for full and punctual attendance. Poor attendance and/or engagement inevitably has a detrimental affect on the work of your fellow students and will hinder their achievement, as well as your own.
If you are unable to attend a particular rehearsal, class or workshop you should inform your Module Leader or the Department Administrator immediately, and in advance of the class wherever possible. All members of staff have voicemail and email. You will then be entered on the register as an ‘explained absence’. Failure to do this will mean that you will be marked ‘unexplained absent’.
Absence for reasons of external work commitments, timetable clashes or time mismanagement will not be accepted.
You should be aware that poor attendance and/or lack of commitment will inevitably affect your ability to meet module learning outcomes to a satisfactory standard, and consequently your marks may be affected.
Assessment
Your final portfolio submission consists of:
A portfolio of audiovisual creative work which must include two of the following items:
- original incidental music for a film/TV dramatic narrative scene
- original music for commercial branding packages (logos for products/commercials, TV station corporate branding, etc.)
- original music for a thematic TV sequence such as the opening and closing of a comedy, documentary or current affairs programme
- original music/sound-design for a computer game, or commercial website
Each audiovisual work should be accompanied by a brief commentary in the form of a blog/website presentation which describes:
(i) the client’s brief; (ii) the composer’s response to that brief; (iii) the aesthetic/cultural basis for that response; and (iv) the technical means used to create the work.
Your final date will be:
Wednsday 17th of December, before 5pm, at the i-Centre of the Cambridge Campus (on the ground floor of Rackham building, opposite the garden square between Helmore and the Library).
The marking weight of the portfolio will be:
100%
The Marking scheme will be:
0-100, you need 40 or above to pass.
The criteria used for assessing your work will be those for artifact creation and written work.
Assessment Criteria and Marking Standards
Anglia Ruskin University Generic Assessment Criteria
Please consult your student pathway handbook for details about Anglia Ruskin’s generic assessment criteria and policy. This information can also be found under the Student section of ANET.
Module Specific Assessment Criteria
In addition to Anglia Ruskin’s generic assessment criteria, your work will also be marked against module-specific assessment criteria. Assessment tasks for this module will be marked against the marking criteria for Artefact Creation and Written Work, which are available under the Student Resources section of the departmental web site at: www.anglia.ac.uk/mpa.
Assessment Offences
You are reminded that any work that you submit must be your own. All suspected assessment offences will be investigated and can result in severe penalties. Please note that it is your responsibility to consult the relevant sections of the Academic Regulations (section 10) and the Student Handbook.
Module Definition Form
The Module Definition Form for AF430 008S – Music for Audiovisual Communication can be found by clicking here.
Learning Resources
All details of the learning resources for this module are given here.
Report of Last Delivery of Module
This is the first delivery of this module.
