Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
5-2024
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M.M.
Department
Music History
Degree Program
Music with a concentration in Music History and Literature, MM
Committee Chair
Burke, Devin
Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)
Carithers, Kirsten
Committee Member
Carithers, Kirsten
Committee Member
Albrink, Emily
Author's Keywords
Music; film; gender; temporality; identity; soundtrack
Abstract
This study examines the soundtracks of six Hollywood films and their treatments of two factors of cinematic identity – gender and temporality. Six case studies are used throughout the thesis using an original analytic system I designate as Fingerprinting, which examines film using a five-tier, intersecting system on both the macro and micro level. The gender chapter analyzes Weird Science (1985) and Pretty Woman (1990) in order to demonstrate the utility of the cinematic soundtrack in constructing new frameworks of gender expression within fictional media. The temporality chapter uses four case studies - Easy Rider (1969), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), Forrest Gump (1994) and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1988) – to expand upon the role that the soundtrack plays in organizing time both within the narrative and as experienced by the audience. Both categories illustrate the utility of Fingerprinting in analyzing music and its relationship to identity in modern cinema.
Recommended Citation
Moser, Sarah Elizabeth, "Fingerprinting cinematic soundtracks: Examining identity in film music through gender and temporality." (2024). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4347.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/4347
