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In April 2016 Manchester eScholar was replaced by the University of Manchester’s new Research Information Management System, Pure. In the autumn the University’s research outputs will be available to search and browse via a new Research Portal. Until then the University’s full publication record can be accessed via a temporary portal and the old eScholar content is available to search and browse via this archive.

The Music of Fantasy Film: On the Creation, Evolution and Inhabitation of Musical Worlds

White, Daniel James

[Thesis]. Manchester, UK: The University of Manchester; 2018.

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Abstract

Central to the rise in popularity of fantasy film franchises since 2001 is the cinematic depiction of fantasy worlds, in which music’s role is often both narrative and constructive. Music and sound build bridges between filmic episodes and between films and audiences using recognisable musical worlds or languages. These bridges are particularly apparent in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies (2001-2003 and 2012-2014) and the Harry Potter film series (2001-2011), which represent some of the most widely recognised and consumed musical worlds of contemporary cinema. Thematic, harmonic and stylistic analyses of the opening and closing sequences of these films reveal the ways in which music draws viewers into film worlds and returns them to the real world, acting peritextually or as a form of suture. Musical worlds can also be understood by examining the musical accompaniments of filmic homes and home-spaces. Primary home-spaces such as Hogwarts and the Shire can be mapped alongside secondary homes and houses as part of a wider imagined homeland of interrelated musical geographies. Franchise film music can also be understood from the point of view of the consumer. A questionnaire-based survey of soundtrack consumption reveals the varied listening practices of fans and non-fans alike, establishing the various ways in which consumers inhabit fantasy worlds for entertainment, sonic cocooning or increased productivity. Music acts transmedially to follow franchises into video games, orchestral symphonies, musical memorabilia, cinematic concerts, studio tours, theme parks and plays, as well as numerous fan practices, all of which reveal the power of music to build worlds that can be extended and evolved into different forms with different uses. Fantasy acts as a socially committed mirror; an arena in which to play out socio-political anxieties or narratives, and music here provides a way to understand the worlds that people are building their homes in (and building into their homes), and their motivations for doing so.

Additional content not available electronically

Accompanying CD

Bibliographic metadata

Type of resource:
Content type:
Administered thesis
Form of thesis:
Traditional
Type of submission:
Doctoral level ETD - final
Thesis title:
The Music of Fantasy Film: On the Creation, Evolution and Inhabitation of Musical Worlds
Degree type:
Doctor of Philosophy
Degree programme:
PhD Music
Publication date:
2018-10-17T17:01:57
Institution:
The University of Manchester
Location:
Manchester, UK
Total pages:
274
Abstract:
Central to the rise in popularity of fantasy film franchises since 2001 is the cinematic depiction of fantasy worlds, in which music’s role is often both narrative and constructive. Music and sound build bridges between filmic episodes and between films and audiences using recognisable musical worlds or languages. These bridges are particularly apparent in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies (2001-2003 and 2012-2014) and the Harry Potter film series (2001-2011), which represent some of the most widely recognised and consumed musical worlds of contemporary cinema. Thematic, harmonic and stylistic analyses of the opening and closing sequences of these films reveal the ways in which music draws viewers into film worlds and returns them to the real world, acting peritextually or as a form of suture. Musical worlds can also be understood by examining the musical accompaniments of filmic homes and home-spaces. Primary home-spaces such as Hogwarts and the Shire can be mapped alongside secondary homes and houses as part of a wider imagined homeland of interrelated musical geographies. Franchise film music can also be understood from the point of view of the consumer. A questionnaire-based survey of soundtrack consumption reveals the varied listening practices of fans and non-fans alike, establishing the various ways in which consumers inhabit fantasy worlds for entertainment, sonic cocooning or increased productivity. Music acts transmedially to follow franchises into video games, orchestral symphonies, musical memorabilia, cinematic concerts, studio tours, theme parks and plays, as well as numerous fan practices, all of which reveal the power of music to build worlds that can be extended and evolved into different forms with different uses. Fantasy acts as a socially committed mirror; an arena in which to play out socio-political anxieties or narratives, and music here provides a way to understand the worlds that people are building their homes in (and building into their homes), and their motivations for doing so.
Additional digital content not deposited electronically:
Accompanying CD
Keyword(s):
Thesis main supervisor(s):
Thesis co-supervisor(s):
Degree grantor:
Language:
en

Institutional metadata

University researcher(s):
Academic department(s):

Record metadata

Manchester eScholar ID:
uk-ac-man-scw:316952
Created by:
White, Daniel
Created:
17th October, 2018, 16:01:57
Last modified by:
White, Daniel
Last modified:
7th November, 2019, 10:05:50

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