Final Thesis Proposal - Alexis Lindquist

Title:
The Language We Don't Talk About: Hearing Time and Place in Film Scores

Abstract:
This project delves into the world of musical color, specifically in relation to the creation of the sensation of a time and place in cinema. It is an in-depth exploration of this aspect of film music and its relationship with American culture. This project argues the musical color in film scores has become a national language. It is targeted for any film listener (even the blind). A pedagogical website will launch a multi-layered, interactive game.

Methodology:
The project will be accessed via the internet through a flash site. The flash site will explain the purpose of the project, give directions for the game both through literature and audibly, and will have teaching tools in regards to musical color in film scores from American cinema as well as from foreign cinemas. The game will be accessible via the flash site and will also be created in Flash. The game is completely audio based. The user will be assigned missions, for example “Go to Scotland.” The user will hear a score; if it does not implicate Scotland, then the user may left click and a new score will play. It is as though the user is digging forward in search of Scotland. When the user finds the assigned time or destination, then they may right click and sounds will notify them of their correct or incorrect answer. There are no points and the game loops; it literally could go on forever. It is just a simple exercise to allow the user to become aware of their personal interpretation of musical color.

Significance:
As a whole, this project will effectively argue that musical color has become a language across cinema and American culture. The user’s experience will leave them with a greater awareness of the power of the film score in their film experiences and its significance in American culture.

Media Presentation & Justification:
This thesis will include a flash website with film clips, sound clips, visual images, and game devices to allow decision making in order to let the user to declare their own connotations when they hear score motifs. This project should be in multimedia because film scores are a language that is heard, not written. Also, this project requires the allowance of users to make decisions in a way that cannot be done in an essay.

Timeline:
Summer
Over the summer I plan to learn the fundamentals I will use in Flash. I will also do music research in order to figure out the scope of scores and website activities I would like to use in my project.
Fall Semester
By the week of September 10-14, I will have created a site map for my website and will have decided the number and type of scores I will have to use in this project. By the week of November 26-30, I will have all the Flash skills to build my project, all of the 'blue printing' done for the website and game, the framework of the website built, all of my research done, and have collected all of the materials I will need to put everything together (pictures, music downloads, etc.).
Spring Semester
Semester two will be my building phase where I will put everything I have collected together and then polish. I plan to have my paper and project “done” by the week of March 24-28. Throughout April I will test, troubleshoot, and tweak my project. I will present my final product the week of May 7-14.

Budget:
Hard drive: $80
Domain name: $10
Web Space: $80/yr
Budget = $170

Confirmed Advisors:
Steve Anderson from IML and Bill Whittington from the Critical Studies DepartmentPresentation: It's going to accessible to everyone via the web. The only formal presentation I have scheduled is May 7-14 through IML.Production Resources: FLASH, Photoshop, Logic, and the Music Library at USC

Prior Related Work:
ITP 104x , TA for ITP 104x, ITP 280x, Piano 150a, Piano 150b, JanetMendoza.com, and IML coursework in Logic

Research Bibliography:
There are a few books my advisor and other professors have recommended to me which I plan on reading over the summer. I won’t know which books helped me with my project until the fall.