Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Sound and Music in Audiovisual Projects
Teaching staff
Lecturers will see students on the same day as the class, before or after the session, depending on the students' timetable availability. It is recommended to make an appointment in advance via the university email address.
Introduction
Sound and Music in Audiovisual Communication is a subject of 4 ECTS credits that is taught during the first semester of the fourth year of the Audiovisual Communication degree. It is an optional subject and is part of the specialisation in Cinematographic Creation (treatment of fiction) which is taught during the last cycle of the degree.
Sound and Music in Audiovisuals is an optional subject and a specialised subject. It is a continuation of the subject called Applied Music, which is taught in the third year of the degree in Audiovisual Communication at the Faculty of Communication Sciences of the UIC.
Sound and music are elements that are used in all audiovisual products, not only for aesthetic purposes, but also as determining factors in the discourse and narrative language. They are tools present in all media communication strategies nowadays.
In our country, the treatment of sound in communication studies is minimal, and yet its use as a language to influence the feelings and behaviour of societies is one of the oldest practices of humanity. Sound and music appeal to the natural and cultural codes of human beings. Associated with products, services and, above all, ideologies, they can achieve surprising results in cultures.
In the same way that it is necessary to master the visual techniques in filmmaking, a good understanding and adequate expression of the temporal narration of sound (script, sound, music and editing), enables students to multiply the artistic possibilities of their projects and bring a more complete meaning to their stories.
The main objective of the second year subject, Applied Music, was to awaken in students the aural sensitivity necessary to develop creative projects in the world of Communication capable of contributing value in today's society.
Sound and Music in Audiovisuals now proposes, in a much more specific and advanced way, to train students in the technical mastery of sound design and to explore the most avant-garde possibilities of cinematographic sound for narrative and expressive purposes. The course also aims to deepen the practice of musical composition and sound design for professional projects. To this end, a sound project is developed that serves as a platform for introducing students to the professional world. The subject is divided into four specialised themes: 1) music in advertising, 2) the treatment of music in TV series, 3) video clips and 4) contemporary cinema.
Pre-course requirements
Although no prerequisites are necessary, it is highly recommended to have previously taken the subjects Sound in Audiovisual Productions and Applied Music, which are taught during the first semester of the third year of the Degree in Audiovisual Communication.
Objectives
The main objectives pursued by this specialised subject are:
Illustrate and collect some of the main methodologies and learning activities that, thanks to music, can be implemented in the profession of the creator and communicator. This practice in turn brings together all the teachings seen in other previous subjects, and which constitute the transversal area of knowledge of sound and music as a specific competence in Audiovisual Communication: Sound in Audiovisual Productions, Sound Techniques in Audiovisuals or Applied Music.
To develop in students a solid and lasting musical criterion, based on scientific rigour and professional practice.
To promote the study of scientific sound and music, based not so much on theory as on professional practice in audiovisual creation.
To integrate the various competences of music in the competences and training plan of Audiovisual Communication students.
To learn about the main characteristics and conventions of the different professional sectors in which music is applied by speciality, such as advertising, video clips, short films and new formats.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 01 - The ability to adapt to varying circumstances
- 02 - The ability to understand, accept criticism and correct errors
- 03 - The ability to administer and manage human and technical resources
- 04 - The ability to work in a team and autonomously
- 05 - The ability to organise time and workspace
- 06 - The ability to develop academic rigour, responsibility, ethics and professionalism
- 07 - The ability to apply the deontology and respect for the audiovisual sector
- 08 - The ability of critical analysis, synthesis, concretion and abstraction
- 10 - The ability to confront difficulties and resolve problems
- 21 - Knowledge and mastery of the digital culture
- 25 - The ability to maximize creative development
- 26 - The ability to develop a sense of taste and perfection in the aesthetics and finalization of projects
- 32 - The ability to confront audiovisual and film projects in all phases (pre-production, shooting, post-production, distribution)
- 34 - The ability to know and respect the different roles of the artistic and technical teams
- 39 - The ability to understand and apply the legal dimension of an audiovisual product
- 40 - The ability to defend and respect authorship and intellectual property
- 44 - The ability to adapt to new audiovisual formats
- 46 - The ability to dominate resources used for image (Photographs, lighting...) and sound.
- 50 - The ability to adapt, understand and apply the expressive possibilities of new technologies and future changes
- 51 - Knowledge and mastery of the functioning of Corporate and Institutional Communication.
- 52 - The ability to apply audiovisual knowledge and techniques for commercial purposes in any form
- 53 - Lingustic ability in Catalan, Spanish and English
- 54 - The ability to skillfully manage the literature, terminology and linguistic structures of the English language related to the field of communication.
Learning outcomes of the subject
Some of the results that have been observed in the students are related both to basic competences and to very advanced skills in the mastery of language and sound expression. Thanks not only to the subject of Sound and Music in Audiovisuals, but also to all the sound subjects that they have studied transversally during the four years of the Degree, it has been verified that most of the students end up demonstrating, to a greater or lesser extent, the following abilities:
- Mastery of the techniques of audiovisual language and narrative: they know how to dialogue and coordinate all the departments involved in the production and/or filming of an audiovisual work with the aim of integrating their different perspectives.
- They are also able to guarantee the final quality of a soundtrack in any medium and format (texture and composition) and also to foresee and organise the necessary logistics involved in all the elements to be treated, such as Sound Effects, Dialogues and Voices, Music or Ambient Sound. With this ability, they know how to take care of all the elements that serve to transmit an ambience, a climate or an atmosphere to the spectator.
- Thanks to their technical and grammatical mastery of sound, the students have also shown themselves capable of editing and editing with a sense of rhythm and narrative coherence.First from a technical point of view, they become familiar with the basic syntax of sound both in its design and post-production. Thanks to this, they experience the narrative and creative possibilities of sound as a guarantor of stories in audiovisual fiction.
- At the same time, sound creativity forces them to learn about musical trends in a local and international cultural context.With this updated vision, they are capable of, in their own personal bets, knowing how to respond to the demands of the audience, adapting themselves to the cultural panorama that is demanded and nourished at the same time by the media already in progress, with their corresponding economic-business conditioning factors.
- In the more specific field of audiovisual creation of fiction projects, the development of a vast musical knowledge will allow them to tell coherent and consistent stories from an artistic point of view, being flexible enough to adapt their personal brand as creators to the culture and collective imaginary of a society.
- The technical mastery of sound enables them to professionally elaborate different types of creative proposals depending not only on the medium in which they work, but also on the specialised content, such as documentaries, current affairs reports, short films, fiction series, among others.
- Thanks to practical and team work, students also acquire the professional routines of the different specialised sectors as well as their own languages and modes.
- The students end up mastering the different techniques of recording and sound recording in the studio and on location. In the same way, they show themselves to be able to handle video, audio, web page and graphic editing software with ease.
- One of the skills that they demonstrate with greater fluency, at the end of their degree studies, is the mastery of the creation of meaning from the musical fact in audiovisual projects. They are able to apply, with good judgement, the techniques of Filmscoring and musical ambience in any audiovisual exercise, attending to its conceptual, stylistic and formal needs, beyond purely aesthetic decisions. In this way, they demonstrate greater professionalism when introducing and using the different resources of musical expression.
Syllabus
As already mentioned, the course is divided into four specialised subjects: 1) music in advertising, 2) the treatment of music in TV series, 3) video clips and 4) contemporary cinema.
Lesson plan and syllabus
|
Week |
Thematic block |
Indicative content |
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Week 1 |
Advertising |
Specialised music: the spot advertisement (Assignment of practice 1) |
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Week 2 |
Advertising |
Specialised music: the advertising spot and the brand jingle |
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Week 1 |
Advertising |
Specialised music: commercials (Correction of Practical Session 1) |
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Week 1 |
Series |
Music and TV: Theoretical session on video clips (Assignment of the videoclip practice) |
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Week 5 |
Series |
Music and TV: music in fiction series |
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Week 6 |
Series |
Music and TV: music in fiction series (series practice is in charge) |
Coaching PFG |
|
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Week 7 |
Videoclip |
Music and TV: Videoclip 2 Coaching PFG |
Coaching PFG |
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Week 8 |
Videoclip |
Music and TV Videoclip 3 |
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Week 9 |
Videoclip |
Music and TV Videoclip: Videoclip correction with court |
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Week 10 |
Sound design cine |
New sound design in cinema (contemporary trends) |
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Week 11 |
Sound design cine |
New sound design in cinema (contemporary trends) |
Coaching PFG |
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Week 12 |
Sound design cine |
New sound design in cinema |
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Week 13 |
Sound design cine |
Final practical correction of series + exam preparation |
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Teaching and learning activities
In person
The contents will be worked on through various activities that require continuous assessment. The activities combine reflection and analysis of the subject matter with technical training and creative development in practice. The activities will have the following distribution:
*All activities will be complemented with compulsory and recommended readings, as well as the analysis of audiovisual products that students will have to work on autonomously in order to pass the subject.
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0.8 |
| Practical workshop. A highly practical working activity, where students can acquire skills that are practical or also theoretical (intellectual skills, logical skills, critical skills, intellectual learning skills, study skills, quoting skills, etc). | 0.4 |
| Lab. Working groups that combine theory and practice. The aim of these is not to undertake already known techniques, but instead to make progress that is both theoretical and technical. These Lab sessions will culminate in the creation of a professional or semi-professional product. | 0.8 |
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 2.0 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
Assessment will be continuous. Students will have to hand in several audiovisual and/or sound projects every fortnight. These projects will be developed individually or in groups depending on the content covered.
Partial use will be made of multi-assessment, a methodology that will allow students to be monitored according to a list of the following criteria: attitude, teamwork, meeting deadlines, delivery, creativity, design, content, market placement or academic rigour.
The evaluation will consist of 4 tests that count for 25% each out of a total of 100 points.
- A final written exam (25% of the mark).
- The presentation of an analysis of a series of films (25%).
- 1 practical of creation of an advertising spot in pairs (25% of the final mark).
- The presentation of a final Videoclip in front of a specialist jury in groups (25% of the mark).
If one or more of the tests are not passed, the student will have to recover these parts in the second call independently, under similar criteria to those applied in the first call.
Bibliography and resources
Bernal, M. Á., & de Gestión EÜEDA, E. (2009). Industria audiovisual y mercados digitales. Icade, Nº 78, pp. 39-56.
Cottle, S. (2006). Mediatized rituals: beyond manufacturing consent. Media, Culture & Society, 28(3), pp. 411-432.
Crofts, C. (2011). Cinema distribution in the age of digital projection. Post Script: Essays in Film and the Humanities, 30(2), pp. 82-98.
García, R. S., & Rodrigo, E. M. (2010). Música y sentimiento en los medios audiovisuales. Razón y Palabra, 15(73).
Grau Rebollo, J. (2002) Antropología Audiovisual. Barcelona: Bellaterra.
Gustems, J. (2012). Música y sonido en los audiovisuales (Vol. 10). Barcelona; Edicions Universitat Barcelona.
I Pascual, J. A., & Telo, A. R. (2005). Comunicación audiovisual digital: nuevos medios, nuevos usos, nuevas formas. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
Martínez Rodrigo, S. (2005). “Lenguaje audiovisual y manipulación”. Comunicar, 25, pp. 211-220.
Montoya Rubio, J. C. (2010). Música y medios audiovisuales: planteamientos didácticos en el marco de la educación musical. Tesis Doctoral. Salamanca: Universidad de Salamanca.
Nieto, J. (2003). Música para la imagen: la influencia secreta. Madrid: Sociedad General de Autores y Editores.
Román, A. (2008). El lenguaje musivisual: semiótica y estética de la música cinematográfica. Madrid: Editorial visión libros.
STORR, Anthony: La música y la mente (Paidos, Barcelona, 2008)
VEGA TOSCANO, A. (2001): Música y creación audiovisual. En LOLO, B. (Ed.) Campos interdisciplinares de la Musicología. Sociedad Española de Musicología, 1, pp. 699–709.