Music-Driven Narrative Film: Vocal Music and Cinematic Storytelling

Abstract

This thesis explores the relationship between vocal music and cinematic storytelling, focusing on the following question: how should music-driven narrative films, which are built primarily around vocal music, be constructed and produced in order to be idiomatic to filmic mediums? In order to answer this we first need a way to talk about the relationship between vocal music and storytelling in film. To this end, the first half of this thesis demonstrates two theoretical frameworks. In chapter one, a "three core-aspects" analysis provides a tool for describing the overall relationship between sound, image and narrative throughout a given film. In chapters two and three, an analysis of "metadiegetic music" provides a way to specifically identify and discuss the kinds of music around which music driven narrative films are built, as well as the unique treatment and functions of this music. This thesis also provides a brief overview of the most significant genres of music-driven narrative film: motion picture opera, television opera, film opera adaptations, and movie musicals. Studying these genres reveals a variety of issues related to the combination of vocal music and storytelling in filmic mediums. Analyzing how these issues were addressed historically in the genres listed above yields insight into how vocal music and storytelling could be more effectively combined in filmic mediums.