Pop Soundtrack Cinema (P5031)

30 credits, Level 6

Autumn teaching

You explore the relationship between film and music by focusing on the curation, promotion and consumption of pop soundtracks in American and British cinema from the late 1970s to the present day.

We will consider topics such as the:

  • use of hit singles to promote films
  • impact of music video and MTV on Hollywood film
  • relationship between pop soundtracks and genre
  • representation of specific music scenes, from disco and punk rock to hip hop and rave
  • role of the music supervisor
  • significance for pop soundtracks of digital technologies such as Spotify and YouTube.

Teaching

60%: Lecture (Film)
40%: Seminar

Assessment

100%: Coursework (Project)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 20 hours of contact time and about 280 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.