Screen Sounds and Music
Overview
This unit introduces students to the diverse cultures of screen sound and music across film, television, video games, streaming services, and online platforms. Students will engage with key theories, debates, and practices that shape the ways sound and music function within screen media. They will explore local and Indigenous sonic traditions, global industrial and technological histories, and the influence of gender and power structures on screen sound conventions. The unit also examines how evolving practices in music composition, performance, and sound design shape audience interpretation and cultural experience. Through critical analysis and creative practice, including the production of a professional-standard podcast, students will develop the skills to evaluate and create screen sound within contemporary cultural, industrial, and technological contexts.
Requisites
100 credit points
31-May-2026
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Critically analyse how sound and music shape genre, form, and style in screen media
- Identify the relationships between screen sound theory, diverse social and cultural context and professional practice
- Relate specific screen texts, as well as types of screen media, to their technological and industrial contexts in music and sound design
- Apply key principles of screen music and sound design to audio-visual practice
- Explain how gendered and cultural power dynamics have impacted screen sound industries and conventions
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Lecture |
1.5 | 12 weeks | 18 |
| On-campus Class (Tutorial) |
1.5 | 12 weeks | 18 |
| Online Modules |
2 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Specified Activities Various |
2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Unspecified Activities Various |
5.5 | 12 weeks | 66 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis | Individual | 30% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Essay | Individual | 40% | 1,2,3,5 |
| Podcast | Group | 30% | 3,4,5 |
Content
- Film sound practice from the silent era to synchronised sound
- Genre and screen sounds
- Music and the movies
- Gender and cultural dynamics of screen sound industries
- Leitmotif and the development of music as brand
- Industrial and technological histories
- Dubbing and subtitles
- Digital technology and sound
- Screen sound cultures
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.