Audio-Visions introduces you to the creative and critical study of sound in cinema and other screen media. You will examine how sound and music function in relation to the moving image, and how they shape meaning, structure and the audience experience. Through a range of case studies, you will identify and analyse formal aspects of screen sound-including dialogue, sound effects, music and silence-and consider how these elements operate across different genres, styles and production contexts.

You will explore the historical development of screen sound technologies and aesthetics from the silent era to the contemporary, to critically examine how sound and image interact, as well as how practices of sound production and reception reflect broader changes in culture, authorship, technology and industry. You will also engage with a range of theoretical and conceptual approaches to understanding film sound and music and will apply them in your own analysis of screen texts. In doing so, you will develop transferable skills in critical thinking, research and synthesis, and learn to work across disciplinary boundaries within film, media, music and sound studies.

This course supports both independent and collaborative learning through screenings, class discussions, set readings and assessment focusing on analysis and research. It encourages you to reflect on your own experiences as a listener and viewer, while developing a rigorous understanding of sound's role in screen storytelling.