A Theory of Film Music.docx
- 文档编号:4081956
- 上传时间:2022-11-27
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:9
- 大小:25.61KB
A Theory of Film Music.docx
《A Theory of Film Music.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《A Theory of Film Music.docx(9页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
ATheoryofFilmMusic
TheThreeRegimes:
ATheoryofFilmMusic
RobertSpande
Filmmusicisacontingent necessity.AsHegeldescribedanabsolutenecessityandasZizekinterprets,itisanecessity intheformof contingency.1 Ithasbeensaidthatfilmmusicoriginallyappearedlargelytocoverupthesoundoftheclankymachineswhichprojectedtheearliestofthesilentfilms.2 Thesolutionforthistraumaticintrusionofthereal,thiscontingencytobedealtwith,wasitself,contingency.Numerouselsebesidesplayingapianocouldhavesolvedthisproblemandultimatelydid.
Yettheaccompanimentoffilmbymusicsurvivedbeyondtheendofitsmeans.Thereasonthatfilmmusicsurvivedandflourished,inthatCambrianexplosionofdiverseenjoymentsinthelate1800sandearly1900s,wasandisthatitrepresentsafloweringunfoldment3 ofadeepernecessity,locatedinthewaysubjectsprocessreality.
Inbothitshistoricalandimmediateform,filmmusicexhibitsthepropertiesofa vanishingmediator,aphenomenonwhichdisappearsnecessarilyfromthefieldofitsowneffects.4 Historically,theaccompanimentoffilmbymusicwasasolutiontotheproblemofclankyprojectors,aproblemwhichsooncorrecteditself,andthelivepianoplayer,orsmallorchestrawithharmonium,disappearedfromthefilmexperience.Whatremainstothisdayismusicwroughtthroughvirtuallyeveryfilmmade.The vanishingmediator isacontingencythroughwhichridesanecessity.Yetforthenecessitytoflourishassuch,theoriginarycontingencymustnecessarilyvanish.5
Inamoreimmediatesensethisphenomenonstillholds.Wewatchthefilmandmusicblaresfromeveryspeaker,yetitremains,inlarge,unnoticedinthewaythata"normal"musicalexperience,suchasmightbehadinaconcert,isnoticedandenjoyed.Inaverynecessaryway,thefilmmusicbecomessubmerged,producingafieldofeffects,nottheleastofwhichisourenjoyableimmersioninthemovie.Torememberbacktothemostenjoyablepartsofthefilmrarelyincludesasimilarremembranceofthemusicthataccompaniedthem.Thusthefilmmusicoften"disappears"fromtheeffect(thememory)ofthefilm/filmmusiccomplex.
Assuch,thephenomenonoffilmmusicrepresentsthequintessentialpostmodernobject.6 Itisachanceobjectofthiseraof"sciencesofthereal"whichhasamoreabstractstructuretoberealized;anobjectwhichhasstayedhiddenandreallyonly"works"whilehidden,yetwhichtugsforhermeneuticscrutinyevenasitisriventhroughthemostbanalofpopularart.
Thedeeperrealityoffilmmusic,thenecessitywhichfoundbodyinitsluckyaccident,involvesthewaythefilmtriestoevokeasortoftemporaryandillusive"film-subjectivity,"whichcloselymimicsoureverydaysubjectivity.Todothis,thefilmmustrelyontacticsfarbeyondsimplyspinningagoodyarn.Thefilmexperiencemustimitateinsomewayallthreeoverlappingdimensionsofsubjectivereality:
thesymbolic,therealandtheimaginary.Themethodbywhichthisisdoneinvolvesveryheavilytheuseoffilmmusic.
Thereseemsnodoubtthatfilmsandfilmmusicworkwelltogether.Ashasbeensaid,filmwithoutmusicis"deadly."7 Therearefewfilmsthatdowellwithoutit(TheAsphaltJungleisanotableexception).Therearealsonumerousexamplesoffilmswhichareruinedbytheirmusic.WhatIamtryingtounderstandisthatperfectfusionofdiagetic"reality"withthetraumaticintrusionofmusicfromnowhere,seeminglyfromjustoutsidethelimitsofthescreen,theresultofwhichaseveryonewillagree,istheexperienceofbeing"lost"inafilm,tohaveafilm"takeyouover."Ifonehasnotexperiencedthisfeeling,trustthatmillionshave,astheaffectiveexperienceofsuchfilmsas"E.T."and"GoneWithTheWind"and"KingKong"doattest.Thesefilmsrelyheavilyupontheirnearlyidealfusionoffilmandfilmmusic.
Moviesrepresentasense-system(ofbothmeaningandsensorialphenomenon),likeMorse-codeandsemaphore.Whatproblematizesthisanalogyistheextenttowhichenjoymentistiedupinthefilmexperience.Wewanttoenjoythefilm.Wedesirethefeelingsrepresentedonthescreen.ThisiswhyIbelievefilmtobecomparabletothesubjectivityof"everydaylife."Weliveeverydaydrowninginwords,allinventedwithoutourconsent,andotherrepresentationswhicharerarelyourown.Yetthroughthismesswetrudge,wrappingourpersonalitywithnumerousofthesearbitrarysignifications,allthewhilestrivingto enjoy.
Thusitistotheabovementionedoverlappingdimensionsofthesymbolic,theimaginaryandtherealthatwemustreturninordertounderstandjusthowfilmusesmusictoensnareusinitsdelicioustrap.
TheThree:
Thesymbolic,theimaginary,andthereal(theSIR)
Beforedivingdirectlyintothewaysthatfilmmusichelpsproduceapproximationsofthesethreedomainscomprisingsubjectivity,itmightbeagoodideatotrytounderstandthem.
TheSIRarenotdiscreetelementswhichworkinconcertoroppositionorthroughanyquicklydescribedorapprehendedway.Theydonotprecedenorfollowoneanother;theydononeofthemhaveanysortof"priority"or"primacy"overtheother.Theycouldbesaidtobethreestonesdroppedsimultaneouslyinaliquid,theinteractingwavesofeachproducinganodeofnegativitybetweenthem,thesubject.Sincewemuststartsomewhere,let'sbeginwiththereal.
Therealisnot,asoftencharacterized,allthat"outthere."Itisnotthatwhichisindescribable,orundefinable,norisitthe"ideal"whichcanneverbereached.Therealisthatwhichissymbolicallyunintegrateabletothesubject.Itisthedomainofdesire.
TheintertwinednatureoftheSIRisherenicelyborneout,since
Therealcanbedefinedasthatsetofpotentiallysignifiableobjectswhichresist,viatheimaginary,significationandintegrationintothesymbolicofthesubject.
Theimportanceofthisdomainismanifestinthediscourseofpsychoanalysis.Psychoanalysis'mainobjectiveisthedisintegrationoftheanalysand's(thepatient's)injuriousimaginaryrelationtothesymptom,8 viatheintegrationofthatrealintothesymbolicregister.
Theprimeexampleoftherealistrauma,suchasthatproducedbychildhoodabuse,incest,orrape.Traumaisbydefinitionthatwhichisunintegrateableintotherealmofsignifiers.Therealisthat,thesignificationofwhichthreatenstocrumblethesubject's"world."Thatwhichisheldatbaysothattheconsistencyofthesubjectmaycontinuetoadhere.Yetthisunknowablethingisnonethelessstill"there." Lacan wasfamousforsayingthattherealalwaysreturns.Itjumpsoutatusviacontingent,unforeseeableeventsbothinternalandexternal.Itcouldbetheinfamous"freudianslip"orjustsomechanceoccurrencewhichpullsthetraumaticeventbackoutintothelimelight.
Inthislightitbecomeseminentlyconceivablehowsomethingwhichisnot"present"suchastrauma,canstillverymuchmakeitseffectsknown,canevenbeseenasa"cause"ofthesubject.
Thesymbolicistherealmofthedifferential.ItisalsotherealmofFatherandhisName,therealmoftheLaw.Itcanbeperfunctorilyequatedwithlanguageandrepresentation.Essentialistheconsiderationofthealienatingaspectofthesymbolic.Itisaconcessiontomaterialityofexistence.Anorderintowhichthesubjectmustenterinordertosurvive.Yetitis,atbase,arbitrary.Perhapsitisthisfact:
theconcessiontoanorderthesystemiticityofwhichisrootedinchance,whichcreatesthedimensionofalienation,"otherness"withwhichthesymbolicissooftenidentified.Toenteritistoleavetheimaginaryabsoluteofthemirrorstage.Itistobedistancedforever,notonlyfromtheworldofobjects,butfromone'sself,epitomizedinthewaypronounsareattachedidenticallytoall."I"isasignifier,separatefromthe"realme"whichwastherepriorto"symbolic"thought.Howindeedcanthissign,whichisdispensedtoall,"mean"me,anindividualsodrasticallydifferentfromallthoseother"I"soutthere?
Thisarbitraryfactoristhecruxofthesymbolic.Wemustbeabletoattacharbitrarysignstonovelexperiencesandobjectsinordertosurviveintherealworld.Ifthiswerenotthecase,eachindividualwouldbeimpelledtoporeoverhis/herownpsychologytofind"justtheright"soundtonamethatfourleggedcreatureoverthere,orthatthingovertheregrowingoutoftheground.Theunfortunateresultofthiswouldbeaneternalbabelizationofsociety.Thecureforthisdilemmawouldbetoagreeonasetofsymbolswhichwouldnecessarilyappeartomostasarbitrary.
Insumthesymbolic"field"asitissometimescalledcanalsobereadilydescribedinrelationtoitstwocohorts.
Thesymbolicisthatdifferentialandpenultimately9 arbitrarysystemofsignsandmaterial"marks"whichdenytherealbywayoftheimaginary.
Asmentioned,theimaginaryistheregimeofAbsolute.ItistherealmofMother.TherealmofLove.Itisnotasitsnamesuggests,therealmofimagination.Ithasmuchmoretodowiththeword"image"embeddedwithinit.Itcouldbedescribedasthedesiring,embodiedvisionofthesubject.Withinthissphere"eye"and"I"becomeone.
Thisabsoluteharkensbacktothedayswhenwewerebabies,whodidn'tknowwhatwewere,orwhatweweren't.Specifically,itrecalls"themirrorstage,"themomentwhenweallatsomepointsetourselvesadriftfromthe"oneness"ofbabyhoodandtriedtomapthatunityontothedifferentialnatureofreality,ontoobjectsandothersubjects.Littlesattelitesofourselfbegantoformarounduslikeplanetsaroundastar,orliketoyslitteredaroundababy.Theformoftheimaginaryisthebinaryrelationshipwhichis"known"asunity,wheretheothero
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- Theory of Film Music
![提示](https://static.bdocx.com/images/bang_tan.gif)