What is the relationship between film and popular music?
How do both industries influence each other and affect pop culture?
What are the various artistic ways songs are used in film?
How has popular music made unique impacts on cinema and come to influence new scoring practices?

These are some of the questions we’ll explore in our Film Music Supervision & Pop Scoring Decal. While traditional orchestral film scoring has a significant history in cinema, music supervision (the use of pre-existing music in a film's soundtrack) has also made a significant contribution to how we’ve come to experience movies today. Artistically, financially, and culturally, popular music has become an essential yet under-discussed element of film history and practice.

With the growing trend of popular musicians creating film scores, we’ll also discuss pop scoring: how popular music has and continues to influence original film scores. Through historical background, collaborative discussion, notable film clips, music and film analysis, full film screenings, and a creative final project, the whole class will move towards a comprehensive grasp on the of intersection popular music and cinema.

---

Students who complete this course successfully will be able to:
- identify and analyze the musical elements of film soundtracks and their relationship with other aspects of the cinema they’re featured in
- understand the role of a music supervisor in both creative and business aspects
- draw upon the historical development of film soundtracks when thinking about film music, especially in regards to conventional use and pop culture
- reflect on the growing trends of pop scoring and the relation between popular music and cinema

Class is P/NP, graded on:
Attendance & Participation – 35%
Short Weekly Reflections – 35%
Creative Final Project / Paper – 30%

(See syllabus for info on attendance, readings, short reflections etc.)

In addition to the weekly Monday 6:10-7:00 class, screenings will be each Thursday 6:00pm. Screening attendance is highly encouraged, but students have the option to watch at home if they cannot attend any screening. All films are available to stream in various locations online for a small fee, and several are available for free on-site streaming through the Media Resource Center in Moffitt.

9/4 UPDATE: We have received several emails in the past few days that potentially fills past our 50 person allotment, meaning we are officially closed to any new requests to join if you're reading this and haven't already emailed. If you've emailed in the past few days but haven't heard back, there's a slight chance there's room, but we need to process the roster with the film department to confirm any open seats. If you weren't able to enroll this semester, please check back for the decal next semester! ---- 8/29 UPDATE: If you would like to be a part of the class, the application is closed BUT there are still a few spots left. Please email benfried@berkeley.edu and dmedlock@berkeley.edu to be enrolled and/or ask any questions. The final date to be enrolled in this course is Monday 9/10.