This is a document that was written while studying at the Australian Film Television Radio School (AFTRS)
This document has been reformatted for a website. It is written linearly, so simply start here at the top, and then work your way down to the conclusion (reference link attached at the end); Appendix is also included after the conclusion.
"When I make film music, I'm a filmmaker first and foremost. It's about serving the needs of the film. You're telling a story; in a way, you stop becoming a composer and become a storyteller instead. You tell the story with the most appropriate themes. How you approach these things is a very personal matter, but your goal is to tell the story first." (Jóhann Jóhannsson, film composer, 1969-2018).
Question
When used as non-diegetic music, can licensed music influence the characterisation of queer characters in a rom-com differently from original scoring?
Keywords:
Film - Short Film - Drama - LGBT - Queer Theory - Queer Film Theory - Licensed Music
Introduction
Here’s a hypothetical scenario:
You’re enjoying a movie marathon by yourself. It’s a collection of feel good movies, primarily centred around an adolescent who is on the verge of adulthood and is experiencing love, betrayal, loss and change, and ends on a happily-ever-after resolution. The first movie you watch is Mean Girls (2004), the intriguing music of Rolfe Kent simmers into your ears whilst you’re looking at title cards against a black screen. The music has a low hum with African music elements (such as drum rhythms and chants) to represent the cultural upbringing of the protagonist. You enjoy the film as you see Cady Heron adjust into a real high school, making new friends and becoming a person who she really isn’t, all with the African-influenced underscore to remind you of the protagonist’s childhood. The following film you watch is Ladybird (2017). You’re sucked in by a comedic (yet realistic) argument between a mother and daughter in a car and, as the daughter flings herself out of the moving vehicle, the opening music kicks in. An underscore comprised of an eclectic blend of woodwinds, a drumkit and guitars, all of which is utilised throughout the film’s underscore in a softer and lighter tone to represent nostalgia and love as you witness Ladybird try to rebel against her mother. Then you switch to another feel-good film that is slightly different from the rest. This film is called Love, Simon (2018), and the opening scene starts with a bright piano motif from “The Oogum Boogum Song” (1967) by Brenton Wood. An R&B hit song that focusses on a man who is spell-bounded by a beautiful woman in “…that cute mini skirt with your brother's sloppy shirt. I admit it, girl, that I can dig it…” (Wood, B. 1967). This is then followed by an original underscore by Rob Simonsen, which mainly consists of light, droning synths that holds no thematic motif attached to either Simon or his love interest. Then, you get to the pivotal kiss scene, when Simon and his mystery lover finally meet, and you hear a beautiful melody play underneath. A beautiful original song to represent the love between the same sex? Unfortunately, that song you hear is taken from Nerve (2016), a song used to represent an expression of love between a heterosexual couple. You then flick on Call Me By Your Name (2017), and you hear music such as “Hallelujah Junction – 1st Movement” by John Adams, or “M.A.Y. in the Backyard”.
A question is forming. Why are the heterosexual characters in coming-of-age genres being underscored by original music, while queer characters in the same genre are falling to music that wasn’t specifically written for the film?
This is a question that I have been exploring for the latter half of 2022 and all of 2023. Over the last decade, the call for representation has become much more prominent in the entertainment industry across movies and streaming services. According to a diversity report made by GLAAD in 2023, only three major film studios received the grade “good” based on the quality, quantity and diversity in their films (A24, NBCUniversal, and The Walt Disney Company) (GLAAD, 2023, p. 5). On the other hand, the company with the poorest grade is Lionsgate, a company which reports shows that in 2022, only six of the films they released that year showed any LGBT inclusivity (GLAAD, 2023, p. 7). We have been delighted to see such films as Moonlight (2016); Booksmart (2019); Heartstopper (2022-) as well as countless others that bring forth representation in the LGBT community. With these great stories that have beautiful cinematography, production design, and thoughtful directing, why is the music its shortfall? If these production companies are trying to increase diversity in their movies and TV shows, shouldn’t this also be extended into giving the characters an original score and thematic motif?
Shea Russon in BoyMode (2023, dir.: Liv Aleksoski).
BoyMode
The capstone project, BoyMode, is the basis of my practice-led research. The short film revolves around Elle Morrison (Shea Russon), an assigned male at birth (AMAB) transwoman who attends her ten-year high school reunion disguised as a man. Also attending this reunion is a lost love of Elle’s, Tessa (Ally Morgan). Neither have seen each other since before Elle’s transition, and she is afraid that if Tessa knows her true identity, any chance of love would disappear. This is a coming-of-age rom-com short film, written by a Masters of Screenwriting student, Natalie Ryan. The film focusses on themes such as: identity, transphobia and self-acceptance.
The central focus of this short film was authenticity. The script was written by a transwoman, and the vast majority of the production team are part of the LGBT community (myself included). This allowed the movie to be produced through a queer lens from the directing, editing and music.
Going back to Johann Jóhannsson’s quote, my role as a composer is to tell the story that needs to be told through my medium. Like he said, I am a storyteller first and foremost. For BoyMode, what is the story that I am trying to tell? What are the complexities that my music needs to capture that the directing, acting, and cinematography can’t catch?
Which is how my exegesis question was formed. Can my original music inform the characterisation of a queer-centric rom-com? Could it be possible that the characterisations of the protagonist – all of their facets and their complexities – be seen differently if we use different music for the same scene?
In order to help with these questions, as well as understand the use of popular music in this particular genre, I have looked into the history of queer theory, and how it has evolved into being applied into film and film music. This has resulted in me coming across the works of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Elsie Walker, Scott D. Paulin, and Jeff Smith. All of which have helped me frame my mind into better understanding the use of licensed music (also known as a compiled score, temp music or compilation score).
This exegesis goes along the lines of practice-led research. Linda Candy defines practice-led research as: “The primary focus of the research is to advance knowledge about practice, or to advance knowledge within practice. Such research includes practice as an integral part of its method and often falls within the general area of action research.” (Candy, L. 2006). I have utilised Paulus and Nijstad’s Group Creativity Model, a practical model that incorporates strong communication within my team and receiving and retaining information and feedback from them that I incorporate into my next draft (see Appendix A). Additionally, I am going into this capstone as well as this exegesis under the mindset of Jens Eder’s definition of characterisation.
“…characters have four interconnected aspects. Firstly, they are fictitious beings with physical, mental, and social properties and relations. Secondly, they are artefacts with aesthetic structures, created by devices of certain media like film. Thirdly, they are symbols conveying higher, more abstract layers of meanings and themes. And finally, they are symptoms indicating sociocultural circumstances of their production and reception.” (Eder, J. 2008).
Although I will primarily base the results of my research with the responses from my production team, I have also brought in some external input as a way to further flesh out my research. I created a small survey that I sent out to members of the LGBT community, where they watched a pivotal scene from BoyMode three times. The first time is without the score, the second time is with my original score, and the last time is with a compiled score. Afterwards they answered a short survey where they answered which version made them view the character most clearly and explained why.
There are a few items that need to be considered before continuing:
1. Licensed music is not considered in a negative light, but I will look at the positives and the negatives of using licensed pop music.
2. This exegesis will not be considering original scoring that uses pop elements, but only music that was licensed for use as non-diegetic music.
3. I will not be looking into pop songs that were written specifically for a movie, but music that already existed and was not written for the use of any particular movie.
4. There is no definitive measurement of success in my findings. The aim is to simply understand what effect original and licensed music can have to a character’s complexities. The results are based on communication between the production team, and a small response to a survey from a group of people outside of the production team
Methodology
Research, when it comes to the creative arts, follows two typical types of frameworks: Practice-based research, and practice-led.
This document will be following along the guidelines of practice-led research. According to Linda Candy in her document Practice Based Research: A Guide, she defines practice-led research:
“…is concerned with the nature of practice and leads to new knowledge that has operational significance for that practice. The main focus of the research is to advance knowledge about practice, or to advance knowledge within practice. In a doctoral thesis, the results of practice-led research may be fully described in text form without the inclusion of a creative outcome. The primary focus of the research is to advance knowledge about practice, or to advance knowledge within practice. Such research includes practice as an integral part of its method and often falls within the general area of action research.” (Candy, L. 2006).
My research will happen in two stages. The first stage was to develop insight into what it is that I am trying to find out (the effect of characterisation for a queer character in a rom-com). This stage has been established in my Source Reviews, where I have been exposed to the works of Claudia Gorbman, Scott D. Paulin, Jeff Smith and Jack Curtis Dubowsky. The work that I have researched from these scholars have developed the base for my practice: the ideology of connotation in my music (courtesy of Paulin), the marketing value of a pop score (courtesy of Jeff Smith) and the way that licensed music and original scoring can drive a narrative respectively (courtesy of Gorbman and Dubowsky). This leads into the fat of my practice-based research: the actual composing. The composing also will have two stages. For the first stage: I will be composing an original score for the short film. There are two themes that I will be establishing for the short film: the main theme for Elle (the protagonist), and a fluttery love theme that will sit underneath it to represent the attachment between Elle and her love interest, Tessa. The score will go through a communicative process with the LGBT members of the production team. Drafts will be continuously sent out to the editor, the screenwriter, and the director themself, where constructive feedback will be received (with a strong emphasis on if the music truly encapsulates the character of Elle). Adjustments will be made until a final product is proven satisfactory by all parties involved.
The second stage then includes a rescoring of the pivotal scene in the film (the last five minutes which includes the climax and the resolution). This rescoring will have my original score replaced by licensed music from popular queer-centric rom-com TV shows and movies. This will not go through a drafting process as extensive as the original scoring stage will. This mainly has to do with time constraints, as well as to ensure that I can receive a response from a first-time viewer as opposed to someone who has watched the rescored version through several draft submissions.
Source Reviews
The following works that I will be citing focus on common characteristics: music, and the role they play in (for both licensed and original scoring), as well as queer theory and the role it plays in films. It is best to briefly understand how queer theory came about, and how it has become of vital importance in academic film analyses. Queer Theory was coined in the early 1990’s thanks to two well-known novels: Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990), and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s Epistemology of the Closet (1990). Both novels derived from the work of French philosopher-historian Michael Foucault (Pramaggiore, 2023). From the opening of Sedgwick’s novel, she states that “… many of the major nodes of thought and knowledge in twentieth-century Western culture as a whole are structured – indeed, fractured – by a chronic, now endemic crisis of homo/ heterosexual definition, indicatively male, dating from the end of the nineteenth century.” (Sedgwick, E. 1990, p. 1). Sedgwick explored the idea of the ‘closet’ as more than a metaphor, and uses the term as a way to reveal its constant presence in American culture as a duplicitous social practice and juridical double bind. Butler, on the other hand, had similar views, but more so looked at the ideas of sexuality and identity not being a natural or stable element of biological or social identity, but its presence is constantly brought forth through the use of actions and gestures as a means to go against the binary of man/woman; hetero/homo. These ideologies formed the basis, and from these emerged critical analyses in films, music and literature spanning across the United States, United Kingdom and Europe.
The following examples put forth focus on the various roles that licensed music versus original scoring has in a film. This goes further than simply looking into story narration, but also the economic and marketing values that licensed music has for the movie, as well as the musicians. Additionally, some of the works also look at these roles through the lens of queer theory.
A Brief History On Queer Theory
Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Understanding Soundtracks Through Film Theory by Elsie Walker (2015)
Part V: Queer Theory (Heavenly Creatures)
In her book, Elsie Walker – a Professor of Cinema Studies at Salisbury University – investigates film soundtracks through the lenses of different cinematic theories. This includes Psychoanalysis; Feminism; Genre Studies and Queer Theory. In her chapter on Queer Theory, she focusses on two films and their soundtracks: Rebecca (1940) and Heavenly Creatures (1994). This section will focus on her analysis for Heavenly Creatures since the film focusses on a more contemporary standpoint on the queer undertones between the protagonists of the film (Juliet and Pauline). Additionally, Rebecca uses original scoring only; Heavenly Creatures features both licensed music (operatic arias) as well as original scoring (by Peter Dasent).
The film is based on a true story about two teenage girls (Juliet and Pauline) in New Zealand in the 1950’s committing matricide (the murder of Pauline’s mother). Walker does not just focus on the music in Heavenly Creatures, but also a documentary released in 2010, Reflections of the Past (2010), that also focusses on the two girls. By doing this, she does not just focus on how the characters are viewed from a filmic standpoint, but also investigates how the real girls that inspired the film and documentary are viewed in reality, and how the music accentuates these standpoints. Walker favours the music in the former because she finds the music in Reflections of the Past more aesthetically pleasing and almost childlike. She brings up one scene in the documentary (1:17:53) that depicts two conventionally pretty girls who are meant to portray the teenage girls, lying together in a park. Juliet drops rose petals on Pauline, and the scene is captured through slow-motion videography, with afternoon lights beaming through, creating a nostalgic and child-like scene. Elsie says in her book:
“The music is relatively high pitched, harmonically light, and predictable: it would not be out of place in a children's story. Thus, the scoring belittles them. Such a representation of Pauline and Juliet dampens their queer identities: they are imaged as familiar pretty young things rather than sexually and psychologically subversive beings who self-consciously defined themselves in terms beyond their own time. Moreover, they are quite literally denied a ‘voice’”. (Walker, E. 2015, p. 373).
The music in Heavenly Creatures focusses on a luscious, operatic undertone with both the original score as well as the licensed music that has been implemented as both diegetic and non-diegetic. According to Walker, “…the soundtrack resonates with accounts of Pauline and Juliet’s real experiences, as well as how they artistically expressed themselves.” (Walker, E. 2015, p. 381). In the film, Pauline (played by Melanie Lynskey) speaks of a tragic opera as she is preparing the murder weapon. She provides a short description of the tragedy as a three-act play, which the structure of the film itself closely follows (first act: girls meet and fall in love; second act: the girls are separated due to Juliet’s illness; act three: the girls are reunited but fall under the threat of permanent separation. The murder ensues). This structure encourages the audience to perceive the girls the same way that the girls perceive themselves, as if in a tragic operatic play.
Leading up to the murder, there is a sequence which includes the two girls and Honora (the murdered) walking down a hill in beautiful afternoon light. The film is in slow-motion and includes Puccini’s “Humming Chorus” as the underscore. This song originated from the opera Madame Butterfly, in which a 15-year-old Japanese bride is betrayed by her husband, which results in her committing suicide. Walker links the historical context of the piece to the moment leading up to the murder in Heavenly Creatures, where in Madame Butterfly a girl commits a terrible act of violence by killing herself. The girls in Heavenly Creatures do the same, and in a way is similar to the Japanese bride as the girls ‘end’ the life that they have together. Walker further analyses the use of operatic music in the soundtrack by focussing on another musical moment in the film. In the film, the night before the murder, Juliet (Kate Winslet) sings “Sono Andati”, which is from Puccini’s La Boheme, another opera that focusses on a tragedy between two ordinary people who fall in love. The love ends when one of the protagonists dies. Walker places the hetero coupling from Puccini’s opera in with the romantic coupling between Juliet and Pauline. The music not only allows the girls status of tragedy within their relationship, but it also allows them status that is traditionally permitted between a heterosexual couple.
From here, Walker shifts from the licensed music and focusses on the original scoring by Peter Dasent. The role of the original scored differs when compared to the licensed music. While the operatic music focussed on the ‘tragedy’ between the two girls, Dasent’s score represented the ‘togetherness’ between the two protagonists. Throughout the film, the score heavily variates on one particular theme that represents Juliet and Pauline (almost like a love theme), and the tone changes depending on the feelings the two girls share during the scene. “Many of Dasent’s cues feature such abrupt shifts. The musical implication of this pattern is that every experience can quickly modulate into its opposite.” (Walker, E. 2015, p. 387). Walker concludes this section by stating that the use of original scoring by Peter Dasent creates a drastic change in the effect of characterisation, as the use of lyrical and luscious orchestration encourages the audience to feel the complexity of the relationship between the two girls, and adds a further depth to their relationship as opposed to following along the bias standpoint that the women are merely ‘monsters’. (Walker, E. 2015, p. 388).
Unheard Melodies: Narrative Film Music by Claudia Gorbman (1987)
In the introduction of her book, Claudia Gorbman provides an in-depth justification on why music is implemented in a film in the first place. Even in films that try to portray the reality of the space in which the characters are in (such as Blue is the Warmest Colour [2013] where even the theme is used in the real space as opposed to being used non-diegetically), music is almost always implemented. She compares the use of music in films to music you hear in a dentist’s office or in a clothing store. “Easy-listening music (at least in theory) helps the consumer buy, the patient relax, the worker work; its goal is to render the individual an untroublesome social subject…” (Gorbman, C. 1987, p. 5).
Gorbman focusses on the use of songs with lyrics in her first chapter Narratological Perspectives in Music. In her subchapter Songs with Lyrics, she mentions the use of music with lyrics sung non-diegetically in such films as Rancho Notorious (1952), where a scene of men on horseback is accompanied by “The Ballad of Chuck-a-luck”. Another example she includes is in Sam Fuller’s Forty Guns (1957), where “She’s a High Ridin’ Woman With a Whip” is heard over a scene involving Barbara Stanwyck riding with a group of men in the western country-side. By utilising the use of songs with lyrics in a non-diegetic setting, Gorbman compares this as a behaviour similar to a Greek Chorus. The use of songs with lyrics fills in the dialogic silences in a scene and freezes the narrative into place to make room for the music to spectate. (Gorbman, C. 1987, p. 20). In a later section, Gorbman lays out a set of principles in which the film’s score should follow. The following principals are:
I. Invisibility: non-diegetic music must not be visible within the scene
II. “Inaudibility”: Music is not meant to be heard consciously
III. Signifier of emotion: Music can set specific moods, but most importantly it is a signifier of emotion
IV. Narrative cueing/referential cueing: music establishes setting and character
V. Continuity: music provides melodic and rhythmic continuity between shots
VI. Unity: Music aids in the construction of narrative
VII. The score may violate any of the principals, as long as it is at the service of the other principles
(Gorbman, C. 1987, p. 73).
The Sounds of Commerce by Jeff Smith (1998)
Jeff Smith brings forth not only the role of popular music in a non-diegetic setting as a story-driven device, but it also is used as a marketing tool. In the opening section of his book, Smith proclaims that soundtracks have been an important tool in film productions as an aesthetic and cultural phenomenon since the 1950’s. The soundtrack of Wayne’s World (1992) was a best-seller on Billboard’s charts and revived the interest in the rock group Queen. The use of Bohemian Rhapsody in the film’s soundtrack resulted in an increase in radio play fifteen years after the song’s initial release (Smith, 1998, p. 1). Smith acknowledges that ‘pop music’ is used as an umbrella term. Viewers, consumers, and film music scholars have all obtained a common idea as to what genre the term entails, which includes a vast range of commercial genres which have been primarily taken from facets of African American and folk music, and includes styles such as funk, blues, rags, reggae, rock, and country and western music (Smith, 1998, p. 5). Smith offers a quote from composer Aaron Copland, who provides a summary of the functions of film music in five general areas:
1. It conveys a convincing atmosphere of time and place
2. It underlines the unspoken feelings or psychological states of characters
3. It serves as a kind of neutral background filler to the action
4. It gives a sense of continuity to the editing
5. It accentuates the theatrical build up of a scene and rounds it off with a feeling of finality
(Copland, A. 1949).
Smith puts the use of pop music in a film’s score in a positive light. He outlines the freedom of rhythm and melody the composer has, due to the fact that the extensive use of evolving technology allowed the composer to manipulate and work their scores to create a score that was memorable and easily accessible for the moviegoers. He breaks the book down into three sections. He first provides an in-depth examination of pop music, and the role it played in shaping the entertainment industry. He then brings forth the works of Henry Mancini (best known for his work in Breakfast at Tiffany’s [1961], a soundtrack that went onto Billboard’s album charts and remained there for over ninety weeks); John Barry’s work in James Bond, whose title music has attracted popular singers such as Louis Armstrong, Paul McCartney and Lionel Bart; and Ennio Morricone who, despite stating that pop has created a string of disasters that has resulted in changing the standards of film composing and composers’ creativity, had his music boost the Italian record industry thanks to his eclectic scoring that fell under the umbrella term of ‘pop’ music. Finally, he analyses and demonstrates the richness and subtleties that pop music can lend in a film’s underscore.
Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise (1991)
Intersecting Film, Music, and Queerness by Jack Dubowsky Curtis (2016)
Smith focusses on the use of licensed popular music. However, there is nothing in his book that focusses on popular music and queer theory, or how the music affects character, but more so the benefits from an industry standpoint. From here, I will shift the focus to Jack Dubowsky Curtis’s book. In the introduction of his book, Curtis states that gender and sexuality should be regarded as essentials facets of human identity and culture that paves a new path into critically analysing cinema and music. In chapter five of his book, Curtis focuses primarily on two films produced in the 90’s: Thelma and Louise (1991) and Go Fish (1994). He does this for two reasons. One: they both fall on different budgetary spectrums (Thelma and Louise being a high-budget film that had enough money for Hans Zimmer as well as licensed music placement whereas Go Fish was an independently produced film that had enough money to hire three under-the-radar composers). Two: he uses these examples to focus on the thematic and narratological messages behind the use of original and licensed music.
Curtis states that conventional means of implementing music are used to further a queer narrative. Because Go Fish is an independently produced film, there was no need to follow the commercial standards of a major film studio, thus being able to experiment and create a more original and unique sound for the film. For queer-centric films that tried to pedal towards the masses, it had to follow the major film studios standards to appeal to the general audience as opposed to just the minority, hence the use of licensed pop music in films such as Thelma and Louise. (Curtis, 2016, p. 132).
Gorbman analysed the use of compiled music in the film. By using songs that feature female performers, Gorbman argues that the movie outlines Thelma and Louise’s ‘acceptance and embrace of gender transgression, their pleasure in taking phallic power. At every turn, music’s presence helps define the process’ (2007: 81).
Curtis uses a conversation between Thelma and Louise’s music supervisor Kathy Nelson, along with scholar Claudia Gorbman to discuss the use of licensed music in the film. Gorbman states that the ‘uncannily close synching of the songs and their lyrics with the scenes they accompany… The songs invite a more active reading than orchestral underscoring: they define action, setting, and character, they engage references, parallelism, and metaphors, and sometimes they elaborate complex structures of point of view’ (2007: 65). Zimmer’s score for the film is weak in terms of narrative structure when compared to the compiled score. Curtis argues that Zimmer’s music in the film ‘… is marred by tinny, synethesized sounds and repetitious, generic country, blues, and rock gestures that push it away from grandeur and towards the dated ‘synth-pop’…” (Curtis, J. 2016, p. 135). Curtis brings forth other film examples such as Boys Don’t Cry (2000) and Transamerica (2006) that also use a compiled score.
“…use of song shows how films like Thelma & Louise, Boys Don’t Cry, and Transamerica court the mainstream yet foster sexual, gender, and social transgression at the same time. Although these films rebel against patriarchal heteronormativity, push queer concerns into the mainstream, and push the mainstream towards identification with queer concerns, they rely on traditional, conservative implementation of comfortable, familiar music to do so. As queerness interacts with mainstream cinema, its avant-garde artistry or aesthetic, exemplified by Warhol, Anger, and Smith for example, may be diluted…” (Curtis, J. 2016, p. 135).
UNHEARD SEXUALITIES?: QUEER THEORY AND THE SOUNDTRACK by Scott D. Paulin
Scott Paulin brings forth the work of D.A Miller, who published a work called Anal Rope (1990). Miller brings forth ideas of homosexuality being present in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rope (1948), through the use of denotation (where the visuals explicitly imply homocentric connections) and connotation (a murkier realm in film where homoeroticism and homocentric connections can be picked up on if one is to read between the lines of dialogue and action). Paulin adds onto Miller’s work bringing the film’s soundtrack through the ideology of connotation and denotation. Paulin states that the film score should be considered an important component in a film that can help further emphasise the story not being explicitly told through dialogue or action.
“Rather, music's power and potential meaning occupies a different register altogether, one grounded in the bodies and fantasies of its auditors both on screen and in the theater, complicating Miller's and other theorists' strategies to locate queer content in film. Music constructs desire and opens up a space in which fantasies can be projected; the absence of music can be as telling in this respect as its presence, and may explain why many film representations identified by theorists as gay or lesbian often go unnoticed as such by spectators who have internalized the overdetermining conventions of film music…” (Paulin, S. 1997)
Paulin expands on this idea in the next paragraph of his article, whereby taking Miller’s article as a basis, he focusses on the use of diegetic and non-diegetic music in the film Rope. Paulin analyses the scene in which a character named Philip is obsessively playing a song on the piano, a piece composed by Francis Poulenc, Mouvement Perpetual No. 1. Poulenc himself was a gay man, and Paulin believes that his work in Mouvement Perpetual No. 1 can be indicative of his sexuality, in which Poulenc veers away from classical norms by having the notes in the melody clash with the unchanging bass line, in which the music periodically resolves to moments of pleasurable tonal colour, but finishes with a dissonant chord. Paulin believes that Poulenc went against the traditions of classical music writing to clash against hetero norms. Scott believes that this element was a way of connoting homosexuality through the use of music in the film Rope, by having it played as diegetic music during a conversation between two men. Paulin notes the subtlety of homoerotic connotation in Rope, and so he then flips the discussion around and criticises the blatant obviousness in the call to a hetero-coupling that is shown later in the film. Further into the movie, a character name Brendon, the protagonist, says a line in a suggestive manner “A little atmospheric music goes a long way” before switching on the radio and a song by The Three Suns plays. The romantic tune by the band brings a tender undertone to the scene, and the characters Kenneth and Janet reconcile and reignite their mutual desire for one another. Paulin criticises that by having music be used to call the audiences’ attention to this hetero coupling brings forth a “parallel absence” by not bringing forth a potential homo relationship between Kenneth and Brendon through music. Paulin finishes his analysis with this statement:
“It is almost too obvious to state that a visual image of two men or two women will seldom be accompanied in mainstream cinema by a ballad or theme that can be interpreted as generating a romantic affect. To do so would be to violate the ideological tenet that romance is impossible between a same-sex couple, while film music's exploitation of the convention of the "love theme" is otherwise so thorough as to suggest that romance between a man and a woman is all but inevitable.” (Paulin, S. 1997)
Research
A Start
My compositional process for BoyMode was the same as any other project that I have collaborated on. There is the spotting session. This was an in-depth conversation between me and the director, Liv Aleksoski. Instrumentation was absolutely crucial for BoyMode. The film has a tender feel throughout. This is seen through the cinematography (by Kevin Nguyen), the soft colours of the lighting and set design in each scene (by Rachel Haines), and the understated acting of Shea Russon (who plays Elle) and Ally Morgan (who plays Tessa). This, of course, also has to go hand in hand with Elle, and her reaction to the setting and to the changing environment around her as the drama starts to pile up and her secret is threatened to spill out.
The Thematic Motifs
Two themes were developed for BoyMode that were used and variated throughout the short film. There was Elle’s main theme, a four bar phrase that starts on the tonic and jumps up to a major seventh (G#). This leap was intentional, as this interval lent a hand towards the overall narrative arc:
1. The major seventh leap is a semitone away from completing a full octave jump. This gives the feeling of something wanting to be ‘reached’ but isn’t quite there yet. Just like in Elle’s situation: there’s the girl that she wants to be with (Tessa), but her fear of her secret being revealed to Tessa is what stops her from completely reaching out
2. The interval offers an opportunity for interesting chordal structures (such as the major seventh chord) which provides light and hope in the story, but the seventh is what adds a slight dissonance to this sense of hope, another way to represent the internal struggle of Elle.
3. This provided room to add progression and an overall arc to Elle’s story. When we reach the end, the drama has resolved and she gets the girl, that major seventh leap turns into a full octave leap (going from a low A to a high A). This gives a sense of accomplishment, and a sense of tonal relief to the audiences’ ears. We, as the viewers, can feel the accomplishment with Elle.
The second theme represents the love Elle has for Tessa. This is represented by a simple fluttery melodic line that occasionally hits a clear note before settling back into the fluttery trills. This, like the main theme, offers a helping hand to the narrative’s structure:
1. The fluttery rhythmic motif helps identify that a love connection is made. The music is made to represent the way one feels when they see the person they love or are enamoured with.
2. The music is used as its own melodic line, but also compliments well with the main theme when it is used as accompaniment
3. The rhythmic motif can also be further developed to help with the story arc. The trills go from uncertain and uneven to represent the hesitancy Elle has when she is with Tessa. This motif is then developed to a more steady and pulsating semiquaver rhythm as the confidence in Elle strengthens and the love connection between Tessa and Elle becomes more certain.
Instrumentation
The genre for BoyMode is in line with the coming of age rom-com genre. This means that the possibility of any sort of orchestra – whether it is chamber, symphonic, strings or wind – is out of the question. The key justification for this choice is because film music with an orchestra playing the underscore tend to follow characteristics of classical/romantic music, a genre that leans towards melodrama in sound and tonality. If we were to follow these music writing techniques for a rom-com such as BoyMode, the music would more than likely create an intense emotion that surpasses a connection between the audience and the character and become almost satirical or exaggerative. This would lose the seriousness in Elle’s internal struggle and would break any connection between her and the viewer.
Therefore, it was decided to go towards an electronic score. This is typical with the coming of age genre, where the instrumentation is minimal. There are several benefits to using an electric score as opposed to orchestral/recorded music:
1. It is economically friendly. The production team won’t have to worry about putting money towards hiring live players to record the score. Everything will come from a computer.
2. Adding on from number 1, not having to worry about scheduling live players and a recording session will allow me more time to focus on the score and really connect with Elle and her story.
3. Being able to write electronically provides a stronger sense of freedom with my composing (which goes in line with what Smith said here). I will be able to use complicated rhythmic motifs that would not be possible for a live player to use. This will allow me to further experiment with textures that will help create the feeling that the director and I are looking for
4. The unique timbre from synths will help create a unique sound to capture the essence of Elle.
Elle’s main theme is primarily played by a piano, which is slightly manipulated to add a dream-like feel to the score (which is more of an aesthetic choice due to the stylistic setting of the film). The accompaniment consists of harmonised synths playing warm yet slightly dissonant chords, along with fast rapid movements to capture the anxiety that Elle feels from her surroundings leading up to her true reveal. In order to further capture the complexity of Elle and her situation, I have also added a low bass that sits under the vast majority of the cues. This is considered to be the ‘masculine’ aspect of Elle’s characterisation, the low voice representing that of a male. This sits under a plethora of high pitched instruments, which represents Elle’s femininity. By combining these two elements, it creates combat between the high and the low, which helps represent Elle as she fronts as a man, trying to keep her true self disguised. This also provides an arc to the story. As we move pass the climactic moment of the film – the scene where Elle’s secret is almost revealed in front of the crowd, Tessa included – we reach the monologue towards the end. This is where Elle is finally her true self, making herself vulnerable in front of Tessa and her former classmates. The uneasy trill motif that represents Elle’s love becomes more stable and rhythmic, her main theme stops going from a major7 interval and instead reaches a perfect octave. When Tessa reaches the stage and kisses Elle, the music becomes warm by having the highs make its way to the middle, and the bass moves up an octave. This in turn creates a warm and heartfelt blend, which helps encapsulates the overall arc of Elle, as she is able to fully accept and love herself; overcoming everything that has happened in the past and leaving it behind.
Paulus and Nijstad’s Theoretical Framework
“From a rational and practical perspective, the socio-cultural argument is simple... ‘in the information age it has simply become impossible for single individuals to possess all the relevant information, knowledge and expertise” (Paulus & Nijstad, 2003, p. 339).
This was the quote that inspired me to take on Paulis and Nijstad’s group creativity model. I am a member of the LGBT community, but I am not a transwoman. My journey as a gay man is not similar to that of a person who identifies as non-binary, or a lesbian, or anyone else for that matter. How can I ensure that I maintain sensitivity in my scoring in order to fully envelop Elle’s struggles without making it seem satirical or parodical? This is when the production team of BoyMode comes into play. The screenwriter is a transwoman (whose personal journey was what inspired the screenplay), and other members of the production team are also members of the LGBT. Each, in some way, have faced what Elle has faced. Not meaning that they have outed themselves in front of a public audience. But, at some point or another, they struggled to come to terms with themselves, and have struggled to be comfortable with themselves and have the world view them as they want to be viewed.
The response from the production team was, all-in-all, highly positive. I had demos ready in preparation for the editing schedule. Each one was used to represent a general ‘idea’ of where the music should fall. The editor came back to me explaining that the demos was what helped her gain footing in her editing process. Before receiving the music, she had a lot of trouble finding a way to cut the short film in line with the director’s vision, and she didn’t feel the emotions properly with the temp music. After receiving my music, we had a rough cut within a week. From that point, new demos were made with adjustments in line with the director’s vision, mellowing out certain sections that maybe seemed to busy or too over the top for the feel the scene needed. Because it was an electronic score, we were able to experiment with a vast array of different sounds and synths. In the end, by the time a pic-lock was handed over, it was just a matter of completely fleshing out the cues.
From the screenwriter herself, she was extremely happy. In her words, she was able to ‘really feel the emotions’ from the cues. Having the emptiness filled in with the underscore was able to provide a more profound depth to Elle.
The director rounded off the rough edges in terms of mixing and instrumentation. Although she found the music immediately added a lot more depth than the temp music that was used in place, she really wanted to zero in on providing the score that perfectly encapsulates everything. By the end of the film, she signed off by stating ‘that’s the money. Fantastic’. The input from other LGBT members in the production team provided a lot of in-depth knowledge in my approach to the scoring; they helped me find the perfect emotional beats for the short film.
Licensed Music
I briefly talked with Aleksoski about the licensed music she envisioned while I was in the development of composing the original score. I asked her to compile a list of potential cues, but to keep hold of it until I finished writing out all the cues with my original music. I asked them to do this as a safety measure, as I was worried that any resonances she provided me would affect my own compositional approach and style. After the cues were written, Aleksoski told me she was partial to the music from Heartstopper (2022 – present).
Heartstopper is a Netflix original series that centres around a blooming relationship between Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor). This is a coming of age rom-com with its primary setting being a high school. A lot of this is in line with the overall feel of BoyMode. The overall themes of Heartstopper also goes hand in hand with BoyMode, looking into themes of identity, self-acceptance, homophobia and transphobia in a high school setting. For the sake of time, I focussed on lining up one music cue from Heartstopper to a pivotal scene from BoyMode (the scene where Elle reveals her true self and proclaims her love for Tessa in the school hall). This is a call back to what Walker states in her novel (refer to source reviews). The TV series has received critical acclaim and is well-beloved across the globe because of its heart-warming and more authentic portrayal of queer love in high school. It has received a strong following, which means that the music and references to it are easily recognisable. Adding the music cue “Kissing” (Adiescar Chase) from Heartstopper encourages the audience to connect the music and the context from it and apply it to the scene from BoyMode. This in turn also calls back to what Smith said in his book (refer to source reviews) in regard to licensed music making the film more accessible for the audience (by giving a stronger understanding to the scene) and more marketable for the film.
The Survey
Although the responses I received from the production team of BoyMode was overwhelmingly positive and was able to help me provide an answer on whether or not they felt more connected with my scoring as opposed to licensed music, there were still some doubts. Everyone has been involved with this project since its conception, and the support for one another may have also added bias to the responses I have received. I took extra measures and created a survey, with the criteria being that the people taking the survey were to identify as LGBT. A benefit from this survey was that it also provided insight from those that may not know anything about film or music and how the filmmaking process works. The answers came from the lens of an audience rather than a film student or critic. I had the survey structured as follows:
I provided a brief document outlining the context of the survey and what it is that I was after. From there, I provided two links: one link directed the readers to three short clips (labelled in order of viewing). Each clip was the exact same; one was without any music, the next with my original score, and the last with the “Kissing” music cue from Heartstopper.
After watching the three clips, the surveyor then clicked on the next link that took them to the survey. I provided three simple questions:
1. Did the original score provide a more in-depth characterisation to the protagonist after watching it with no music.
2. Did the music from Heartstopper changed Elle’s character for the better?
3. If you answered yes to question 2, provide a brief rationale.
The Results
The survey received, as of the publication of this exegesis, seven responses.
In the first question, six out of the seven of the responders felt that Elle formed a stronger sense of character after hearing the original score, whereas one answered ‘unsure’. In terms of the music from Heartstopper, four didn’t feel that Elle developed any further characterisation, whereas two responded ‘yes’ and one responded ‘unsure’.
Those that answered yes to question two provided a brief justification. One more so focussed on the original score itself feeling too ‘busy’, which took away the emotion and therefore feeling that the character of Elle hadn’t come to its total fruition, whereas the “Kissing” cue was able to provide that. The other responder stated that the music from Heartstopper provided a certain ambience to the scene, which made them as the viewer feel that there was history between Elle and Tessa. The music made them view the characters as lifelong friends that have always had a special connection.
Personal Reflection
The music breathed life into Elle from the opening motif: the fluttering love theme that accompanied Elle’s main theme from the opening sequence. This opening cue helped me find a way to shape Elle through my music. The use of arpeggiated accompaniments from muffled synths added a depth to Elle’s anxiety. Not so much in regard to her identity being revealed, but the aftermath of the revelation. What would this mean between her and Tessa? Would this woman that she has always loved love her back? The dream-like aesthetic of the underscore gave me a sense of what is happening with Elle throughout the school hall sequence. The muffling of the rapid moving pads and synths felt, for me, it felt like she was muffling her true identity. It was always there, but never quite reaching the surface. This was what helped narrate the story arc when Elle reveals herself and kisses Tessa. This cue took a lot of tweaking, as the music wasn’t hitting the mark properly. I tried to go from synthesised music to acoustic music as a way to represent Elle being her natural self and no longer needs to hide. With conversations from Aleksoski, I realised that this was not the message she wanted my music to make. The music was to represent the inner emotions, not so much what Elle is fronting to the world. The natural instruments reverted back to dreamy synths, but this time with a different approach. The score went from being highly-textured to maintaining its open sound, this time with a key change, and a more major chordal pattern. This changed everything for me. The dreamy aesthetic of the score is what encapsulates Elle. The shift from a primarily minor and augmented tonal centre to a major and resolute tonal centre shifts the feeling of Elle’s anxiety into what feels like a deep breath after holding it for so long (very much like what she had been doing for the majority of the shirt).
I was pleasantly surprised by how the music from Heartstopper effected the cue. I agree with one of the survey responders in that the ambience felt much more natural. The editing and the camera movement, on top of the “Kissing” music cue helped establish the history between Elle and Tessa, as well as create the emotionally tense romance blooming from the start of Elle’s monologue to when they kiss. Also knowing the context behind the cue itself and how it was used also helped emphasise these thoughts, seeing as the scene where the cue originated from also involved two males with complicated emotions finally reaching a resolve by professing the mutual attraction through a kiss.
NOTE: To view the cues with original scoring as well as the music from Heartstopper, please refer to Appendices B and C
Image: Main Theme
Image: Love Theme
Image: Kit Connor and Joe Lock in Heartstopper (2022 - )
Conclusion
Music in a film provides a lot of depth in a character and their setting. It is what taps the audience into what is not being said explicitly through words and actions.
The aim of this document was to outline licensed music and original scoring and the effects it has on queer-centric characters in a coming of age rom-com. This originally came to fruition under the belief that the use of music that was not specifically written for the movie potentially stripped the character away from their characterisation, complexities, and their internal emotions. After all, original scoring has been used in a lot of hetero-centric films that fall under the same genre, what makes it so that queer characters in the same setting do not get that right?
I was able to help myself answer these questions thanks to the research I went through that looked into similar topics. Walker showed that licensed music is not necessarily the problem, but original scoring can be an issue as well. She provided insight on how the use of licensed music also brings context with it. In Heavenly Creatures the use of famous dramatic opera created a parallel between the characters on the screen and the opera the music originated from. This in turn gives the audience a deeper understanding on the characters. Gorbman states that having sung music in a non-diegetic setting is similar to a Greek Chorus in that it pauses the story and gives the music room to spectate on what is happening. Smith provides insight on why popular music is used in the first place, not just original pop scoring but also licensed pop music. The use of licensed music can be used as a marketing tool for the movies, the musicians, and the movie’s soundtrack; the use of a pop score also gives a sense of freedom in rhythm and melody, as the composer is not restricted to the conformities of romantic orchestral scoring. Dubowsky was able to provide a brief history on why licensed music became the norm in queer-centric films: pop music was the best way to be able to appeal to a wider range of viewers as opposed to focussing only on the LGBT demographic. However, he also states that by following the norms of major film studios, it could potentially dilute or weaken the queer narrative. Paulin expresses on the use of classical music creates a queer connotation, as the context of a piece of music can potentially shift the dynamic view between to male characters to be homo-erotic.
This provided a fresh outlook on the way I approached my scoring. From here, I developed a stronger understanding on how I should view the character of Elle, and how a pop score could potentially help breathe life into her character. Like Smith said, writing the music with ultimate freedom from rhythm or instrumental limitations gave me a chance to write the story that needed to be told through my creative practice. Through extensive communication with the production team of BoyMode, I was able to tap into the mind of Elle. Hearing the opinions of external viewers on how the use of my original score compared to music from Heartstopper changed their view on Elle’s character was an interesting and eye opening experience for me. Personal reflection was what helped me find clarity and resolution to the answer to my question.
Appendix
Appendix A: Paulus and Nijstad’s Group Creativity Model
Appendix B: BoyMode cue with original score
BoyMode (2023); Director: Liv Aleksoski; Music: Isaac Glover
Appendix B: BoyMode cue with Licensed Music
BoyMode (2023); Drector: Liv Aleksoski; Music: Adiescar Chase
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