<p> This dissertation uses an interdisciplinary approach that analyzes and compares the film scoring processes of Danny Elfman, Elliot Goldenthal, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer in characterizing the fictional hero Batman in film. This is accomplished by applying Classical Hollywood film scoring principles from the golden age of cinema, Juan Chattah's pragmatic and semiotic typologies regarding musical metaphoric expression, and psychology. This amalgamation demonstrates how the aforementioned film composers consider varying structural aspects of their music, i.e., formal design, melodic contour, harmonic gestures, and cadential formulas, in (re)creating and establishing their individual artistic trademarks on a comic book character within canonical and non-canonical storylines. The study includes soundtracks from Tim Burton's <i>Batman </i> and <i>Batman Returns</i>, Joel Schumacher's <i> Batman Forever</i> and <i>Batman &amp; Robin</i>, and Christopher Nolan's <i>Batman Begins</i> and <i>The Dark Knight</i>. The result is an analysis that: 1) enhances what little is known about the music for these films; 2) allows for the recognition of the film scoring creative process behind film sequelization; 3) enhances musical and psychological interpretations of the Batman character; and 4) offers an expansion of Chattah's metaphorical typologies.</p>

<p> This project is an effort to adapt computer game prototyping tools as controls for interactive digital music. Secondarily it is an investigation of a social aspect of interactive music. Meaning, is it possible give the game-player-listeners the ability to structure the music interactively and become the composers of their own game experience? Throughout the process these social and aesthetic questions countered and informed the technical questions. </p><p> In every media composer's digital studio the tools of creation and distribution have elided. Work is instantaneously and efficiently distributable on a global scale; many of the aesthetic difficulties specific to art-making in 2015 derive from this fact. This paper describes some of these difficulties strictly within the context of the rising demand for mediated interactive experiences. </p><p> The conclusions are decisive. Contemporary game prototyping programming techniques&mdash;even those limited to WebGL-enabled browser applications&mdash;are highly effective tools for the creation and control of interactive digital music.</p>

<p> This project report will provide a description and analysis of the original musical score, as composed and arranged by the author, for the short animated film <i>Ma&lstrok;y Tre&cedil;bacz,</i> which was produced in collaboration with the film's director, Monica Kozlowski. It will detail the process of the music's composition, including those decisions which were made whilst scoring the picture, the reasons and justifications for so doing, a scene-by-scene analysis of the film and accompanying music, background information concerning the film's origins and influences (including the historical origins of the narrative), the role of the film's score in communicating the story of the film to the audience, how certain choices in scoring impacted the direction of the film's narrative, and a short discussion of the major themes and musical motifs heard within the score (including its incorporation of the <i>Hejnal mariacki</i>).</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of projected film visuals on singers' expressivity in choral performance. The study was divided into three phases. In Phase One, university choir singers (<i>N</i> = 21) viewed eight audiovisual pairings (two film excerpts and four choral etudes) and rated these pairings according to perceived music to film congruency. Based on these ratings, two choral etudes were identified that elicited the broadest congruency contrasts when paired with the film segments.</p><p> In Phase Two, a different group of university choir singers (<i> N</i> = 116) rehearsed and prepared both of the selected choral etudes referred to as "Doh" and "Noo." Subsequently, these singers were organized into smaller chamber ensembles (<i>n</i> = 11), and performed each choral etude three times under the following conditions: (1) while viewing congruent film, (2) while viewing incongruent film, and (3) with no film projected. After each performance, singers reported their level of self-expression. At the completion of all three performances, singers reported their preferred performance condition. Finally, participants listened to their audio-recorded performances and rated these for performance expressivity and personal preference. During Phase Three, choral experts (<i>N</i> = 8) rated performance expressivity and reported personal preference for each audio-recorded performance. </p><p> A two-way ANOVA with repeated measures found significant main effects of both etude and film visual performance condition on participants' expressivity ratings (<i>p</i> &lt; .001). Additionally, a significant etude x film visual performance condition interaction was discovered (<i>p </i> = .001). Participants rated self-expression significantly higher when singing with a congruent film compared with other conditions for both etudes (<i>p</i> &lt; .001). Chi-square tests found most preferred experiences during congruent performances, and least preferred experiences during incongruent performances for both etudes (<i>p</i> &lt; .001). Expressivity ratings for audio-recorded performances indicated significantly higher expressivity ratings for the performances influenced by the congruent film visual of etude "Doh" (<i>p</i> &lt; .05), while no significant differences were found for etude "Noo" (<i>p</i> > .05). Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to filmmaking techniques, music education curriculum, choral rehearsal pedagogy, and composition/performance practice, with recommendations for future research.</p>