A Theory of Film Music.docx

A Theory of Film Music.docx

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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