CallforPapers:LISTENINGCINEMATICALLY

2526June2015,RoyalHolloway,UniversityofLondon,UK.

SupportedbytheBritishAcademyandtheRoyalHollowayHumanitiesandArtsResearch
Centre(HARC)

Whatdoesitmeantolistencinematically?Thequestionrunsthroughmanyofthefoundational
textsonmusicandthemovingimage(fromGorbmansUnheardMelodiestoChionsAudio
Vision,CooksAnalysingMusicalMultimedia,andKassabiansHearingFilm)andhasbecome
increasinglytopicalwithinthecontextofarenewedscholarlyinterestinfilmaudiences,the
sensory,andmediation.YetthenatureofcinematiclisteningatermfirstcoinedbyMichael
Longinhis2008monographBeautifulMonstersremainsdifficulttograsp,duetotheintrinsic
complexityoflisteningasanobjectofstudy,andtheheterogeneityofcinemaasacultural
form.

Takingtheseproblemsastopics,andhopingtobuildtowardsabetterunderstandingof
cinemascontributiontobroaderculturesoflistening,thisconferenceaimstoexploretwo
complementaryperspectivesonitsfundamentalresearchquestion:

Insidethecinema
Wewelcomecontributionsthatexplorefurtherwhatlisteningcinematicallymightamountto
inrelationtospecifictexts,exhibitionsites,andproductionandexhibitiontechnologiesinthe
historyofcinema.Dodifferentfilmsrequireustolistendifferently?Inwhatwaysandtowhat
extentcanafilmconfigureitsownauralreception?Howhavefilmmakersatdifferentpointsin
timeusedsoundtoactivatethespaceofcinematheatres?Doesanewcinemaofthesenses
requiregenuinelynewlisteningparadigms?

Beyondthecinema
Wewelcomecontributionsthatconsiderhowacinematicmodeoflisteningmightextend
beyondfilmintootheraudiovisualcontextsandeverydaysituations.Dofilmviewersadopt
similarlisteningstrategieswhenwatchingfilmsonsmallerscreens?Howaresoundtrack
albumslistenedto?Doesitmakesensetospeakofspecificallycinematicformsofaudiovisual
listening?Isanyformofmusicalsuturingintrinsicallycinematic?

Possibletopicsincludebutarenotlimitedto:

Researchintoanyaspectofthecinemaasaplaceforlistening(e.g.thehistoryofthe
cinematicapparatus,architecture,anddiscipliningofaudiencebehaviour)
Empiricalstudiesoffilmgoerslisteningpractices(before,duringand/orafterthefilm)
Listenercentreddiscussionsofaparticularfilm,genre,ormodeofproduction
Listeningtorelocatedandremediatedfilms
Simulcasts,broadcasts,andonscreenrepresentationsoflivemusic
Immersivelisteningaestheticsoutsidethecinema

Wewelcomesubmissionsfrommusicology,filmstudies,mediastudies,culturalstudies,sound
studies,sociology,philosophy,andothercognatedisciplines.

Pleaseemailabstractsofabout300wordsforindividualpapersof20minutesduration.
ProposalsshouldbesentbyFriday9thJanuary2015toCarlo.Cenciarelli@Rhul.ac.uk.

ProgrammeCommittee
CarloCenciarelli(RoyalHolloway,UniversityofLondon),chair
JulieBrown(RoyalHolloway,UniversityofLondon)
MiguelMera(CityUniversityLondon)
HollyRogers(TheUniversityofLiverpool)
BenWinters(TheOpenUniversity)