Reconfiguring the Familiar: The Use of Cliché in Minimalist Soundtracks

Abstract

The term ‘cliché’ has often been neglected in discussions about screen music, most likely due to its negative connotations. This study aims to counter this neglect, not only by providing insight into the concept within this context, but also by arguing that cliché can be a positive attribute in certain multimedia scenarios. A clear definition of the term cliché within the context of screen music provides the basis for this main aim.
An assessment of certain key terms used by screen music researchers will help define the meaning of cliché in this thesis. These terms include sign, function, trope, convention, and stereotype. Using this new definition within the context of these various terms, the trend of minimalist-style soundtracks will be reviewed, with reference to specific minimalist scoring tropes. This trend will then be mapped onto a trend timeline to plot its ‘cliché’ period across time.
Previous research by Eaton and others uncovered certain tropes in minimalist film scores, including music that represents the mathematical mind, the machine and dystopia. The trope of dystopia is assessed further in this thesis, to explore ongoing connections between this theme in multimedia and the use of minimalist techniques, with a case study on the first instalment of The Hunger Games film franchise. Further tropes are then uncovered and explored, including the notion that minimalism has been used to represent suburbia in film, with specific reference to the film American Beauty as a catalyst in the formation of this trope, as well as to represent female rage, for example, in the films The Wife and Radioactive. It is also argued that minimalist techniques have been used to evoke empathetic (as opposed to Michel Chion’s anempathetic) audience responses within the horror genre, in films such as The Exorcist and Candyman, in order to aid development of more complex antihero or anti-villain characters.
This thesis thus aims to outline the various stages of formation, consolidation, repetition and reinvention that characterises the musical cliché in audio-visual material, offering a working analytical and conceptual method for future studies in this area.

Date of Award	29 May 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Bangor University
Supervisor	Pwyll Ap Sion (Supervisor) & Nathan Abrams (Supervisor)