Abstract
Research into film music involves multiple disciplines and an historical awareness of music and culture. Film music analysis has yet to broadly integrate such research, which is indicative of contextual, perceptual, and dramatic considerations fundamental to the repertoire. Cognitive research has led to the suggestion of perceptual models that describe tendencies and parameters multimodal processing in film. Degrees of influence have been interpreted through Cohens ?Congruence Associationist (CA) Model? which associates film viewing to general theories of cross-modal perception. In this paper I will present preliminary workings towards a multidimensional model of film music analysis in which harmonic and melodic determinations form a counterpoint with filmic gesture. This analysis is informed by concepts of metric and grouping structure introduced and developed by Lerdahl and identifies a hierarchical framework based on degrees of cognitive resonance between modes. I will apply this analysis to three film depictions of Lewis Carrolls Alices Adventures in Wonderland from 1933, 1972 and 1985. I also hope to include remarks on the newest Alice adaptation directed by Tim Burton, to be released March 2010. This analysis reveals how musical choices interact with ?filmic universals? in key scenes to expand and elaborate multiple mythic interpretations of the classic childrens book, described by Will Brooker as: ?dark fable, innocent childrens fantasy, Freudian dreamwork, English heritage treasure, and drug hallucination.? This model may form a basis for future analyses in which musical content is shown to direct attention, increase salience, and establish meaning in film.