Q1601: Could you please clarify the sequence of early cinema history? I’m a bit confused on what came first - Edison, the Lumières, the Magic Lantern, etc.
A1601: I’ve prepared a timeline that should help out (click on the hyperlink to access the timeline).

Q1602: I’m not sure how much detail to go into in my film music paper.
A1602: Write the paper within the page/word limitations and write the paper as if you were writing for someone who had no knowledge whatsoever concerning this particular film. First go for the "big picture": it's an American film from (year) by (who) and tells the story of ...; the musical soundtrack is credited to (...). The soundtrack features (these kinds of musical resources, including ___ number of songs and ___ dance numbers ....). The opening sequence, visually and musically, helps set the general feeling of the film (describe). This is confirmed (contradicted?) by the closing scene and its music (discuss). After you've described the "big picture", you can select a scene or two that illustrates an interesting use of music. Then write your summary wrap-up, and…voilà!

Q1603: I can't find much information on the composers to the film I'm writing a paper on. How can I find this information?
A1603: Remember, the focus of this paper is your discussion of the film, its musical soundtrack, and how they work together. You do not need to provide more than some basic information concerning the composer. That being said, you want to turn to some of the standard reference resources for help. These include: 1) The New Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition, 29 volumes, located on the reference shelves in the Gingrich Library; 2) the internet. Use search engines such as Google (www.google.com) to retrieve articles on composers (these can be retrieved by entering the musician's name in the search window); 3) there are other online research resources available on Library computers. Explain the research problem to the reference librarian, and they too can point you in the right direction.

Q1604: Do I have to write up my film music analysis in paragraph form, or is it all right just to present a detailed log?
A1604: The function of the log is to help you prepare the paper. It is not a substitute for the paper. Write the paper as if you were writing for a readership that knew nothing about this film, or about music and cinema generally. Don't assume more than the minimum of knowledge on the part of a reader. Write it up so that any Albright student could understand what you are trying to explain.

Q1605: Do I need to include in the log those sections of the film where there isn't any music?
A1605: You will find it helpful to write down at least enough information that will help you remember the overall sequence of events in the movie. The log does not have to be extremely details, although more detail will help for the parts that you will be discussing in your paper.

Q1606: I'm feeling a bit confused...How do I prepare for the mid-term exam?
A1606: In preparing for the exam, read the assigned materials in the required course textbook, and use the questions I have posted on the web as a guide to the kind of things you want to know. The questions I put on the test will be more on the obvious side than the obscure side. But if a student hasn't been keeping up with the readings and sending in questions, even the obvious can get lost. So my best recommendation is do the readings, study your class notes, make sure you know something about each film that was shown and discussed in class--when was it made, who directed it, and more importantly, who did the music and how did it work with the film. Know the general historical outlines: where do we mark the beginnings of the music-cinema relationship? what was it like in the silent period? what is the story of the transition from the silents to sound? what is it like, and who are the important players in the first decades of the sound period? Highest marks are given to students who combine mastery of the general overview of events with command of a good number of details.