Music and the Moving Image

For those interested in publishing articles that explore the relationship between music and visual media (i.e., film, TV, computer, mobile phone, multimedia).

Music and the Moving Image is one of the leading journals on the research of music and visual media in conjunction, ranging from the music used in film, TV, computer, mobile phone, and multimedia. The journal is published in collaboration with the Film Music Society, and it encourages scholars and practitioners of audiovisual studies to submit their work.

The journal’s executive editors and editorial board are comprised of some of the most renowned and influential scholars in the field of music and motion picture, including Ronald H. Sadoff, Robynn J. Stilwell, Rick Altman, Royal S. Brown, K. J. Donnelly, Caryl Flinn, Claudia Gorbman, and David Neumeyer.

Topics from recent issues have varied from discussions of film scores, music editing, narrative studies, sound and effect, and musicals. Most of the articles explore contemporary films and television in the 21st century – the entire special issue of fall 2020 was devoted solely to the rom-com musical television series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – but sometimes older material as well, such as Shostakovich’s score to New Babylon (1929, dir. Kozintsev, Trauberg) and Unzere Kinder (1946, dir. Gross, Goskind).

Although the journal is published in English, it encourages submissions on the relationship between music and moving image in non-English speaking nations and diverse cultures. Moreover, the authors of accepted articles are from all around the world, and they range from professors, graduate students, and practitioners; the most recent issue has featured two articles by graduate students out of the three publications. Also included in the journal are interviews with scholars and film composers as well as annual bibliographies that are carefully selected by librarians and scholars, which could be very helpful for students and enthusiasts who may be seeking further reading.

The intended audience for this journal is likely to be those who are fairly familiar with both fields of music and motion picture, but the articles are accessibly written, always accompanied by clear instructions for the reader. Popular film composers (Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer) are still commonly studied, as well as younger musicians and composers (Hildur Guðnadóttir) and music editors (Suzana Peric).

Overall, Music and the Moving Image attempts to create a welcoming environment for well-established scholars and graduate students alike.

The journal considers submissions consisting of edited interviews, provided such submissions follow the standard format outlined below, are properly documented, and include contextual introductions. The structure of articles should be, according to the website: Title; Abstract; Body Text; Acknowledgments; Endnotes; References (optional); Tables and Figures. Authors are encouraged to approach the editors about interviews before conducting them.

They also welcome announcements of newly published books on music for moving images.

Recent trends or foci of the journal include music editing, filmmaking, storytelling, sound and affect, trauma, diegesis/nondiegesis, familiar/unfamiliar, Howard shore, sound studies, literature and visual arts, motivic transformation, narration, voice, foreign films, tv shows, musicals.

Introductions tend to be 2-3 pages.

Bibliography

• Music, Sound, and Affect in Yiddish-Language Holocaust Cinema: The Posttraumatic Community in Natan Gross’s Unzere kinder (1948) by Ian Biddle (2018)
• Blurred Lines: The Use of Diegetic and Nondiegetic Sound in Atonement (2007) by Catrin Watts (2018)
• Scoring the Familiar and Unfamiliar in Howard Shore’s The Lord of the Rings by Vincent Rone (2018)
• Radioactive Music: The Eerie Agency of Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Music for the Television Series Chernobyl by Tore Størvold, John Richardson (2021)
• Music Production Technology in New Nollywood Soundtracks: Context, Application, and the Effect of Globalization by Obumneke S. Anyanwu, Emaeyak P. Sylvanus (2022)

Information Useful for Submission

Journal website

Issues per year: Three

Current issue: Vol. 15 (2022)

Word limit: 10,000 words or less; actual length around 7,000 words

Articles per year: 7 to 12

Citations per article: Very different depending on the article, anywhere from 12 to 108 in the last 5 years

Endnotes per article: Anywhere from 12-108

Style manual: Chicago Manual of Style 17th ed note and bib style

Abstract length: Yes, 50 words or less

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Submission method: Google Form or email attachment

Relevant editors: Ronald H. Sadoff, Robynn J. Stilwell, Hunter Hanson

Online? In print and online