Planes of illusion

music soundtrack, rendition and attribution in 'Sanctum' (2011)

Authors

  • Jon Fitzgerald Southern Cross University
  • Philip Hayward Southern Cross University
  • David Brennan Melbourne Law School

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.v13i2.111

Keywords:

attribution, Papua New Guinea, Sanctum, soundtrack

Abstract

Mainstream commercial cinema’s increasing access to highly advanced computer-generated imagery (CGI) has allowed it to produce convincing evocations of places and experiences that increasingly blur the line between the represented ‘real’ of actual locations and digitally generated fictional spaces. This article discusses one such evocation: the spectacular cave system featured in the film Sanctum (2011), directed by Alister Grierson. The first part of this article examines the manner in which audio-visual elements of the film produce a representation of a Papua New Guinean landscape and locale and, in particular, analyses the manner in which David Hirschfelder’s score provides an element of musical exoticism that serves to complement this. The second part of the article discusses issues of cultural use relevant to the film score’s prominent use of an unattributed vocal sequence.

Author Biographies

  • Jon Fitzgerald, Southern Cross University

    Jon Fitzgerald is an adjunct professor in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University, Australia, and an experienced researcher, composer and performer.

  • Philip Hayward, Southern Cross University

    Philip Hayward is Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) at Southern Cross University, Australia and editor of Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures.

  • David Brennan, Melbourne Law School

    David Brennan is an associate professor at the Melbourne Law School, Australia, and is the editor of the Australian Intellectual Property Journal.

References

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Hafstein, Vladimir. 2010. Protecting the Unknown Author: A Research Project on Folklore and Intellectual Property. Reykjavik: Felagsvisindastofnun Haskola Islands.

Schweiger, Daniel. 2011. ‘CD Review: Sanctum Soundtrack’. Available online at http://www.assignmentx.com/2011/cd-review-sanctum-soundtrack (accessed 7 August 2011).

Stannard, Joseph. 2011. ‘Invisible Jukebox: Demdike Stare’. The Wire 328: 22–25.

WIPO (World International Property Organization). n.d. Intellectual Property and Traditional Cultural Expressions/Folklore. Geneva: WIPO.

Zemp, Hugo. 1996. ‘The/An Ethnomusicologist and the Record Business’. Yearbook for Traditional Music 28: 36–56. Available online at http://www.jstor.org/stable/767806(accessed September 2011). http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/767806

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Published

2013-06-06

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 2

Section

Articles

License

© Equinox Publishing Ltd.

For information regarding our Open Access policy, click here.

How to Cite

Fitzgerald, J., Hayward, P., & Brennan, D. (2013). Planes of illusion: music soundtrack, rendition and attribution in ’Sanctum’ (2011). Perfect Beat, 13(2), 111-126. https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.v13i2.111