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The Role of Music in Storytelling
Gotham City Sounds: The Music of Batman Villains is a case study on the psychological and emotional impact of the music used in the Batman franchise. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I’ve always been fascinated with the role of music in storytelling. Whether it’s on a stage or a screen, music can absolutely affect an audience on a primal level. A great score can inform how you connect with a specific character or story. I also think pop culture entertainment is a great window into deeper conversations about important things. It’s why I’m a professor who consistently use pop culture references and examples in my college courses I teach. And if I want to navigate readers through the psychology of music for tormented characters, I figured analyzing Batman villain scores would be a fascinating way to go about it!
What villain’s theme music is your favorite and why?
I personally have a deep love for Danny Elfman’s Batman Returns score. The way he aurally connects the three main characters (Batman, Catwoman, Penguin) with complementary yet individualized music themes is masterful and emotionally powerful. In my opinion, that score is perfection.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
I wanted to make sure my second full-length book met the bar I had set for myself with my first full-length book Cool Cats and a Hot Mouse: A History of Jazz and Disney. I was so honored and humbled by the reception Cool Cats and a Hot Mouse received (including it earning half a dozen national award recognitions). Just like my Disney Jazz book, I wanted my Batman villain book to educate readers about our history of entertainment in a captivating way.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have several upcoming chapters in scholarly books being published in the next year. I’m also excited to be launching a new pop culture hub called POP PROFESSOR, which will be a website where I’ll offer blogs and videos covering bite-size presentations of fascinating pop culture things (similarly to my books). That can be found at http://www.popprofessor.com, and my professional website is http://www.matthodge.com. I’m also still a full-time university professor, and enjoy spending my days in classrooms with students.
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Move aside, Batman. It’s time for Gotham City’s infamous villains to take center stage! Whether through film, television, or video games, members of the Dark Knight’s notorious rogues gallery consistently come to life on screen with the help of creative scores constructed by masterful composers — the true unsung superheroes of Hollywood.
Award-winning composer, professor, and author Matthew Hodge shines a fascinating spotlight on the psychological and emotional musical representations constructed by composers for numerous portrayals of Batman’s iconic villains. These pages discuss dozens of Gotham City characters, including well-known villains and lesser-known troublemakers. From flamboyant tricksters and monstrous brutes to seductive femme fatales and complicated antiheroes, the musical possibilities are endless.
Gotham citizens, beware! Evil doesn’t just have a name and a face — it has a sound.
Gotham City Sounds
Award-winning composer author Matthew Hodge has created an alluring musical representation of Batman’s Villains. Dozens of familiar villains take center stage in each chapter, along with detailed character facts. The facts and content of Gotham City Sounds: The Music of Batman Villains are fun and intriguing. In addition, readers will find the history of the music and character development mentally stimulating.
Movies, video games, and TV shows use music to build drama and anticipation. These sounds stick with people long after the piece has ended. It allows foreshadowing without saying a word. Hodge dives into the psychological and emotional impact of the music given to villains in the Batman franchise. Readers will appreciate that he goes into detail, not just about the blockbuster movie, but the video games and television shows as well. This fascinating book looks into how music impacts the experience one has watching or playing the games.
Given the depth of the content, Hodge seems to know how to keep it lighthearted and easy to understand through his writing style. He sets the pace to allow the reader to focus and take in the content, giving each character its own chance to shine. Even minor villains are given a stage to shine as their music is just as relevant as the supervillains at creating an atmosphere of foreboding and anticipation. In addition, readers will appreciate how the chapters are divided up, allowing them to focus on one character at a time. This allows this stimulating book to be picked up when readers want just a quick read.
Gotham City Sounds: The Music of Batman Villains is a fantastic read for DC fanatics or film buffs. This would also appeal to music fans who want to look into pop culture music and its use in media. Finally, it would be a great and valuable source for university/college-level film study.
Pages: 258 | ISBN : 1683903218
LITERARY TITAN 