Film Matters: Please tell us about your article that is being published in Film Matters.
Mary Beth Bauermann: This article takes a deep dive into three of Spike Lee’s films that feature significant compilation soundtracks of American popular music: Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), and BlacKkKlansman (2018). The music that fills these soundtracks recalls historic eras and specific sociocultural events, grounding audiences in two coexisting worlds: Lee’s diegesis and our American society. Ultimately, the soundtracks facilitate audiences’ understanding that the stories conveyed in each film narrative exist in our own history, past and present.
FM: What research and/or methodologies do you incorporate in your article?
MBB: In this article, I combine film analysis and musical analysis to understand popular music’s ability to impact audiences’ experiences of Lee’s film narratives that are rooted in American history and culture. While researching and preparing to write this piece, I read a great deal of articles on the topic of film music, compilation soundtracks, and music supervision for film. For explanations of Lee’s musical selections, I also turned to interviews with Lee and his longtime composer, Terence Blanchard.
FM: Describe the original context for/when writing this article while an undergraduate student.
MBB: My article is the product of a Film & Media Studies class on Spike Lee’s authorship as a filmmaker, which I took during the spring 2022 semester. Watching a selection of Lee’s films over the course of the semester, I found myself constantly drawn to the ways in which music and cinematography interact to amplify Lee’s film narratives. While I am double majoring in English and American Studies and had prior experience in film analysis, this class was my first time taking a course in the Film & Media Studies department at William & Mary. Studying Spike Lee’s catalog through the class and the experience of writing this paper piqued my interest in film analysis.
FM: What does your writing process look like?
MBB: My writing process usually begins with a Microsoft Word document or messy notebook pages inundated with disorganized notes, points to emphasize, and a plethora of question marks, all mashed together into an extremely rough outline. The questions are truly the most important part, as they guide my thought process and provide the foundation for my writing. Analytical writing, whether it be music, film, or literary analysis, is my favorite type of writing, as I can dig into the smallest details, which often illuminates new ideas while I am writing. I have been working as a peer writing consultant in William & Mary’s Writing Resources Center since my first year, which has influenced me to spend more time revising and editing my writing. I find reading aloud to friends, family members, and sometimes even empty rooms to be incredibly helpful during my writing process.
FM: How have your personal experiences shaped and influenced your writing?
MBB: I journaled frequently growing up – I wrote almost daily from about age five through the end of high school – which helped me get to know myself as a writer and, ultimately, develop a unique voice for my writing. I still journal from time to time, although my college life doesn’t allow for a regular practice anymore. I would also be remiss if I did not acknowledge the incredible teachers and professors who have offered feedback and encouraged me to keep writing over the years. I would not be the writer I am today without them.
FM: What are your methods for finding diverse and relevant sources?
MBB: It really all comes down to researching the author of a piece before you decide if you want to use it, evaluating credibility, and understanding the perspective the author brings to the topic at hand. It can be easy to use the first thing that turns up in the search bar, but it is beneficial to take the time to go digging in the works cited pages of the articles you read, learn who the experts are in the field, and think critically about which voices and vital perspectives might be missing from the conversation. In the event that there are voices missing – and this is often the case – it is crucial to dig deeper to fill those gaps in the literature and your own understanding.
FM: Why is including marginalized voices in research important to you?
MBB: Amplifying marginalized voices means that you are opening your mind to more perspectives through which you can evaluate your argument. We all have limited viewpoints based on our personal experiences and, as a result, there are always perspectives that we haven’t yet encountered or considered. Opening our minds to counterarguments, new lenses, and other viewpoints that differ from our own makes for more informed engagement with any topic. For me, I believe that observing my topic through as many viewpoints as possible is invaluable and absolutely crucial in order to best contribute to the academic conversation.
FM: What aspects of the writing process were most challenging? Why?
MBB: In my academic writing, I am much more comfortable with musical analysis than film analysis, so blending the two in this essay was daunting at first. However, it proved to be very enjoyable, as I became fascinated by the cooperation between the music and the cinematography in their ability to jointly drive the film narrative.
FM: What’s a resistance point you hit in your writing, and how did you move past it?
MBB: When I first started writing this paper, I faced considerable difficulty articulating what I was seeing and hearing when analyzing Malcolm X, Crooklyn, and BlacKkKlansman and situating my ideas in the scholarly film conversation. By reading film scholarship that related specifically to music, I learned new terminology to describe what I heard: diegetic and non-diegetic film music. These terms ultimately helped me explain and contextualize what I was observing. My professor, Dr. Arthur Knight, was helpful in sharing sources to further my understanding, pointing me in the direction of film analysis handbooks and guides to film music.
FM: What do you enjoy most about your article?
MBB: I think music in film is often overlooked; the sonic is very much secondary to the visual in terms of our experiences of film. I love that this essay brings the music to the forefront and illustrates how smartly Spike Lee uses music to elevate the narrative, evoke emotions for audiences, and leave lasting associations between the music and history.
FM: How has the Film Matters editorial and publication process impacted the development/evolution of your article?
MBB: The Film Matters editorial and publication process has helped me refocus my audience of this article. When I originally wrote this piece, I was just writing for my professor, who was familiar with the narratives of all three films I analyze and the music I discuss in the essay. Now, my audience is much wider, and it is likely that readers might be unfamiliar with one or more of the films I discuss. Subsequently, it was difficult to gauge how much plot summary I should provide for each film. Ultimately, I realized that I needed to add more contextual information. The editorial and publication process also challenged me to pay closer attention to my sources and the ways in which I utilize them. I added a few more scholarly voices to my article as a result, and I am quite happy with the in-depth discussion of the songs and film elements that those voices bring to readers’ attention.
FM: What audience do you hope to reach with your Film Matters article and/or what impact do you hope it has on the field of film studies?
MBB: I want to promote a deeper study of film music in the field of film studies. Film and music are both such prominent, enduring parts of American popular culture, so it is undeniably important that we think critically about them, the ways in which they cooperate in storytelling, and the impacts that they have on us as audience members and consumers of media. I want to build a deeper appreciation of the ways in which music and film work in tandem to pull at our heart strings, convey emotion, promote empathy, and encourage critical thought. Spike Lee’s film narratives consistently, expertly, and deeply engage with complex social issues in history through elements of popular culture, like music, and there is so much we can continue to learn from his work about our past, present, and future as members of society.
FM: How has your department and/or institution supported your work in film and media?
MBB: The class for which I wrote this essay was cross-listed between three different departments at William & Mary: Film & Media Studies, English, and Africana Studies. As an English major, the fact that this course was cross-listed meant that I could, for credit toward my English degree, take a film class for the first time in my undergraduate career. One of the things I love most about William & Mary is its identity as a liberal arts institution that promotes interdisciplinary study. Despite not being a Film & Media Studies major, I have since taken other film classes and written more on film music as a result of this course, which has benefitted my versatility as a writer and as a student of American popular culture.
FM: How has your faculty mentor fostered your advancement as a film scholar?
MBB: As a very new film scholar when writing this essay, I received so much guidance from Professor Knight and he has encouraged me to continue taking film classes whenever possible. Professor Knight has gone above and beyond to support my desire to connect the dots between my love for music, literature, and film. He introduced me to the profession of music supervision as a potential career path, acknowledging my love of music history and passion for storytelling. Most importantly, Professor Knight encouraged me to submit this paper to Film Matters. Publication was not something that I had even considered possible as a new film scholar. No expression of thanks would be enough; I am deeply grateful for Professor Knight’s support and encouragement. I am thrilled to know that Film Matters exists as a publication for undergraduate film scholars and that it can be an outlet for students like me to get their academic writing out there.
FM: What advice do you have for undergraduate film and media scholars?
MBB: Investigate what matters most to you – even if it’s the thirty-second music montage that nobody else seems to care about and scholars write off as a meaningless break from the narrative. Chances are, if it means something to you, it is worth studying. There is always a story to tell.
FM: What are your future plans?
MBB: After graduating from William & Mary, I am interested in pursuing graduate study in American Studies, Music History, or Ethnomusicology, with plans to continue writing about music and popular culture.
Author Biography
Mary Beth Bauermann is a recent graduate of William & Mary, where she double majored in American Studies and English. She is currently pursuing a PhD in critical studies in music at the University of Virginia. Her interests include American popular music and dance, which she studies through the lenses of performance, literature, and film.
