*CFP* “NORDIC FILM MUSIC AND SOUND”, JOURNAL OF SCANDINAVIAN CINEMA, SPECIAL ISSUE

Guest editors: Gunnar Iversen (Carleton University), Pietari Kaapa (University of Warwick), Kate Moffat (University of Stirling)

‘Working from a multifaceted musical palette with a vast variety of experiences to draw from, the Nordic film and media composers are known for their ability to do whatever it takes to tell the story; whatever it takes to serve the film. You can say that Nordic composers make their movies and directors win prizes’ (Nordic Film Music Days).

Nordic cinema has consistently enjoyed a curious relationship with popular culture. As part of small nation cinemas, audience sizes are restricted, requiring institutional support to sustain a healthy film industry. Thus, Nordic cinemas have tended to prioritize artistic or experimental filmmaking, resulting in respected international auteurs like Ingmar Bergman, Lars von Trier, Roy Andersson and Pirjo Honkasalo.

While these filmmakers have been explored endlessly in international scholarship, film music and sound remains a frequently ignored aspect of their work. Beyond the Nordic region, and specifically in relation to Hollywood cinema, there is an emerging body of research focusing on the role and relevance of the film score as a key signifier of narrative meaning (such as Murphy’s harmonic taxonomy [2006, 2014], which explores the reciprocal relationship between text and orchestration). The work of both domestic and internationally recognizable composers from the Nordic countries remains largely unexplored in the context of these theoretical interventions, a problematic oversight due to the complex histories of musical innovation from these countries. Similarly, the role of sound as well as voice (dialect, sociolect, gender) remains a field that has been neglected in film studies in general but has been important in Nordic film production.

These concerns have become even more urgent with distinct transformations in Nordic film production, which has seen increased investment in popular and especially genre cinema since the 1990s.  Subsequently, Nordic film scores have moved from experimental soundscapes to emulating international trends and standards, both in use of melodic content and in the incorporation of large orchestras and advanced synth soundscapes. Film composers like Tuomas Kantelinen and Søren Hyldgaard have consolidated professional careers as industry specialists and often broken out into global film culture. We can also consider the increasingly transnational presence of Nordic composers and multi-instrumentalists like Ólafur Arnalds (whose portfolio includes the BAFTA award-winning score for British noir series Broadchurch [2013-15]) and Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score in The Theory of Everything (Marsh, 2014) and Sicario (Villeneuve, 2016). Equally, discussion of scores by the likes of Henrik Skram, Trond Bjerknes, Panu Aaltio and Johan Söderqvist, whose work reaches across a broad range of visual media and genres, remains significantly underdeveloped in both domestic and international contexts.

Journal of Scandinavian Cinema has prioritized this emerging field for an upcoming special issue, triggered by a rising interest in this area, especially following composer Ludwig Göransson’s recent Best Score Oscar for Black Panther (Coogler, 2018) (as well as several Grammies for his producing work for Childish Gambino) and the continued success of Nordic Film Music Days.

The influence of European composers, Hollywood and other global trends on Nordic soundscapes, as well as of Nordic composers on global standards, opens a discussion on the crisscrossing of sonic identities, ideas and methods. Also key here is the role Nordic identity plays in building aesthetic relationships between music and narrative, especially in relation to the region’s distinct musical histories. Consequently, film music represents a critical site of investigation, particularly in the context of the increasingly globalizing film and media cultures of the Nordic countries. By studying these recent developments, we can also use the innovation and diversity reflected in Nordic soundscapes to further strengthen the case for supporting and promoting the artistic merit of film composition and sound design more generally.

At stake here are areas of considerable relevance for Journal of Scandinavian Cinema. This includes an increased investment in exploring Nordic success stories in international markets, but also significant innovation in domestic production.

The issue encourages submissions on the following themes and also welcomes work outside/combining these areas:

• The role of the professional film composer 
• The Nordic soundtrack community (fans and communal events such as Nordic Film Music Days)
• Transnational soundscapes
• Moviescore Media (Nordic soundtrack label specializing in international film scores)
• The history of Nordic film music (especially the respective Studio Eras)
• Classical cross-overs (Einar Englund, Jukka Linkola etc.)
• Sound and genre
• Indigenous soundscapes (e.g. Minority cultures and music/sound)
• The role of voices, dialects and sociolects in Nordic film culture
• Technology, industry, practice and education
• The broader role of music cultures
• Synergy and the creation of soundscapes – for instance examining the relationships and thematic interplay between landscape and sound in Nordic film culture
• The relationship between sound and themes of duality, opposition, temporality and authenticity
• The role of technology in the shaping or re-shaping of musical conventions, including the channels of production, distribution and collaboration
• The diversity of musical training and backgrounds
• Influence of other genres considered indigenous (metal; Tuomas Holopainen and Nightwish)

Projected timeline for contributions:

1. Proposals of 500 words maximum – 1 August 2019
2. Full article submission (8000 words maximum) – February 2020
3. All contributions will undergo double-blind peer review. 
4. Publication is slated for December 2020
5. Please email the guest editors (GunnarIversen@cunet.carleton.ca); (Pietari.Kaapa@warwick.ac.uk); (k.l.moffat@stir.ac.uk) to discuss potential contributions.