Sounding Cinema

About Sounding Cinema

Nathan Platte joins University of Iowa students to explore how film music and sound transport us, building worlds beyond what we see on screen. Sounding Cinema hosts conversations among students and authors to show how soundscapes shape our relationships to characters, story, and film itself.

Publisher

Nathan Platte

Category

tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Feb 2021

Latest episode

2 Sept 2025

Latest episodes

10 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Sept 2025

   (Stop) Making Sense of Concert Films

   Concert films show us how musicians make their music, but they also help us hear that music differently. In this episode, we break down how this works in the concert film classic, Talking Heads’ and Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense (1984). More about the student team: Luke Heying is a University of Iowa senior (’25) majoring inEconomics with a minor in Music. Abbie McLaren is a University of Iowa senior (’25) doublemajoring in Cinema and Journalism. Will Sinak is a University of Iowa senior (’25) majoring inCinema. Resources You can explore the music discussed in this episode in thesoundtrack album to Stop Making Sense (https://open.spotify.com/album/4FR8Z6TvIsC56NLyNomNRE?si=F0-ZNqOgTTixu3BOIbI19w) as well as Talking Heads’ studio albums Speaking in Tongues (https://open.spotify.com/album/78MM8HrabEGPLVWaJkM2t1?si=tCTB_zSeQ92l1fHpy1aJ7A)and More Songs About Buildings and Food (https://open.spotify.com/album/39jsLMRmrTpfdq2vE4TCUe?si=j4tXbKERT_iHF5q7rt7PVA). To celebrate its 40th anniversary, A24 completed a major restoration of Stop Making Sense in 2023. More information on that is available here (https://a24films.com/films/stop-making-sense#watch-now). Want to learn more about the history of concert films? Werecommend K.J. Donnelly’s chapter, “The Film Should Be Played Loud’: Rockumentary Films,” from his 2015 book, Magical Musical Tour: Rock and Pop in Film Soundtracks (https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/magical-musical-tour-9781628927481/)(Bloomsbury).

2. 

   26 Apr 2025

   The Sound of Silents and Marc Ribot's Music for Aelita: Queen of Mars

   What is it like to hear and see a live musician accompany a silent film? Luke Heying, Abbie McLaren, Will Sinak, and Nathan Platte tackle that question in this episode by exploring guitarist Marc Ribot’s live musical accompaniment to Aelita: Queen of Mars (1924) at FilmScene in Iowa City. We talk about the experience of drinking in Ribot’s brilliantly eclectic soundscape for a silent-era science fiction odyssey. More about the team: Luke Heying is a University of Iowa senior majoring in Economics with a minor in Music. Abbie McLaren is a University of Iowa senior double majoring in Cinema and Journalism. Will Sinak is a University of Iowa senior majoring in Cinema. Resources For more on Ribot’s music for silent films, check out ShoeString Symphonettes (https://open.spotify.com/album/29nrpzeIeoTVaPJEfeibUq?si=RHYmj9J0QBm9UycGehG34g) (1997), which features an earlier accompaniment for Aelita composed for small ensemble. Listen too to his album, Silent Movies (https://open.spotify.com/album/2y5uNiCJHyxObL4P2MjfEA?si=CFstkZ9qTH-P_KkXkxdybA) (2010), which features more of his work for the medium. Brief excerpts from both albums are heard in this episode. For more on the expanding practice of musicians writing newmusic for silent films, see Today’s Sounds for Yesterday’s Films: Making Music for Silent Cinema (https://books.google.com/books?id=rbDtCwAAQBAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&lpg=PA8&dq=new%20music%20for%20old%20films&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=new%20music%20for%20old%20films&f=false), edited by K.J. Donnelly and Ann-Kristin Wallengren (Palgrave, 2016). Special thanks to FilmScene for hosting Marc Ribot's performance and helping us get tickets to his sold-out show. Thanks also to Jean-François Charles for providing recording space for our conversation.

3. 

   23 Jul 2024

   Once More, With Song: The Musical Television Episode

   Sounding Cinema turns to the musical television episode! Erika Chagdes, Abbie McLaren, Caleb Payne, and Nathan Platte spotlight the unique and often comedic opportunities that arise when a TV series turns into a musical…for just one episode. By comparing “Once More, With Feeling,” the infamous musical episode from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, with “Regional Holiday Music,” Community’s glee-ful fiasco, we discover some ways in which TV musicals can teach us a lot about musicals and the episodic format of television itself. More about the team: Erika Chagdes graduated from the University of Iowa in 2024 with a BA in Cinema. She is excited to pursue a career in filmmaking. Abbie McLaren is a University of Iowa student with a double major in Cinema and Journalism and Mass Communication (production and design track). After graduating in 2025, she plans to pursue film professionally through work or graduate studies. Caleb Payne graduated from the University of Iowa in 2024 with a BA in Cinema. He plans to attend a graduate-level studio art program in the future. Samuel Ross, who provided original music, is a University of Iowa student drawn to both film and music. A Cinema major, Sam also composes, writes film music, and enjoys playing piano and bass. Resources: Kelly Kessler, Broadway in the Box: Television’s Lasting Love Affair with the Musical (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020).  (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/broadway-in-the-box-9780190674021?lang=en&cc=us) Kathryn VanArendonk, “Theorizing the Television Episode,” Narrative 27, no. 1 (2019), 65–82. Project MUSE, https://doi.org/10.1353/nar.2019.0004. (https://doi.org/10.1353/nar.2019.0004) Paul Attinello, Janet K. Halfyard, and Vanessa Knights (eds.), Music, Sound, and Silence in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Oxon: Taylor and Francis, 2010).  (https://www.bloomsburymusicandsound.com/encyclopedia?docid=b-9781315090740)

4. 

   9 Jul 2024

   The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) and 'The Young Girls' Turn 25 (1993): Different Spins on the Film Musical

   Sounding Cinema returns to the immersive musicals of Jacques Demy, exploring the serious whimsy and peculiar pairs of The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967). Join Abbie McLaren, Caleb Payne, and Nathan Platte as we discuss the ways in which Demy’s film, Michel Legrand's music, and Agnès Varda’s documentary about the film play with and against the formula of the Hollywood studio musical. Special thanks to: Samuel Ross, who wrote and recorded original and adapted music for the episode. Erika Chagdes, who helped with production preparation. Abbie McLaren, who designed our episode artwork. More about the team: Erika Chagdes graduated from the University of Iowa in 2024 with a BA in Cinema. She is excited to pursue a career in filmmaking. Abbie McLaren is a University of Iowa student with a double major in Cinema and Journalism and Mass Communication (production and design track). After graduating in 2025, she plans to pursue film professionally through work or graduate studies. Caleb Payne graduated from the University of Iowa in 2024 with a BA in Cinema. He plans to attend a graduate-level studio art program in the future. Sam Ross is a University of Iowa student drawn to both film and music. A Cinema major, Sam also composes, writes film music, and enjoys playing piano and bass. Resources: Rick Altman, “From Homosocial to Heterosexual: The Musical’s Two Projects,” in The Sound of Musicals, edited by Steven Cohan (London: British Film Institute, 2010), 19–29. Andrea Bravo, “‘Have you found her yet?’: The Dream World of Jacques Demy’s ‘The Young Girls of Rochefort.’” UF Prism, 7 March 2023, https://ufprism.com/2023/03/07/have-you-found-her-yet-the-dream-world-of-jacques-demys-the-young-girls-of-rochefort (https://ufprism.com/2023/03/07/have-you-found-her-yet-the-dream-world-of-jacques-demys-the-young-girls-of-rochefort). Jacques Demy, director, The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), Criterion Blu-Ray/DVD, https://www.criterion.com/films/28615-the-young-girls-of-rochefort (https://www.criterion.com/films/28615-the-young-girls-of-rochefort). (Includes Agnès Varda’s 1993 documentary, The Young Girls Turn 25.) Michel Legrand, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, Ecoutez le Cinèma, 5 CDs, 2017, https://www.discogs.com/release/11630978-Michel-Legrand-Jacques-Demy-Les-Demoiselles-De-Rochefort (https://www.discogs.com/release/11630978-Michel-Legrand-Jacques-Demy-Les-Demoiselles-De-Rochefort).

5. 

   16 Jun 2022

   Jack Curtis Dubowsky on the Legacy of Easy Listening in Film Music

   Cecilia Kryzda and Nathan Platte talk with Jack Curtis Dubowsky about his recent book, Easy Listening and Film Scoring, 1948-1978 (Routledge, 2021) (https://www.routledge.com/Easy-Listening-and-Film-Scoring-1948-78/Dubowsky/p/book/9781138586277). A composer, performer, and scholar, Jack illuminates the vast and underappreciated opportunities easy listening provided film composers and how certain styles and habits shaped later music and film practices. Jack also explains the process of writing the book, including his inspiration behind the project and how his vision for the book changed over time. Jack's book spotlights an array of fascinating albums and films. His recommendations for listeners are: Music: Michel Legrand, I Love Paris (preferably the original mono record) Michel Legrand, Archi-chordes Cecil Holmes, The Black Motion Picture Experience Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker with Strings Wendy Carlos, Sonic Seasonings Stu Phillips & The Hollyridge Strings (all the albums) Films and TV Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961, music by Henry Mancini) Peter Gunn television series (1958-61, music by Henry Mancini) Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964, music by Michel Legrand) Partir Revenir (1985, music by Michel Legrand) Mahogany (1975, music arranged by Lee Holdridge) Battlestar Galactica (1979, music by Stu Phillips) Watership Down (1978, music by Angela Morley) The Lawrence Welk Show (1951-1982) The Liberace Show (1952­-1969) The musical excerpts heard in the episode are discussed in Jack’s book. In order of appearance, they are: Michel Legrand, I Love Paris, “La Vie en rose” (Édith Piaf, Louiguy) (https://youtu.be/1n0eMXPcB-I) Quincy Jones, Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini, Theme from Charade (Henry Mancini) (https://open.spotify.com/track/4FqAUup8dZveYMMSLNt3PC?si=3558930a1e1a40ae) Hollyridge Strings, The Best of the Beatles, vol. 2, “Ticket to Ride,” (Lennon-McCartney) (https://open.spotify.com/track/6DNGnTdbSFyYTVUyPeWoeT?si=0ef40af840d94cf8) Ramsey Lewis, The Movie Album, Theme from The Pawnbroker (Quincy Jones) (https://open.spotify.com/track/0CKxoB4ZI6RXXa2rnhbF5V?si=b2f1df6dd50d42e7) Swingle Singers, Jazz Sebastian Bach, “Fugue in D Minor” and “Wachet auf” (J. S. Bach) (https://open.spotify.com/album/1YyGhSoUgtblfSXfrm32Vt?si=ojoCpDhXRbycj5Hvl-1hcw) Henry Mancini, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, “Moon River (Original Main Title)” (Mancini) (https://open.spotify.com/track/2HUAjeHWA7FQNbnWhlboOL?si=f665a551c65c427b) Henry Mancini, Encore, “Foreign Film Festival” (theme from Legrand’s Umbrellas of Cherbourg) (https://open.spotify.com/track/27kDGSrcD0a2WsaMd71YVd?si=bfe36329a7504896) Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker with Strings, “Laura” (David Raksin) (https://open.spotify.com/track/7aMziLtJ7eZBEwoLmTWsFa?si=dab59821447a4502) Michel Legrand, Archi-chordes, “Di-gue ding ding” (Legrand) (https://open.spotify.com/track/7lQ1ZrKYbKoUoP4w1zGITE?si=40cda928011147b3)

6. 

   28 Sept 2021

   Shades of Quiet in Sound of Metal

   Rebekah Erdman, Cecilia Kryzda, Anastasia Scholze, and Noah Zahradnik return to Sounding Cinema to discuss Sound of Metal (2020), a film that challenges its central character--a musician-- to listen differently to the sounds and silences that define daily life and the relationships within it.

7. 

   23 Aug 2021

   The Unceasing Melodies of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

   Sounding Cinema welcomes Rebekah Erdman, Cecilia Kryzda, Anastasia Scholze, and Noah Zahradnik to discuss The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) and Sound of Metal (2020), two titles that push film sound to its extremes. In the first of a two-part series, we consider how director Jacques Demy and composer Michel Legrand unsettle a strikingly realistic story by having the characters sing all their lines.

8. 

   11 May 2021

   West Side Story, Part II: Capturing the Sounds of (Ghost) Singing and Dancing

   Many of the songs in West Side Story feature the dubbed voices of uncredited ghost singers. We illuminate how West Side Story's use of "ghosts" differs from other musicals of the era and alters the screen-sound relationship. We also turn our ears toward the people responsible for giving WSS's dance sequences their distinctive sonic textures.

9. 

   15 Feb 2021

   West Side Story and the Extraordinary Sound of Robert Wise's Films

   Nathan Platte and Anastasia Scholze embark on a two-part exploration of the 1961 film adaptation of West Side Story. After surveying the extraordinary career of WSS director Robert Wise, they welcome Ernesto Acevedo-Munoz (https://www.colorado.edu/cinemastudies/ernesto-acevedo-munoz) (author of West Side Story as Cinema (https://kansaspress.ku.edu/978-0-7006-1921-4.html)) to talk about how the film’s story and sound make it an enduring cultural touchstone.

10. 

    10 Feb 2021

    Introducing Sounding Cinema

    Join Nathan Platte and Anastasia Scholze as they explore how music and sound draw us closer to film. First stop: the shifting soundscapes of Robert Wise's films (West Side Story, The Haunting, The Andromeda Strain, Odds Against Tomorrow, and many more).

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

54

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.