The seminar will be followed by tea and refreshments in the Theatre Bar. All welcome.
Abstract
Music has been inseparably linked with motorsport across its broadcast history, and in recent years, major racing series have commissioned bespoke theme music to strengthen their branding and commercial appeal. An established title theme creates consistency for audiences, however, popular racing series are frequently covered by multiple broadcasters who use different signature music (and underscore) leaving viewers with significantly contrasting musical experiences of the same motorsport event. This seminar analyses Formula One as a media franchise which thrives on diversity rather than consistency, offering the label of a Decentralised Franchise and a Refraction Framework for understanding these musical relationships. Attention is given to the musical consistencies and divergencies of broadcasters, teams, and sponsors, revealing branding strategies bespoke to each entity. Ultimately, this research explores how and why scoring approaches might capitalise on pre-existing genre associations to satisfy existing audiences, alongside crafting unique and characterful musical identities to attract new fans and represent each series’ intellectual property through multiple broadcasters.
Biography
Will Farmer is a media composer and doctoral researcher specialising in the study of transmedia franchises. He is completing his PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London, with a focus on the music of motorsport and its proliferation across television broadcasts, advertising, video games, and live events. Will’s industry experience includes music department roles across film, television, and radio, which help to inform his research on music’s relationship to audience and player fulfilment.