Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0006-1649-6751

Graduation Year

2026

Date of Submission

12-2025

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Film Studies

Reader 1

James Morrison

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Rights Information

© 2025 Oliver Yeoh Broegger

Abstract

Music has undergone a full “audiovisual turn,” in which image is no longer a secondary medium for songs but a primary place for meaning, memory, and value to be produced. Drawing on film sound theory, this paper first examines how cinema trained audiences to experience sound and image as a unified whole, normalizing functions such as emotional cueing, narrative continuity, and branding within audiovisual media. It then maps the evolution of the music video from early promotional clips and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” through MTV’s 24/7 rotation era, to contemporary, filmic works like Childish Gambino’s “This Is America,” showing how videos operate as memory architectures and interpretive frameworks for songs. Turning to the live performance, this thesis analyzes the incredible production behind Anyma’s “cybernetic opera” at the Las Vegas Sphere, festival mainstages across the globe, site-specific livestreams of Cercle Odyssey, alongside an original interview with touring DJ and producer Riordan, to examine his approach to visuals in live electronic dance music events. Finally, it considers future directions in the intersection of music and visual media, arguing that the next wave of music culture will hinge on narrative and immersive forms that further blur the boundaries between concerts, cinema, and interactive media.

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