ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the film experience in the context of Rosenblatt's response theory, the rich and diverse life experiences of each individual during film viewing/listening. John Vitale's fictional screenplay 'Visual Music' is based on a traditional research project that seeks to investigate how music changes the meaning of a film. Methodologically, the study involved exposing four groups of high-school students to different musical soundtracks and then conducting a focus group session in order to explore how music impacts cinematic content. The soundtracks were selected on the basis of distinct musical styles as outlined by the Hevner adjective scale for music listening Vitale's screenplay hits on all of the major 'audience' areas: by using the screenplay format, portraying characters in resonant ways, and writing at a level that anyone can understand; the detailed introduction to the piece discloses significant details about the study as well as Vitale's decision to use the fictional format and in the spirit of participatory research.
