Film and television soundtracks convey narrative meaning and can determine viewers’ transportation and persuasion, as well as emotional engagement. They may even facilitate the identification with antihero characters and the appreciation of antihero films and series, as song lyrics help communicate characters’ thoughts and feelings. _x000D_
In addition, music creates powerful associations with represented places, by evoking a certain imaginary and helping build the atmospheres of narrative events rooted in time and space. Both original tracks and pre-recorded songs co-produce a sense of place alongside the visual mode, thus shaping viewers’ expectations and motivations for travelling to the settings of beloved narratives. However, while film- and TV-induced tourism is a well-established and largely addressed phenomenon, the focus on soundscapes and their impact on audiences’ perception of a territory and their decision to visit it has been limited. _x000D_
The paper addresses this issue through the BBC series Peaky Blinders, set in Birmingham after the First World War and based on the story of a real criminal gang. The show is an interesting case study for analysing the narrative role of music and its influence on the perception and imagination of a represented territory. Indeed, not only is its soundtrack – mostly contemporary rock – effective in mirroring characters’ states of mind, but it also reflects, through bold and dark-hearted tunes, the visuals of the industrial Birmingham of the time. _x000D_
The aim is to analyse how the show’s music may affect the understanding of and identification with the antihero narrative of Peaky Blinders and the constructed imaginary of the territory of Birmingham. Through qualitative methods and field recognition, it may be possible to determine the extent of the connections and associations the show’s tracks manage to create between the narrative, the representation of Birmingham and show-related events and tourist offers in the city._x000D_

Carolien Fornasari
University of Rome “Tor Vergata”

 
ID Abstract: 112