The concept for my video was bold and pretty ambitious, to say the least.
I wanted to show and represent the endless and untouchable cycle of nature, from its serenity to harsh and unforgiving extremes portrayed in the cycle of a day. The video begins with a sunrise over a perfect and beautiful landscape, and continues in this theme with footage of calm forests and waterfalls.
Lightning crashes intermittently through this calm world, and as the rain begins to pick up, the viewer realizes something is definitely coming. A massive storm rolls in, breaking the calm in a big way. The weather gets progressively worse and more extreme as time goes on, with tornadoes, wind and lightning cutting vast swaths through the once beautiful countryside. At the climax of the video, the viewer is treated to a fast paced recap of everything that has happened throughout the course of the day, before the storms eventually calm and the sun sets over a once again scenic view. Nature resets its self.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Music Video: Sh*t that went right, and sh*t that went wrong.
Most of this is explained in my production notebook and commentary, but here we gooooo....
My start to the video making process was rocky at best and maddening at worst. After getting permission from the band to make a video for their song, and having my heart set on both the use of the song and the concept of the video, I realized two things: that the song was just over 5 minutes in length, and that I had no idea where I would find the footage that I needed.
The first problem was solved with the extensive stock footage library owned by the Comm Department. Contained within were literally hundreds of clips and stock videos that were perfect for my video concept. The second problem could only really be solved by a liberal application of elbow grease and hard work.
Final Cut was also being difficult in the beginning. Clips would refuse to render for no real reason, and I had to start from scratch several times. However, after changing computers no less than 3 times and finally figuring out the ins and outs of the program, it was smooth sailing. The editing process to a grand total of 8-10 hours to fill the 5 minute video, and even though there are still a few things that I'm not happy with, given my lack of previous knowledge with video software, I managed to reach my intended concept.
My start to the video making process was rocky at best and maddening at worst. After getting permission from the band to make a video for their song, and having my heart set on both the use of the song and the concept of the video, I realized two things: that the song was just over 5 minutes in length, and that I had no idea where I would find the footage that I needed.
The first problem was solved with the extensive stock footage library owned by the Comm Department. Contained within were literally hundreds of clips and stock videos that were perfect for my video concept. The second problem could only really be solved by a liberal application of elbow grease and hard work.
Final Cut was also being difficult in the beginning. Clips would refuse to render for no real reason, and I had to start from scratch several times. However, after changing computers no less than 3 times and finally figuring out the ins and outs of the program, it was smooth sailing. The editing process to a grand total of 8-10 hours to fill the 5 minute video, and even though there are still a few things that I'm not happy with, given my lack of previous knowledge with video software, I managed to reach my intended concept.
Living, Breathing video
We here in the Comm Department never view any form of media just on the surface. Music video is no different, and a wealth of depth and living, breathing media can be found just underneath the surface.
Music video can easily be considered a mirror image of different parts of society, either in gritty realism or idealized visions. In this sense, the video takes on a life of its own, letting the viewer make it evolve and create their own interpretations. The multimedia and multisensational aspects of the video grasp the significance of the world around us in all it's forms.
The other unique aspect of music video is the relative silence of the actual images being shown. Only rarely does what's happening in the video its self make any actual noise. Thus, it is left up to the music to provide the sound and much of the emotion to this 2D image, in essence adding a 3rd dimension to the world contained to the TV.
Music video can easily be considered a mirror image of different parts of society, either in gritty realism or idealized visions. In this sense, the video takes on a life of its own, letting the viewer make it evolve and create their own interpretations. The multimedia and multisensational aspects of the video grasp the significance of the world around us in all it's forms.
The other unique aspect of music video is the relative silence of the actual images being shown. Only rarely does what's happening in the video its self make any actual noise. Thus, it is left up to the music to provide the sound and much of the emotion to this 2D image, in essence adding a 3rd dimension to the world contained to the TV.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Music in Passing
Other forms of media find it easy to appeal to the senses and be aesthetically pleasing. Television and other forms of video are fantastic in the way that they appeal to multiple senses at once, while canvas artwork, even though it appeals only to the sense of sight, can be actively analyzed while the work is being enjoyed. Each of these can have a far deeper meaning, with many works requiring deeper thought or understanding to truly enjoy.
This is not true of music. Music simply is.
As far as the senses are concerned, music only appeals to our sense of hearing. That being said, the concept of synesthesia has the wonderful ability to instill in us percieved feelings of the other senses. How else would different genres of music be described as hard or smooth? Hell, some songs can even sound painful. The aesthetic experience of music is one dimentional on the surface, but far deeper than one would expect.
The deeper meaning of music can also only be thought of after the music has stopped. Unlike still artwork, music is very hard to pick apart as you're listening. One must look back on what has already happened and what you've already heard to get the full meaning.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Post Apocalyptic Studio Production
Group B
Our group was by far the largest one, which was great for having enough people to delegate tasks to, but definitely a pain when it came to making sure no one was tripping over each other or doubling up needlessly on tasks. The topic we chose is one of increasing popularity: the 2012 theories and the end of the world as we know it.
My part was definitely not insignificant. The one professor that was able to make it was a contact of mine that I've used before for other classes. Dr. Conley is a biology professor here at Shepherd University, and I kept her up to date with times and lists of questions after making sure she was available for the video shoot.
The second part of my contribution to the tv show was an emergency guest. Our second professor bailed, and we could not find a replacement in time for the shoot. I have fairly extensive knowledge of "post apocalyptic theory" since it's somewhat of a hobby of mine, and by doing a bit more research I was able to stand toe to toe with a professor, and present my points with confidence and accuracy.
It was during this whole process that I realized my place is in front of a camera. I have never been bothered by being in front of people, or under stage lights or any other high pressure situation. I thrive there.
Our group was by far the largest one, which was great for having enough people to delegate tasks to, but definitely a pain when it came to making sure no one was tripping over each other or doubling up needlessly on tasks. The topic we chose is one of increasing popularity: the 2012 theories and the end of the world as we know it.
My part was definitely not insignificant. The one professor that was able to make it was a contact of mine that I've used before for other classes. Dr. Conley is a biology professor here at Shepherd University, and I kept her up to date with times and lists of questions after making sure she was available for the video shoot.
The second part of my contribution to the tv show was an emergency guest. Our second professor bailed, and we could not find a replacement in time for the shoot. I have fairly extensive knowledge of "post apocalyptic theory" since it's somewhat of a hobby of mine, and by doing a bit more research I was able to stand toe to toe with a professor, and present my points with confidence and accuracy.
It was during this whole process that I realized my place is in front of a camera. I have never been bothered by being in front of people, or under stage lights or any other high pressure situation. I thrive there.
Comm 333 Ch. 6-7
Persistant vision, realism and hyper reality are not new concepts in any form of media. Indeed, the former two ideas are almost a century old or more, with Persistant Vision being originally theorized as a concept in the early 1920's and realism being far older. Realism in particular can apply to anything from paintings to film, and has just that over the last two hundred years or so.
Realism as we know it today is applied mostly to film. Programs such as late night talk shows or "live" TV are considered realism because while they may not be filming this program live, i.e. you're not watching it as it happens, they are meant to give the feel that it's all happening now. Bands playing during such talk shows are made to look as if all their music is live, even though the sounds levels are far too even, and the band in question will probably sound exactly like they have on their album. Be that as it may, all of these factors come together to make a realistic atmosphere.
Hyper reality comes into play moreso in films, where everything is so gritty and panoramic that everything seems too real, or too perfect. The frame rates are so smooth that it plays out like our own field of vision (or faster) and "reflects" reality in excruciating detail.
That brings us to the concept of persistent vision. PV, as we'll call it for now, is the brief (.25 second) after image that is left in our eyes after an image has been viewed. For film and TV, this means that anything above 12 frames per second will have a sufficient after image to make transitions from one frame to another flow seamlessly. Since most movies run at around 24+ frames per second, this creates a sense of realism or hyper realism as the case may be,
Realism as we know it today is applied mostly to film. Programs such as late night talk shows or "live" TV are considered realism because while they may not be filming this program live, i.e. you're not watching it as it happens, they are meant to give the feel that it's all happening now. Bands playing during such talk shows are made to look as if all their music is live, even though the sounds levels are far too even, and the band in question will probably sound exactly like they have on their album. Be that as it may, all of these factors come together to make a realistic atmosphere.
Hyper reality comes into play moreso in films, where everything is so gritty and panoramic that everything seems too real, or too perfect. The frame rates are so smooth that it plays out like our own field of vision (or faster) and "reflects" reality in excruciating detail.
That brings us to the concept of persistent vision. PV, as we'll call it for now, is the brief (.25 second) after image that is left in our eyes after an image has been viewed. For film and TV, this means that anything above 12 frames per second will have a sufficient after image to make transitions from one frame to another flow seamlessly. Since most movies run at around 24+ frames per second, this creates a sense of realism or hyper realism as the case may be,
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