4B - Song Reflection

Paige: Review




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Mark: Review



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Tony: Review



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Music/Song Assignment

My song:


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4A - Brainwashed

Seth Grodin's "Brainwashed" is an interesting article that suggests that everything we are taught to do in school is actually set up to make us fear failure so much as to limit any attempt to strive outside what is "tried-and-true".  Within this article, Grodin discussed seven layers that we can acknowledge and apply to reinvent ourselves.

One such layer contemplates the idea of "Acknowledging the Lizard". The instinct that shuts us down when there is a chance at failure or being mocked is "the lizard", and it is this portion of our genetic code that tells us to obey authority, do as we are told without question, and behave as a cog in a machine.  To acknowledge the lizard is to understand that such a fear exists, and ignoring it to take a risk to create something new or profound.

The seventh layer - the key to the others - is learning. It suggests that school is not something we attend until we earn a degree or graduate - it is a lifelong process. Learning is a constant process, not a timed event. By understanding that we must learn and grow everyday, the individual can thrive in an environment that doesn't necessarily promote such ideals.

The Lizard layer can be connected to this blog in that writing and sharing information is a creative endevour with the possibility of failure. But taking the risk to express thoughts is worth the potential of such thoughts being misunderstood or disagreed with. Likewise, the seventh layer of learning correlates directly with this blog. Learning is not something that happens once in one's youth. One must continue learning, and through this blog we are encouraged to explore and explain various aspects of media that otherwise we likely would not.  These blogs make me a better creative individual by requiring me to write about certain creative processes, and explain my reasoning behind them. The process of understanding and communicating one's thoughts succinctly is a valuable skill in succeeding in the creative industries.

3A - Cover Songs

Out of the many songs that I enjoy listening to, one would have to be "Awake and Alive", by Skillet.

One interesting cover of the song that I found was done by JoshuaTranMusic, which incorporates the entire song into piano.

In comparing and contrasting these songs, I have found that the pitch of the original - while being dynamic in its range, particularly in the vocals - is slightly lower overall than the pitch of the cover. The piano in the cover is able to reach a higher pitch, especially in the intro for the song.  The vocals in the original song by the lead singer are low overall, as is his style. Although the drummer's vocals are higher pitched as she is female, her range isn't quite high enough to match that of the piano in the cover.

I felt that the melody of the cover was much more pronounced than that of the original. As the melody is the tune that you hum when you hear a song, the simple piano cover focuses mostly on reproducing the melody. The lower notes played are intended to cover the harmony, but this is hardly noticed - a few piano keys cannot compete with the harmony created by backing vocals, guitars, bass, drums, and other instruments!

The timbre of the original song is more harsh and full - the personality of the piece is considerably more varied than the simple bright timbre of the cover.  The original has a number of different instruments combining to create the sound of the piece, giving it a complex and robust feel, while the cover is simplistic and monotonous in comparison.

For the most part the organization of both songs is similar. Yet, they stand out in the guitar solo that occurs around the 2:40 mark in both pieces. In the original, the solo fits in - it sounds right.  In the overall musical composition, the solo has an ordered feel, because in combination with all the other instruments, the solo doesn't stand out as much as it accompanies the rest.  However, the cover version develops a chaotic feel at the 2:40 mark, when the piano player attempts the guitar solo.  The notes are much more pronounced, and feel random and obtrusive.  The cover is not able to adequately capture the correct organization of the original, most likely because of the lack of accompanying instruments.

There also is an obvious contrast and affinity between the two songs.  The affinity is in the melody both songs create - the overall notes are the same. Furthermore, both songs have the same speed and tempo - the timing is nearly identical. However, there is a much greater contrast between the two. The cover is simplistic, flat in depth and overall range, and lacks the complexity that we take for granted in modern music. The original contrasts the cover in that it is complex, with many instruments and vocals that all cover different ranges in pitch and intensity.  The sound of the original is much more interesting than the original, as it provides  so many different audio frequencies.  Finally, the timbre of the original is more developed and deep, while the timbre of the cover is simple and bright.

Tension and release becomes more apparent in the original.  The use of several instruments and drums allows the band to build into crescendos and releases that are more effective and noticeable than that of the piano cover.

Overall, both pieces are enjoyable for different reasons.  The original is fun to listen to for the range and sound that the band provides, while I experience a feeling of appreciation from listening to the cover song, picking out the different notes as the cover moves through the music.

3B - Audio Reflection on Soundscapes

Will Growther Review:


Chandler Petrie - no audio posted :(

Maddie Wolfe Review:

My Soundscape

I worked on this with Juliette Rocheleau. Our emotion was "Remorse".

Find Your Howl

Johnathan Flaum's article was very interesting, because it ran parallel with a similar process that I went through recently.  Basically, Flaum uses the story of Mumon the red wolf, who is released from captivity, and must create a new life for himself on his own. Although he may miss the familiarity and comfort of his old life, to live as he should he must forge ahead and take charge of the direction his life must take. By the end of the story, Mumon had faced adversity and hardship, but gained a new life and position that he earned through work, dedication, and self-discovery.

Below you can access the audio portion of this blog:

Ways to Get Ideas

Mitch Dittkoff's "14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas" is an intriguing article that contemplates the one problem that plagues those in the creative industry most often - actually coming up with good, solid ideas.  Mitch comes up with fourteen different ways to grab new ideas - covering everything from brainstorming and noticing patterns, to fantasizing and listening to one's sub-conscience.

I feel that Mitch's second suggestion of "Immersion" is a great way to dive into something interesting or challenging to develop it into something bigger and better.  Basically, the process of immersion requires you to block out a large amount of time in which you will focus and work through a problem or process.  In MGT202, this is known as a hitting a "flow state", a mental state of mind in which you are utterly focused on accomplishing a goal. Your entire being  is dedicated towards working through this task, and when you come out of the flow state, hours may have passed in what seemed like minutes. Flow states, or immersion, inspire such a degree of dedication that one's sense of time is warped.  I highly recommend immersion as a way to accomplish goals, because I utilize it all the time.  When editing a project, I'll start with all the pieces of the puzzle: video, audio, images, and text - with an empty timeline which I must fill up.  When I finish the edit, what comes out may be a relatively short video - but it may have taken dozens of times of the duration of the finished clip to piece it together properly. And when immersed, you have no idea how long it took - only that it was accomplished.

Mitch's tenth suggestion of "Hanging out with Diverse Groups of People" is also valid, particularly in my experience. When working on a project, I may get stuck in a rut of doing the same things over again; recycling ideas or methods.  It helps immensely - both in refreshing how I do things, and in making the project more dynamic - to interact with people whom you may never before have though to communicate with.  Everyone has a different viewpoint and way of analyzing things.  Taking advantage of this to broaden your perspectives may in fact help you to approach a project in a completely new light.  This keeps one's ideas, motivations, and methods freshly engaging - changing things up and putting a new spin on your approach makes things exciting for you and for those who benefit from your project. 

Finally, his sixth suggestion of "Defining the Right Challenge" is an oft-overlooked but still important way to come up with ideas and solve problems.  Many times I will encounter an obstacle or dilemma on my way to completing a task - and instead of trying to determine ways to master the overall challenge, I focus instead of trying to fix the one specific problem.  In some cases this can work, but if you are stuck and unable to come up with a solution to a small dilemma in a big challenge, consider this: come up with a list of ways to overcome the big challenge first. Perhaps one of this ideas can allow you to bypass and ignore the smaller problem that you were stuck on in the first place!

I actually find this sixth suggestion to make so much sense, that as an exercise I shall fulfill the prompt that concludes it: "State your most inspired challenge or opportunity as a question beginning with words 'How can I?' Then write it five different ways. Which is the real question?"
Currently I am acting as director of photography for an independent feature film on campus entitled "The Nameless Cryst".  As such, my biggest challenge is being able to dedicate enough time to not only complete the film, but finish in a way that makes the film as polished as possible and as exciting as possible for those involved.
How can I find enough time to finish the film well and make it worthwhile for those around me?

How can I arrange schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and work to be able to dedicate enough time to the film?
How can I make the film look as professional and exceptional as possible?
How can I work to make the experience on set as rewarding as possible for those in my department?
How can I accomplish what is necessary with the lack of budget that we have?
How can I make the project appeal to those involved with it?

In the end, I believe that the real question is: How can I balance my responsibilities in such a way that work, school, and extracurriculars are affected as little as possible?  Which leads me to believe that I need to plan and schedule my time more effectively - which I assuredly have not been up to this point!

Who Influences Me as a Creative Person?

My creative focus is in cinematography - in shooting and producing digital cinema.  As such, I am most inspired by videos and other digital media that captivate the audience. First and foremost what draws my attention is a great image, shot creatively and with purpose; but secondly such a piece of art must be enforced by a story.

Joe Simon is a wedding cinematographer, and his piece entitled "Kristin + Justin's Wedding" displays to me a masterful use of active and didactic storytelling.  Through the use of didactic narration by the pastor and couple, the audience is told the story of the wedding day, and the backstory of how the couple met. However, information is also transferred through the active use of visuals.  As the pastor talks about memories and remembering the wedding day, the video rewinds, moving backwards. This subtlety impacts the audience, suggesting the act of revisiting the day and replaying the events over and over again. That, coupled with the visual chemistry of the two, informs the audience of the compatibility of both Kristin and Justin. Filmmaking that successfully marries both active and didactic storytelling are my favorite type of movie, which is why this particular piece is interesting to me.

"The Butterfly Circus", directed by Josh Weigel, is one of my favorite short films.  It makes great use of tension and release.  The film starts with a travelling circus that decides to visit a carnival. They observe a man with no limbs, and the manager of the circus steps closer to interact with the man. The tension rises as the manager makes a remark to the man, who spits on the manager, releasing the tension. The manager leaves, and the man with no limbs is rebuked for upsetting the man with the greatest circus in the land.  The cycle of tension and release occurs twice more in the film. The second time begins when the man with no limbs (who has joined the travelling circus) is at a swimming hole with his new family. He tries to cross the stream, but no one will help him. He manages to balance on a log, but falls into the stream - increasing the tension. The action rises as no one can find the man - but release arrives when he surfaces, surprising himself and the rest with his ability to swim. The third example of tension and release is at the end of the film. The man with no limbs is at his first performance in the circus, and is climbing to the top of a tower to dive into a pool far below. Everyone watches in silence and expectation - tension rises as he ascends - and we are relieved when he dives and swims to the top with a grin. As my focus is in narrative filmmaking, the use of tension and release is crucial, and films that pull it off well are films that I review time and time again.

I also enjoyed "Chat Roulette", a short documentary created by Casey Neistat.  The film uses objective and subjective views to discuss the internet sensation.  The backbone of the film is made up of objective material. Casey puts a lot of research into defining the use and purpose of Chat Roulette, and creates a study group of 90 individuals he chatted with to create statistics.  This information includes the percentage of gender of those he interacted with, along with the average time it took people to "next" him: 2.9 seconds. The film ends with a subjective train of thought that, while opinion, makes the viewer pause and think about the program.  Casey is glad that Chat Roulette is stuck on his laptop - in his subjective opinion, he wouldn't like a world where you could "next" someone and make them disappear forever. This influences me by making me ponder - often narrative work is only subjective. Why not include some objective information to make the material relateable to more people?