Updated Philip Bloom London meet video now with PHILIP GLASS – ‘RESOURCE’ from the KOYAANISQATSI sound track.
Here is a recut version of my London video shot around Philip Bloom’s meet up over the weekend. Due to a bit of a fuss kicked up by a record label (check out my low-down on the Wendy Carlos copyright issues here) I have had to change the sound track away from A Clockwork Orange.
I have put quite a bit of new timelapse footage in which didn’t so much suit the previous sound track (check out the Philip Bloom’s London meet up blog here). Now the video is now more a homage to another favourite film of mine, Koyaanisqatsi.
I first saw this at Christmas several years ago and it immediately had a bit impact on me. It has a mesmerising sound track by Philip Glass and a theme which really resonated with me. I’ve always been into apocalypse, catastrophes and Blade Runner style dystopias, and this film frames the real world as all three waiting to happen. It has a lot of dramatic tension in each shot and composition. Visually it is stunning and I love the timelapse footage which seem to reveal the world as being like one giant machine. Cities look like circuit boards from high above, traffic and people seem to be the electrical currents swarming through the machine – or like ants in a hive. Back in the 80’s it was a new window onto the modern world.
Francis Ford Coppola was producer on this, and although the director and cinematographer at the time had not yet made a name for themselves, this was the one that put them on the map. Check out this Koyaanisqatsi Wiki for more about the director (Godfrey Reggio) and cinematographer (Ron Fricke).
I really do recommend that you get hold of the Koyaanisqatsi on DVD if you haven’t seen it before, and the sound track by Philip Glass – it helps EOSHD.com via Amazon and it rewards the artists that I’ve leaned on to make my video look as good as possible.
Here is my tip on sound tracking a video…
Sound tracks are really important and it’s good to indulge yourself with music and some of the new stuff coming out, because I find having a internal bank of music tracks inside your head makes it much easier when it comes to picking one for a video or film scene. I usually trawl my iTunes collection but it helps to have already listened to tons of stuff so you have a general idea of what might fit.
The sense and feel you have for a scene or what you’re trying to say must fit with the sound track like a glove. Sometimes certain traits of a sound track match up with the mood, movement or composition in a shot and you must spot that. Some people have a better sense for it than others but it is something that can be learned over time. In terms of editing, I tend to time my cuts to the music but not too constantly because it can become a bit distracting – sometimes it’s good to be a bit messy and not too perfect in cutting the video to the sound track – it adds an element of surprise and removes the predictability in the editing.
I tend to find music is a very subjective thing, but orchestral of classical music is more generic in conveying human emotions and I guess that’s why it’s used so often. But I really think that lyrics and non-classical music is a braver choice, even if it is subjective I also remember when I’ve heard a good sound track. Some films wouldn’t be the same without them!
