Sunday 18 November 2012

Project 13–Non-diegetic sound


Exercise 16: Abstract image sequence
Objective: Choose a short musical sequence (max 1 minute)  note the emotions/feeling it invokes and the images or ideas that come to mind.
I have chosen Debussy's Prelude to the afternoon of a faun which despite its title always invokes memories of the sea in my mind, to do mainly with the rhythms. The still images I have used are from Cornwall, contrasting the Atlantic coast at Sennen and the more sheltered Falmouth Bay and Helford River on the Channel coast , taken a week apart as I walked the coast path last year. The centre section is uplifting and I’ve arranged the images (taken from a high viewpoint) to indicate flight above the headland and down into the shelter of the river.
The only other students work which is accessible at the moment is Margaret's sequence; Music in the Minster. I did comment on it sometime ago but my comment doesn’t appear on her blog now. I watched it again and I can now evaluate it in terms of understanding the exercise and its purpose:
The meaning I take from the sequence is of a documentary looking at people going about their day in and around the Minster. It feels reverent, ancient and historical and the accompanying music suits the sequence well, being spiritual music you would expect to hear in this setting. The images I particularly liked were the ones that contrasted the  Minster and  the surroundings from above outside i.e. the towers and the Big Wheel and also the statuary both stone and wooden which contrasted with the modern congregation moving within the building.
Here is my Abstract Image Sequence:


Untitled from Richard Down on Vimeo.

Research: I have mentioned some of the examples of diegetic and non diegetic sound already ( the final scene in Melancholia) and I will add others here and repost this page in due course.


6 comments:

  1. Hi Richard
    I think you have chosen your music well to fit your film. There is a good variety of pace - you start by giving us enough time to look at the waves before creating a rushing feeling in line with the music associated with the crashing of the waves. As the sea calms down the music does. You change the views in time with the music and leave us with calm. Great Richard. And thanks for commenting again on mine. I will have to check the comments and see why yours has disappeared. I have been away again for a couple of weeks so no real progress. Need to get on and finish my last assignment which I am struggling with in terms of putting forward the story non chronologically!

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  2. Thanks Margaret, I'm glad that the feelings I tried to show have come across enough for you to understand what I was aiming for. On with editing Assignment 3 now, hopefully for submission by Friday.

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  3. Hi Richard,
    I like your abstract image sequence. It has restful feeling with slow pace with nice photographs. I have to admit that I was surprised when it ended so early I wanted to see more. I was curious where you take us further. Maybe more details? Good work.

    All the best.
    Emil

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  4. Thanks Emil, I'm glad you liked it. It would have been nice to continue but we are restricted to just one minute for this exercise!

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  5. Richard,

    I felt the images suited the music very well. I really liked the transition as the music took on a slower pace. I think the close-up images of the waves went well with the strong instruments at the beginning, but what I especially liked was the image around 00.25 which shows both sea and (green) land, so it was almost like the image was slowing down with the music. We then transition into wider, more gentle-looking landscapes. I was also able to pick up the feeling of motion and exploration within the images because they were moving within the frame.

    Hope this helps!


    Stuart

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  6. Thanks for the comments Stuart. This one seems to have worked particularly well and the emotion and movement has been picked up by all three of you.

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