putting them together

Isn't it amazing how art all works together? It can be expressed in so many different ways: theres absolutely no structure to it: there aren't any rules.
It's been really cool to take so much time to watch music videos. They speak volumes about how artists work together to do something with their art. Combining music and visual can present a message or create emotions that you just don't get when they are separate.
With the Johnny Cash video, people from all over the world came together to complete it. They wanted to do this to express something for someone that they were truly passionate about and pay tribute someone who might have really been a hero to all of them. It came out beautifully, in my opinion. Other music videos we have watched have presented messages about society, others have told stories, and of course there is the 'this is super weird i don't even know what is going on' category of videos. 
However, music and visual art combinations aren't only found in music video format. 
There are sound tracks for movies. I mean just think about how sound (or sometimes, lack thereof) effects the picture that you're watching.
There is also the art form of dance. That's music and visual! And while it is something I cannot for the life of me actually accomplish, I definitely have a lot of respect for people who can dance. People who can make movement and find passion in how the body and music go together have amazing vision, in my opinion. The best thing is that there isn't any structure to that, either. You can dance in a musical, or you can dance beautifully like in ballet, or you can just do a bunch of awesome flips and stuff, like in Step Up. (aayyy shout out to my roomie for watching it with me the other night!)
And finally, to sum up my love of music and the arts, I bring marching band to the table. 
I was a TOTAL band geek in high school. I did everything band, and spent countless hours dedicated to making forms on hot asphalt, and other times attempting to play and instrument that I was pretty sure was frozen to my face. The point here is, that in marching band we take the music and make a live show out of it. I mean its really complex: you have to consider what the audience wants to see, what they're hearing, and if they are understanding what you are trying to get across to them in only a few minutes. You have to think of colors, movement, focal points: all the visual stuff, while at the same time thinking of where the music is going, what mood it is expressing, and how it all fits together. It's a crazy thing, but it is really actually an art form in itself. And I'm not just saying that cuz I love it! (Plus they just do some really cool stuff sometimes) :)

DMA and the Sublime

In a different class of mine right now we're talking about "the sublime" in art - essentially what makes something "higher" art. When something is sublime, it reaches up to something higher, it takes the viewer out of themselves and doesn't exist just to entertain. What I've really enjoyed about this class is experiencing media that isn't just meant to entertain or get viewers to pay for theater tickets, but to challenge or represent or just be for the artist's sake. Some of the ones that have stood out to me are (sorry for the ones without titles):
- The one at the very beginning of the year, the German one that starts off with the people loaded into the truck and suffocated
- Tree of Life
- Ryan

These strike me as more than just films - I see bits of "the sublime" in them.

But there's nothing wrong with art that's just for fun, like just about any Pixar short, Pfffirate, or that other French one about the pirate that had all those pets.
I've really enjoyed participating in all of this art this semester, and I've learned a lot about how to be a better audience to it. As a non-DMA major, that's a good lesson to take away.

Goodbye, Blue Sky

Boy, Pink Floyd really doesn't mess around. This music video really seems to be quite amazing for a number of reasons. the animation is pretty good for it's time all things considered. The message behind this video and the repetition of history in the politics of war is also a major bluntness that I appreciate in this piece. The amount of times that Christianity has been used by evil people to manipulate them into believing that what they are doing is right, and that God is on their side is awful, sad, and dangerous. This video made it blatantly clear how people's faith can be manipulated so much to the point where they will die for their leader's cause. Which means that they have died and killed for nothing. This video is the visual explanation of how good things in the hands of bad people do bad things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJUuDoRZpyU

Total Eclipse of that Angel Feel-Up

What the effing crap, guys. This is...okay, this is pretty awesome. It's funny how funny videos like these make me appreciate the 80s so much more. I mean seriously, Those music videos were weird as hell, even though they revolutionized music in pop culture. now music videos are even weirder sometimes thanks to these weirdos from the past. Thanks for being weird for us to enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsgWUq0fdKk

Wes Anderson

I would be disappointed in myself if I didn't dedicate a blog to my favorite filmmaker, Wes Anderson. 

Known for his affinity for symmetrical shots, warm color schemes, and that specific font and color of the text in the image, Wes Anderson has a definite style that is evident throughout his films, such as Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Life Aquatic, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, the recent Grand Budapest Hotel, and more. These are some of my favorite movies of all time. 

A big part of Anderson's movies is the theme of family. Whether that family is broken to pieces or made of a wide variety of people and friends or it's just being made, family is important and unique and not easy. He makes this a baseline for a lot of his films, and doesn't preach it, but lets you see it through the lives and eyes of his characters, who are all colorful well written. 

Without going on a rant or writing an essay on Wes Anderson as an artist, I won't say much more. I will say that many of his films are rated R (for language, mostly) so they aren't a good on campus choice (unless Leeper wants to show some as a class event next semester??), but Fantastic Mr. Fox is a good on campus watchable example of his work, and it has some really amazing stop-motion animation and puppetry. 

Crowdsourcing

I really love the idea of crowdsourcing. If you aren't familiar with the term, crowdsourcing is essentially using the power of thousands or more individuals to solve problems or create something great. It's using volunteers from the masses to do great stuff. The Johnny Cash Project is a form of this. I was blown away by the drawn-frame video Leeper showed in class last week and I adore the idea of all of his fans being able to contribute to a project that celebrates his work like that. Not only is it an awesome concept, a lot of powerful art was created, and the way each individual frame works together makes it even more beautiful. The video wouldn't be nearly as powerful if a single person drew a bunch of frames all the same, one after the other. It was also brilliant to limit the colors to greyscale and the different kinds of brushes the contributors could use. It allowed for just barely enough unity and made it really powerful.

Another cool example of crowdsourcing is the game Foldit. Foldit is a puzzle video game developed by biologists in which the players help discover how proteins fold and bend in nature. To read more about the game, here's the link. Very few, if any, players of this game are trained or educated in complicated sciences. As a biology ed major and a DMA enthusiast, I think this is the coolest idea. Gamer power! :'D

Art and the Media

First off, let me clarify - I'm not posting here to take a side or make a statement or to hear anyone else's opinions on the politics of this situation. 

In light of the Ferguson situation, and this class, I am wondering about and waiting for some real art to be made. Is it not a major role of art to offer interpretive commentary on things like this? When nothing is clear, nothing is 100%, art can arguably hit it better than anything. Art can express ideas in ways that get into your head better than a flat out statement, and can say things as simple so that you don't think they're stupid.
I hope with all of my heart that some good, questioning, well thought-out, constructive AND deconstructive art comes out of this sickening situation from both sides (or no sides, because it's probably not as two sided as it looks). I'm looking for more than just Facebook posts and high drama Youtube videos, and I've had no luck so far.

Second music video day

the second day of music videos was good and still interesting we watch some really neat music videos and some strange ones again. The first one we watch did a really good job of switching out of frames and keeping the video moving in a smooth setting through the frames. The director of this film did a really great job of showing the meaning of the video and the main purpose behind it. I still am a little confused on some of the videos we have watch in class.  But I have definitely learn a lot about music videos by watching these videos. And that professor did a really good job teaching us the history of music videos.

Music video

First day of talking abou music videos and wow did I have my opinion for them. The first one we watch I really don't think it would have past for a music video for this time period, but it was what started everything. Then watching the one with the pig and the women I thought was the most ridiculous thing I have ever watch in my life. It was pointless like what was the point of having a pig, I just don't understand the concept of why and the purpose of it being in there. It was very interesting how the music videos progressively got better and had a better understand I the background of them.

Stupid American Trash

I'm actually really surprised that the music video for "American Trash" by Innerpartysystem didn't make it into the rotation. It's a really interesting video that basically craps all over the industry, so I thought it might be something Leeper would be interested in. He said that he got used to music videos being pretty bad and cheesy, and "American Trash" is how our society eats that kind of thing up.

Throughout the video, there are what appear to be captions for the hearing impaired. However, these captions quickly go from saying things like, "[[POP MUSIC]]" to saying things like, "THIS VIDEO IS A LIE."

"THIS BAND IS FAKE."

"THE PROPS ARE GARBAGE."

"DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'VE BEEN LET DOWN? Again?"

For the video, instead of getting the actual band to perform, they hired a college professor named Ingrid and gave her three days to memorize the lyrics while juggling her job. Then, in the captions, they state that Ingrid could have been anybody, even you.

In the video, there are photographs that flash past the screen occasionally. Those photographs were purchased for 15 cents in a junk shop. People's memories. It only takes 15 cents to buy people's memories.

The video says that we are not the clothes we wear or the car we drive. We are not "American Trash," but if we continue with our "EXCE$$IVELY EXCE$$IVE EXCE$$," we will be. It's powerful stuff, and I recommend it.

Ikiru

If you were told that you have cancer or you would have a certain time to live from any sickness,  how would you live the rest of your life? In Ikiru an old man, Mr. Watanabe, finds out that he has terminal cancer and he won't be living for ling. His life goes to ruin with the news of his condition and his relationship with his son and daughter in-law but when all fails he decides to live life, meet new people and have his fun when the time comes. Yet I'm still trying to get out of my comfort zone with these foreign films, but this is another one of my favorite. I know I probably would do some crazy things but I know I'll have fun doing it before I'll die. 

Prince Of Egypt

Hey there.

So I wanted to talk about Prince Of Egypt that was shown last week. 

I grew up with that movie. It was my favorite story from the Bible along with being my favorite movie for years. I remember coming home from school and watching it everyday. For about 2 months. I have the lines from that movie memorized, or at least I used. 

The other thing that was shown was a few minutes of The Tree Of Life. 

Wow is all I have to say to that. It was absolutely gorgeous. It made me want to watch it in its entirety. 

Ermagersh Thernksgerving

I thought that when I got home for break, I would be happy to be home, I would hang out with friends, and relax all the time.

Well so far, I have played video games. That's it. I forgot that all of my friends happen to have full time jobs and now every day I'm bored out of my mind. Thank God tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I say that because it's something to do. 

Something else I noticed is that upon getting home, I found myself... not feeling at home, Its as if my own home and my own bed is secondary. My dorm room is my primary home. It's strange although I can't say I'm unhappy about it. After all, part of the reason for going to college (at least for me) was to get away from home for awhile. I think its definitely working.

I watched Indiana Jones too... so that's cool. 

One Direction vs. "Mainstream"

I know in a previous blog post I made a comment about how much I love music videos, and it's so true. Now I realize what I'm about to say will definitely make a few people's eyes roll but I can live with that. I see so many mainstream music videos that are so overly sexualized and at the end I sit back and ask myself "did that really impact the song? Was that necessary?" Most often my answer is no, it's just a trick that draws people in. On the other hand, there are a small few mainstreamers that are actually making a video for a reason. One group that I really respect in the industry is One Direction. YES I SAID IT, FIGHT ME. Not only do I find their music catchy, but I think their music videos are so different from many, many artists on the charts. The "Kiss You" music video makes references to various artists, films, and famous acts over the years that have positively influenced the industry, while their video for "Best Song Ever" is a statement about how they do not want to conform with Hollywood's image of what they should be and mock the whole thing by being their weird selves (definitely worth the watch in my opinion). A bit later they released a video for their song "You and I" which did not go over very well with fans, but still remains one of my favorites because of the artistic risks that they took with it that made it very different (slower paced and simple) from what artists at the time were releasing. More recently, a video for a song called "Steal My Girl" came out that I honestly cannot explain, involving chimpanzees, sumo wrestlers, a marching band, ballerinas, and Danny DeVito. When my mom was watching it she turned to me and said "Hey, well it's creative - it's like something the Monkees would do!"

I don't really care if you don't like "boy bands" or their music, but they're trying to make an impact and bring something new to the table with their videos and music that's challenging what is popular. So many of their videos are seemingly random and quirky, veering away from anything sexy. It's undeniable to say that they got pigeonholed into a certain style that they're trying to break out of with  their work. I would encourage you to check out any of these above videos and see for yourself.

What Can I Say?

I like that the music video genre is becoming an art form.  It’s great when you can not only hear but also see the differences between generations of music. I feel like I’ve stepped into a time machine where I can just look back and see all the creativeness and corniness of my own and past generations. All in all though I just don’t have a passion for music videos; it’s not that I dislike them, I just don’t get into them and it’s making it very difficult for me to find anything to blog on. They’re fun to watch in class but I don’t have any deep insights on them. When I listen to music I kind of come up with my own images in my head and I never watch the music video because I just don’t feel the need. I think that’s where a lot of my artistic inspiration comes from; just being able to see my own images in my head and if I’m passionate enough about what I see I might put it on paper. A lot of the videos I see today are all kind of copy-catting each other- not all, just a lot. That being said, I love it when artists come up with new crazy ways to express themselves in their music videos. Music videos are a great way to push the envelope and for the art of music and the art of pictures reach out and grasp each other. 

Modern Music Videos

This class was a very nice wrap up before Thanksgiving break and after a fun event the day before.  Some of the music videos I thought were creative and different from the music videos from the past.  I could definitely see the transition and how artists have developed art in the music videos.  One of the music videos that I really liked was The Johnny Cash Project.  It allowed all kinds of artists to take one image, make art, and have it be shown in the music video.  It would be really nice if more music videos were like this.

Gravity Falls

I love this show. I know I may be only 12 episodes in, but I already love it. It has lovable characters, beautiful animation, and humor. It was not like that at first though. In fact I am usually skeptical about starting a new show as I am usually nervous about getting invested in something new. So when I first heard of Gravity Falls I took one look at it and immediately passed it off as another brainless kids show with no substance. A few months later I started to notice the large fanbase that the show was gathering so I decided to investigate. I decided to watch the opening theme song and was struck dumb.

I know you shouldn't judge a show on its opening, but man was I impressed. It was clear that a lot of thought, money, and talent was thrown at it and I had been missing out. So eventually I decided to get off my high horse and watch it. It did not disappoint.
The story revolves around Mabel and Dipper Pines, a twin brother and sister who are sent by their parents to spend the summer in Gravity Falls, Oregon with their great uncle Stan. Great uncle (or Grunkle as the Pines Twins refer to him as) runs the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap dedicated to the exhibition of the wild, weird, and unexplained. Sounds cool, right? Wrong. It is all a sham created by their Grunkle to fleece clueless tourists for a quick buck. Yet young Dipper is convinced that there is something weird about Gravity Falls and he aims to find out.
The greatest thing about this show is humor. Each character, while not being the most complex of characters, each have a charm and wit of their own. I especially love the character Mabel. Every time she is on screen I laugh. She is bubbly, silly, a total dork, and completely at peace with that. Her uncontainable personality acts as a great foil to Dipper as he is calm, practical, and insecure. Aside from the twins, you have Grunkle Stan as the typical greedy miser, Soos, the simple-minded handyman, and Wendy, the lethargic teenager who I swear is the girl every little boy had a crush on as a kid.
Well it its getting late and I have rambled long enough. My ending thoughts: this show is special. Check it out, and never let first impressions keep you from experiencing something.

Goodnight.

Traveling for a song.

I loved the music video where all of the musicians from around the world recorded one song. That is a very unique and cool idea. I've always loved the idea of traveling to all those places, and to add music to the matter makes it all the more interesting. 

I also loved Gorillaz performance. You really do feel as though the animated characters are on stage performing. It's such a cool idea, and it was executed perfectly. 

Characters & Humans

This video was really cool! I do not see why they did not really get popular until later unless of course no one appreciated media at the time. I thought it was very creative to incorporate these little animated characters into their band. The characters actually fooled me to where I thought they were actually in the concert, but then the real humans showed up and I got a little confused. It really surprised me to see the two mixed until I realized that the animations were apart of the banners. I really enjoyed the video as a whole and the song had a great beat as well. It was very catchy in the moment. The animated characters were done very well as if they were actually singing the song with the humans. I think that the band done as animations and not just like every other band created more interest for people to come and watch something new and creative. This production was a truly inspiring take to a band. I have never in my life seen a band with animated character until this class. I really enjoyed watching it and I thought it was overall very unique and owned itself.

How does it feel like to....?

Another music video we watched today was pretty interesting how there was a duplication and mirroring effect going on the entire video. Living in the moment and beauty is a part of this as well as deconstruction of the video. The breaking down of this video definitely took a lot of time. This is like an autopsy which means we take everything apart and look at them one by one from the beginning to the end to try and rearrange them. The mirroring and duplication showed the part of deconstruction through how different each of the replications were showing a non-changing and non-aging person. This was very inventive and meaningful from needing to sift through this video. Time ticks by and each moment needs to be lived one by one. She seemed to be worried and almost afraid for time to pass and how it was tickling so much faster than she wanted it to. It is better in life to not worry so much about time and focus on the moment instead. Intimidation and fright only sets off time to go even faster as paranoia takes over. Live in the moment because you never know what life will bring to you.

LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE

Today we watched a music video with a guy running on fire.... first of all why are you stopping, dropping, and rolling? Second.. I really enjoyed the beat of the music, but all I could really understand was the Southern California part. It was more of a snapshot of who we are and where we are. No one was reacting to this guy on fire. It shows how we are all too worried about our own selves and did not care about what others do. This is basically bringing up the question of existence. The burning man lights himself on fire to know that he is still alive. Our culture has a lot of this where even when I was stuck on the highway with a broken windshield wiper in the pouring rain with my flashers on, 10 cars passed and did not even slow down to ask if I needed help. Do I even matter to these people who passed? Did they even think to stop? Well maybe it was in the back of their heads, but obviously they were not going to stop. It is pretty pathetic that in today's society no one even slows down to stop their life to help someone else in their own life.

Musique Videos: Part 1

Okay for this post, I'm going to post five music videos for this, then the next I'll post five more. The reason why is because A, music nerd. And B, I felt that Ballinger didn't give some other videos justice. So let's begin!

The Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight

I really did want this to have been mentioned on Tuesday. And boy I was disappointing.

One of the things that I love about this video is that it matches the music very well. The song (not related to that terrible Hot Chelle Ray song) is one of the most beautiful and, in my honest opinion, best song on the album that it came off of, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The orchestration and hopeful lyrics really does add more of a beauty and victorious feeling when one (or I) listen to it. So the video gave it justice. The video is a homage to the famous silent film, A Trip to the Moon, and how it looks like a movie from the twenties, both with the editing and set design, but also with the spirit of wonder and exploration that the film has. Something that the song also provokes too. There's something charming with the video. I really do encourage you to check this band out. They are really good! Fun fact: the couple is an actual real life couple. They are Tom Kenny and Jill Talley, who are the voice actors for Spongebob (Kenny) and Karen (Talley) on SpongeBob SquarePants.

Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer

Most played video on MTV! Come on! No mention! Feh!

This is one of the most visually pleasing videos I've seen! The stop-motion effects and the creativity that was used with creating the visuals I just eat up! It doesn't help that this song is very energetic and catchy as all get out! It's weird, and gimmicky, and dated as well. But come on! Just embrace the ridiculousness!

Foo Fighters - Everlong

Like with Tonight, Tonight, this song benefits from giving a beautiful song justice. The song evokes the loyalty of love, and the video does so. With a comedic edge of course. Actually the Foo Fighters have a great sense of humor. Just look at the videos for Learning to Fly and Walk. But anyways, this video succeeds with being directed by a very talented guy. Michel Gondry. Who directed one of my favorite movies of all time: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It's really hard to give this video justice other than just watch it!

The White Stripes - Fell in Love With a Girl

I decided this one over the also awesome video for Seven Nation Army because I don't want anyone to get motion sickness. I luff you all! :3

Any who, the visuals are well done...it looks cool...music videos are supposed to be gimmicky! Shush yo face!

MGMT - Time to Pretend

Now this is the part where I mess with yo minds! This video is trippy, and this song and band is awesome! Check them out!

It's funny how the first video I mentioned I had TONS to say, but then evolved in me saying "It looks cool! Like it!" Aw well... See y'all in part 2!

The Theory of Everything

Rarely do I go to the theater to see a movie...I'm way too cheap. I think the last time I saw a movie in theaters was this summer but that's because I didn't have pay. Let me tell you something though, I will do everything in my power to go see "The Theory of Everything" over break even if I have to pay for my parents to take me. I've quietly been obsessing over this movie ever since I heard about it a while back. From the articles I've read and reviews of it, it sounds like it's going to be going straight to the top and will be all over the awards ceremonies. That's not why I'm freaking out about it - not even because of Eddie Redmayne (ok maybe a little bit). I just feel like this is such an interesting story that I would have never thought about. I have a weakness for romance movies and am an enthusiast for movies based on real life. Of course, many are often cut up and put back together based on Hollywood's standards of a "good story," but from what I've heard, the cast and crew has been very careful to stick with the real story and really pay respect to Stephen Hawking, who has been involved in the making of this movie.

Here's the trailer!! 

Metropolis (Wait, Again?)

73 years after Metropolis was created, Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis was released. As I said before in my last blog, Fritz Lang's Metropolis was a great influence to many. Osamu Tezuka was one of them. Tezuka is regarded as the godfather of Japanese animation as he created many of the first Japanese cartoons such as Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. Even the esteemed Hayao Miyazaki was inspired by him.
After drawing inspiration from Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Osamu Tezuka wrote a manga putting his own spin on the story. Years after his death, the film was created. Much like the original, Tezuka's Metropolis takes place in a dystopian city of the future where the working class are suffering as robots are taking their jobs. Things are exacerbated as heavy tax reforms are created to fund the construction of the Ziggurat, the tallest, most technologically advanced building ever created. Inside the Ziggurat dwells Duke Red, a man who plots to take advantage of the public's unrest to overthrow the city's leaders and seize power. A wrench is thrown into his plans as the robot created to serve as the Ziggurat's mainframe is mysteriously lost amidst a fire. The robot, named Tima, is rescued by a young boy named Kenichi. Now, Kenichi and Tima must run for their lives as they are chased by both Duke Red and the Marduks, an Anti-robot extremist group led by Rock, Duke Red's jealous adopted son.
There are many differences between the two incarnations, but there are many key themes that they share, such as the need for compromise between social classes, the rejection of extremes, and the evils of the abuse of power.
This movie has some of the greatest animation Io have ever seen. The blend of traditional and computer animation is flawless and creates a sense of size and power. The animation is fluid and beautiful. If ever you have a chance, watch this movie.

Metropolis

If you were to ask me what one of my favorite movies is you might be surprised to hear that it is in fact a silent film from 1927. Metropolis is regarded as a masterpiece by many, myself included. Some say it is the first major science fiction film. It has beautiful imagery and is full of early twentieth century expressionism.
The movie is set in a dystopian future where the rich live in the giant buildings above while the workers toil in the factories beneath the surface. The mayor's son, Freder, soon discovers that his father is planning to create a robotic replica of a young girl to sew thoughts of rebellion in the hearts of the workers so he can be justified in using force against them, forever crushing the hopes of any future rebellion.
I know this plot may seem like a cliche setup, but the reason why is that is is because this movie more or less invented it. This movie has influenced other famous science-fiction stories including Blade Runner, Doctor Who, The Matrix, and even Star Wars.

This influential film is amazing. Sadly, it was not a financial success and it was chopped up into tiny pieces after its release. Even the most complete version to be found today is still missing two scenes. If you ever have a chance to see it, do not pass it up.

Music Videos pt.1

(Sorry for not having a picture. My internet is acting up again)

I'll be honest here, the only video I didn't really care for was the one for Tais Toi Mon Coeur. It reminded me of Tim Burton. I HATE Tim Burton (exceptions are the Batman movies). I'll elaborate on my disdain for him in a later blog, but I will say I'd rather watch all the Michael Bay Transformers movies before I watch 4 seconds of a Tim Burton film. I actually mean it. Seriously.

Anyway, I found it interesting that the most trippy and surreal music videos were the oldest ones. The dancing pig that has a seizure and Gilligan's singing beard were far more surreal than anything else we watched. I didn't think that hallucinogenic drugs were used in the 1900s.

My favorite music videos were the 80s ones. I think that unintentional comedy is best comedy, so these videos were hilarious. You can tell that music videos made bands care about their image, as bands like Kiss (BOO) and genres like hair metal and glam started coming out around the time music videos became a major force.

Artistic Differences

I took a trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art yesterday and I was reminded of how vastly different people's tastes are. For example, I spent an absurd amount of time in the Fabled Kings exhibit which houses illustrations based on the Panchatantra: a collection of stories that are part of ancient Indian tradition. They are also considered to be one of the major influences for Aesop's fables. As a story teller, I was enthralled. I was less excited about the textiles, which my best friend loved.

It kind of brings me back to the discussion we had about the different artist's interpretations of the Madonna and other commonly painted scenes from the gospels. The museum had a wide selection of religious pieces that told the story of the gospel in the artists unique style. The curators had specifically set up the pieces in order from when Gabriel came to give Mary the news to when Jesus was risen into Heaven.

I'm not exactly sure where this post is going. I just wanted to put that put there. Plus some of the Madonna paintings are accidentally hilarious. When I saw this one it looked like Jesus is giving Mary the stink eye as he's about to lick her face...

Modern Music Videos

So many videos from the modern era. >glances at notes< There were a few that really caught my eye.

First, the Journey of the Underground man blew everything I thought I knew about SFX out of the sky. I mean, strapping the set backgrounds to your back and using cut outs for the framing...

Mind Blown!

The music was okay but the video had me cracking up more than the song.


Franz Ferdinand's song Can't Stop Feeling was another fun music video. With much cheaper effects that were well timed to pull off the collapse effects. Not the best CG out there but still a far sight better than the tight pants/body rolls video.

Cake's music video for "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" was very enjoyable for the crowd reactions. Like Destaat's Journey of the Underground Man, the visuals overpowered the music but it still worked.

Honestly, it was at this point that I started sensing a pattern. A lot of music videos have such impressive and expressive visuals that we will often overlook the song being played as some tone setting background music, kind of there but not there enough for us to pay attention. OK Go did the same thing with I Won't Let You Down, but because it is OK Go, they upped the ante. They shot the whole video with a remote drone and in one take, with hundreds of choreographed umbrellas, that eventually looked like pixels as the drone went skyward, flashing patterns and words like it was an electric billboard.

Music Videos

When it comes to some of my favorite music videos, they are more of the CG and special effects videos that I like, now during class we watched some that were simpler and cool productions that I also liked also. The idea of using nothing but a camera and other things that you can find around just a basic shop. It is pretty amazing that such professional effects can be achieved with little to no computer added graphics. The videos that I have added here are just some of my favorite ones that I have found so far that I just keep watching and watching because of their production values. This Linkin Park video is my number one video that I have found thus far. I hope you enjoy my selection!