Blog 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6dm9rN6oTs

(FART) BZZZZ (repeat, as multiple characters fart – this continues for approx. one minute)

Character 1

“How about some more beans, Mr. Taggert”

Character 2

“I’d say you’ve had enough.”

Listening modes: these are all casual sounds as they are literal farts/fart sounds. It’s non-diegetic, you can see and hear them fart, and so can they, but it’s not like a car crash where you actually see the act happening. The size, distance and perception are all there. As the camera moves across each character, they all fart and this is reflected visually and audio-wise. It’s all there, very well done – professional. The similarity is there – no fart sticks out, because that would be weird. It’s a very basic scene, but it’s pretty legendary. Perhaps a better scene to analyze would be in the beginning of “Blazing Saddles” when the two black characters ride down the handrail cart on the train track. As the cart moves, so does the camera and sound – it is executed in a professional way as to make us feel like we are a part of it. When their cart hits quicksand and begins to sink – the sound reflects that. (I’ll include a link to that scene, as I’ve mentioned it quite a bit. Here it is, sort of - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7QF32mxftE).

blog #3

http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/66.01.Brainwashed


(it said this should be 150 words total, I didn't know if that meant for each category or all of them together..anyway these three together are 260 some words. I took out about 50. I hope this is alright!! Thank you so much..)

LIZARD

Ah, the lizard. An interesting name for it; the fear of failure, the fear of being laughed at. In my experience as a musician, my first fear was of getting on stage and playing – will they laugh? Will I mess up? And those are very real fears, but I think what’s more important is the bigger picture. In the bigger picture many are afraid, not just of acting or performing, or being laughed at, but the bigger fear is in actually pursuing something in the arts. You may be afraid of being laughed at in the high school play, but you get over that. The bigger fear is: how do I tell my parents, friends and so forth that I want to try and make a career of it? Try and make something from nothing, which is essentially what creativity is in a nutshell.

MAKE ART

How refreshing!!! Literally, for the first time in my entire public education I am being told to create. I’ve spent my entire 19 years (1/5 of my life!!!) being told to “solve,” solve what? A question, which already has an answer? Sounds like a waste of time to me…  I love this. Art is absolutely the opposite of trigonometry. It’s you, being yourself. Creativity is abnormal; you’re forced to react, not create things that get reactions.

LEARN

I love it. Great point. It’s how I’ve felt my whole life; “don’t let school get in the way of your education.” I haven’t, I’ve learned so much more, my entire life on my own then I have even gotten close to learning in school. 

Blog Talk

These blogs are a total waste of time. In fact the first three years of college are. It’s as simple as that; and here’s why: I’m majoring in Audio Music Production, sound engineering. A sound engineering’s toolbox is Pro Tools, we won’t even learn about what Pro Tools is until our third year of school, or after 30 or 40 thousand dollars has been spent. Can you imagine a medical student who’s first three years of school are spent without knowing what the inside of the E.R. looks like? These blogs do nothing for me, and neither does watching the God Father’s one scene on repeat, or watching Alien Vs. Zombie video game clips. I’ve been in professional recording studios since I was 15. I’ve worked with different producers, I’ve engineered drums, and I’ve worked on bass and guitar sounds. I’ve EQ’d stuff, learned about mixing and mastering, all on my own. I’ve learned more from recording on my own then I will, perhaps, in my entire four years of college. That’s a terrifying thought for someone going into a field that is already limited – I’ll be straight forward, I couldn’t care less about doing sound for a video game or T.V. show. I’m here for music; music touches the heart and soul of an individual. T.V. and video games entertain for slight amount of time. It’s rare that they touch the soul of an individual. And if I’m going to make myself a career in the music industry, I’m going to need to know more then a blog post can teach.

Let me put it this way; Geoff Emerick, the sound engineer who did The Beatles album “Revolver,” began work on it when he was 19. I’m 19. When he was 20 they did “Sgt. Pepper.” George Harrison, the lead guitarist, was 23 when they finished “Sgt. Pepper.” On the other hand, I’m spending my ‘formative years’ writing my reaction to some online clip I read, before I head to class to hear about video games, and then write 300 words or less about it. Sound enlightening?

I’m not trying to be rude about the class, or anything like that, but I have thirst for working and learning. I feel I’d get a lot more out of a class where we learned, what’s the best way to record an all-vocal group? How do you do brass in a jazz context, or in a rock context? I realize these are audio specific questions, but that’s what I’m here for. I understand the need for a well rounded education, a little of this, a little of that. But that’s not going to get me a job, you know? In a field that’s already small, spending my time writing blogs isn’t exactly teaching me, and I’m not learning from it. It’s too removed; it’s not hands on. Labs, I mean, I’m sorry but doing a little clip on Garage Band isn’t ‘hands on’ either, it’s busy work. As are blogs, and I think that’s 500 words though so I’m done!

 

blog # 2 (dos)

 My understanding of the story is that of finding your own voice, which can take a while. Especially for a wolf, but once it’s found there is no mistaking it. As a musician I relate to this as I am constantly searching for my ‘musical’ voice, as you practice, you slowly develop it. It’s not any different from living, really. As you live, you become yourself; as you become yourself, you live. See what I did there? But it’s the truth; it’s the way of the world (to quote Earth, Wind and Fire). That’s life, and it’s a great way to write yourself a story.

Something in the way she moves,
Attracts me like no other lover.
Something in the way she woos me.
I don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.

Somewhere in her smile she knows,
That I don't need no other lover.
Something in her style that shows me.
I don't want to leave her now,
You know I believe and how.

You're asking me will my love grow,
I don't know, I don't know.
Stick around, and it may show,
But I don't know, I don't know.

Something in the way she knows,
And all I have to do is think of her.
Something in the things she shows me.
I don't want to leave her now.
You know I believe and how.

-The Beatles

Well, this song speaks to me as creative person because it is the upmost one can create, in any field. It’s the absolute tops; it’s a song that’s played at weddings, a song that makes people laugh or cry. It’s unbelievable the power it has considering it’s a 3 or 4 minute bit of sounds. It’s also unbelievably human, which is another thing that knocks me out about it. I mean no disrespect to video games or television or movies, but those are art forms that simply entertain, they don’t enlighten. You play a video game for a few hours to kill time, but you get nothing out of it. Music never stops giving back. It is just the opposite, really, it enlightens and entertains simultaneously; something no other art form can claim in the same way.

The lyrics are perfect, they can make you feel, they DO make you feel – but just reading them straight, sure they’re brilliant, but it’s the performance of George singing them that gives it the human emotion aspect. Another way music “one ups” if you will – poetry and writing can have power, but put the message to music and it’s unstoppable. It just hits you where nothing else can. “You’re asking me will my love grow? I don’t know, I don’t know” – it’s universal. It captures that feeling, a feeling which can be reinterpreted and all that by anyone who listens. The way the strings build over it, the instrumentation, everything. It just works.

I especially love how it musically “falls down” if you will, the “dum, dum, dum, dum, dum bum” part right before the guitar solo. Incredible, especially once you know that George Harrison (writer of this song, and lead guitarist) played his lead live as the orchestra recorded their overdubs. Harrison played the solo in one take.

I guess what I love about the lyrics is how universal, and applicable they are. He’s describing the feeling of being love, but he does it so effortlessly, and I think that’s the strange thing about a lot of really good songs and especially love song, is that you hear it and go “wow that’s perfect” and you can’t put your finger on why it’s perfect, it just is. That to me is perfection in song. It captures a feeling and mood, and puts you in it. And you don’t know why, or how, you just know it does. “And all I have to do is think of her” and you’re immediately thinking of a loved one. The Beatles were masters, and way ahead of their time. They reinvented the recording of pop music, the writing of pop music, the image of pop music, the business of pop music and lastly music theory all together. And songs like this show us how, why, and what it was The Beatles had that was so special. I’ve read this song is their second most covered, behind “Yesterday.” I believe it, and believe me: it will live forever.

blog #1 (super heroz)

MY character is David the bad guy..here are some traits of his shown via pictures:

That trashcan may seem quite silly, but it is actually his living space - you see he is a very negative, angry, evil, and mostly dirty man. His living space is not well kept, and unlike Sesame Street he does not speak to children. I would imagine a living space says a lot about a person – particularly their self-image and esteem. From that we can draw many conclusions of a man who lives in the dirtiest place on earth – a trashcan. It’s also worth noting his can is located in a dark alley – a particularly ugly place to be and live.

 

On first glance I’m sure you thought that a rock group, maybe the Red Hot Chili Peppers, well it’s not. To David the bad guy, this is family. And you’ll see them over on Thanksgiving. You see, David is a mafia/gang/terrorist member, and it’s something he takes pride in. Who else would protect him against the law? Exactly. Life ain’t easy without a job – money doesn’t come free, unless you beg, break and steal – which is exactly what this gang family does. On a daily basis. “Look out kid, it’s something you did. God knows when, but you’re doing it again” to semi-quote the great Bob Dylan.

 

Something worth knowing about David is he’s not your average superhero. He doesn’t have super powers per say, he’s more of a DIY (do it yourself) type of guy. And he does it himself, every step of the way. That’s why he has those – weapons. You can rob a bank by asking for money, you demand it. And that’s what David does (with his gang), he demands it. It’s not an easy job, but someone has to do it. Otherwise our local police officers would be out of work – and unemployment is not ‘in’ right now. Keep on keeping on, evil doer!

David's worst enemy - Bobbio the greatest. Here are Bobbio's traits in pictures:

 

Bobbio’s mansion. He’s living large – but someone has to fill those higher tax brackets. Bobbio has a team of people, some call them the FBI, CIA, it’s really unknown who they are, but they’re in his corner fighting. And this is their headquarters – which for monetary purposes doubles as a living quarters for Bobbio and his loving (and lovely) wife Susanne. Bobbio’s home comes complete with a swimming pool and 24 hour security. Talk about living large. Oh and the gardens? Every time a member of David’s gang is killed, a flower is planted. By the looks of it, a lot of men have died, and a lot of plants have been born.

 

Capes are expensive, but not as expensive as flying first class – and so this is how Bobbio choses to travel and get around. And that he does, every day of his life, following David’s evil, evil gang of mysterious trashcan people. Bobbio (the greatest) still doesn’t enjoy the look of his cape though, and so he hired a nice female model to wear it for this picture. A picture of himself could compromise his safety, and no one, not even David wants that. Well, David might want that. A Little bit, I suppose you could say. They are rivals after all.

 

Bobbio’s greatest weapon is music. You see, when members of David’s gang are played music they forget their evil ways, forget the ugly trashcan life style, and want to move back in with the rest of society. Why shot a gun when you can shot a smile after listening to a beautiful melody? And so Bobbio brings his guitar with him when fighting evil. This picture is just one of his many, many, many guitars. Acoustic and electric; either way it’s music, and either way it’ll make the bad people good – far faster then prayer or other methods previously used.

My Favorite Superhero

You don't need to leave planet earth to find a superhero, so I didn't. I went with Ringo Starr. The man is a god amongst animals.

Is the drumming on Sgt. Pepper anything but super? Exactly, plus he invented most 'rap' or 'hip-hop' beats a few decades before it became normal to 'sample' (i.e. use other people's creations and call it your own).

Here is our hero creating such a beat.

      

Or how about his drum fill here, it is quite 'sampled' and he used it again on the same album in 'Savoy Truffle.'

Here is a picture of him saving the world with his friends, they collectively referred to themselves as "Beatles," usually with a 'The' proceeding it. Little else is known of this quartet.

 For fun here is a picture of them, in action.

how does it feel to join the beautiful people club?

it feels lovely.