Another Lesson Learned

In my last blog I talked about some major lessons I learned filming my senior thesis music video. Now I want to elaborate on some more important lessons about music video and film in general. We always hear the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words," that is especially true in framing. Sometimes we loose focus on how powerful we can make every shot just by aligning everything in the foreground and the background RIGHT. Take my music video for example, sometimes we had to rush the shot that the framing was not exactly what it should have been. Especially in the beginning of the video. In the script its supposed to be such a shitty day so that it would contrast his time in Miami. Most of the time, the framing looks really nice. Things are put together in the scene, but it wasnt supposed to be that way. Its amazing how a story can be told from just one shot. Check out this dope video talking about pictures that immediately tell a detailed story.

Dual Granular Synthesizer... CRAZY sound

As I'm sure you all know by this point, I am a sound guy. Designing sounds, arranging them, making an instrument with them, all of it. Sound is, to me, a technically limitless medium; if you can capture it you can play with it. Thats where the Collidoscope comes in. This machine is easily one of the coolest tools for manipulating audio that I have ever laid eyes on.

The Collidoscope is a prototype synthesiser designed by researchers Ben Bengler & Fiore Martin.
Based on a granular synthesiszer engine the instrument can be played by two performers at the same time (as they stand opposite one another on the sides of the unit) using the 2 built-in sets of keyboard, gooseneck microphone, color display and controllers.

The Collidoscope samples from the microphones (or line inputs) and displays in real time a waveform of the sample and allows it to be played back instantly. The main sliding knob positioned below the waveform allows for the visual selection of a portion of the sample to be played by moving it horizontally, and for the modification of the size of the portion being looped by rotating the knob. There are also two backlit octave selection buttons and a sturdy metal button next to the microphone base to start sampling.

This is easily one of the largest steps toward closing the gap between the performer and the sampling process, something almost every audio engineer encounters.

What happened at the Grammy's?

The 58th annual Grammy awards aired Monday night and as I sat and watched the event all I could think about was 'what is going on with the audio team?' While Adele managed to perform beautifully despite what was happening, the clip illustrates the audio issues that plagued the Grammy's all night long. Microphones were cutting out, equipment was being dropped, but still the show went on. While it is a testament to the artists for still being able to perform despite the problems, it is vital to have back up plans upon back up plans in any production--but especially live productions. While Adele took a little bit of an emotional hit, I can only imagine what the audio engineers are experiencing right now.

Music in Short Films

Growing up I had numerous influences of music in my life. From playing the saxophone from 4th-12th grade, to listening to my classically trained sister sing in concert. Music has always been prevalent and I have found that melodies are what drives my mind. For the life me I couldn't remember lyrics without studying a printed piece of sheet music. But the way music progressed was something I could always follow and even predict.

I've always wanted a good musical accompaniment with any video work I've done. For the video below I had found a song I enjoyed the melody to and from there all I needed was something to put on screen. With a little help from a friend, I was able to make one of my favorite pieces of work.

Air from Skyler Bocciolatt on Vimeo.

Using both the hits of the choreography and the music I had a blast editing and the possibilties of which direction  I took the short were endless. While this was just a small project I shot on a whim. I applied the same idea of music being a character in the film with my Junior level film "Before Your Eyes." 

"Before Your Eyes" follows a young man who is given the opportunity to look back on his life. Drawing upon the strong bond that can exist between father and son, this story looks at the actions we make when pushed to our greatest limits. Throughout the film there are only two scenes with written dialogue. Music was able to fill this space and help evoke any emotion from the film that typically would be exposed through dialogue. 

Last night I also began to watch "Walt Disney's Animations Studios Short Films Collection." Each short animation was introduced with interviews of the creators of the short. They talked about how music inspired them and that for a specific short "Lorenzo" they searched hundreds of tango scenes just to find a song to use, and in the end it was the first one they had listened to. The trailer can be scene below and all of the shorts are available on Netflix.

It was so interesting to me that the creators were able to make a story out of music they found. Even if there aren't lyrics the melody and progression of any song is a story. For me, I want to continue to find these stories and provide a moving image for as many as I can. The ways music and film complement each other is like no other thing in this world. These mediums are what people turn to to escape there problems and worries; they are necessary for society to function and I want to create them for the rest of my life.

Prince of Egypt

In the spirit of Passover, I watched the award-winning animated film The Prince of Egypt, a Dreamworks production released in 1998. The premise of the film is in Ancient Egyptian time when Hebrews were enslaved under Pharoah's rule. The story follows the biblical figure Moses, a Hebrew who is adopted as an Egyptian prince when the Pharaoh Seti orders all the Hebrew male babies to be executed. According the the book of Exodus, baby Moses's mother places him in a basket and sends him down the Nile River in the hopes that a non-Hebrew family will find and take care of him. In the film, Pharoah's wife adopts Moses, who then becomes a brother to older Rameses, who is next in line to be Pharaoh. Fast-forward to when they are adults, Moses learns that he is a Hebrew and defends one of the slaves while they are whipped, and accidentally kills a guard.
He flees Egypt to Midian, where God "speaks" to him via a burning bush, telling him to return to Egypt to free the Hebrew slaves. He does so and Rameses refuses, so he unleashes ten plagues on all of Egypt. Rameses refuses every time until after the last plague, death of the first born. He angrily tells Moses they can all go, and that is when Moses and all the Hebrews cross the Red Sea. Rameses changes his mind and chases after them with the guards but the Red Sea crashes down on them. The film ends with them making it to the Holy Land, getting the commandments, and celebrating! Overall, the movie is pretty accurate to the biblical story of Exodus, and does not stray too far to make the story interesting.

Moses marrying Tzipporah, his wife.

Animation is only half of what goes into this film- the film so high quality because the actors' voices fit the characters so well. It features a star-studded cast of talented actors such as Val Kilmer (Moses/God), Ralph Fiennes (Rameses, who becomes Pharaoh) Michelle Pfeiffer (Tzipporah, a Midian woman whom Moses marries) and Sandra Bullock (Miriam, Moses' sister). Other prominent actors include Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Steve Martin, and Martin Short.

Prince of Egypt is wonderful for a variety of reasons. There are a number of really lovely songs, including "When You Believe", which earned the movie an Oscar for best original song.

I also really enjoy this film because it is overall very artistic; each frame is very detailed and colorful!

Moses' mother places him in a basket to be sent down the nile while Aaron and Miriam look on in the background. Very nice depth of field, and nice use of colors.

Pharaoh reprimands Moses and Rameses. The large statue head is a reflection of Pharaoh's extreme power over Egypt.

Interesting frame composition; Moses leading the Hebrews through the two statues symbolizes his pride for being a Hebrew coming between his relationship with his brother Rameses.

The scene where Moses sends the plagues onto Egypt is especially good; the lighting is very dramatic, and there is a lot of screen area movement that shows the entire landscape. The song is also very ominous and scary, so the element of sound really enhances the fear depicted in the scene. This scene is where Pharaoh's stubbornness is shown most because his people are suffering so but he won't let the Hebrew slaves go. It is a turning point in the film, and very effective. Watch the clip below to see what I mean!

Prince of Egypt is streaming on Netflix, check it out!

School of Rock

The other week I was going through some DVD's from when I was a kid and I stumbled upon School of Rock. One of my childhood movies, I decided to watch it again in order to see if my perceptions held over all these years.

Directed by Richard Linklater, this comedy based around Rock & Roll music was released in late 2003. In this film Jack Black, playing Dewey Finn, secretly takes over the job of his roommate (Mike White) as a substitute teacher after he is kicked out of his Rock band. Upon hearing of an upcoming Battle of the Bands competition, Dewey decides to teach his class how to play in order to compete in the competition. One of the students in Dewey's class happened to be young star Miranda Cosgrove, this film being her debut.

After watching this film for the first time in years I have to say it more than held up to my expectations this time around. This movie is still, to me, one of the greatest comedic films ever made. Jack Black plays such a powerful yet hilarious role and his delivery is always spectacular. The films plot, although similar to Dead Poets Society, is told in an extremely original manner. Both of the films tell the story of an individual who comes into a group and changes the group for the better. Most all aspects of this movie are strong, especially the casting and soundtrack. School of Rock has to be one of the funniest and most easily quotable movies I have ever seen. This film will always have a place in my heart for what I believe is good reason. Everyone should, at some point, check this film out. I would give it a 9/10 and always give it my recommendation.

13 Going on 30

13 Going on 30 (known as Suddenly 30 in Australia and some countries) is a 2004 American romantic comedy fantasy film (hybrid film)  written by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, and directed by Gary Winick. Starring Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis and Kathy Baker, the film was produced by Revolution Studios for Columbia Pictures and it was released on April 23, 2004. It follows a 13-year-old girl who dreams of being popular. During her birthday party, she engages in the party game Seven Minutes in Heaven. The game turns out to be a humiliating experience for her, and she refuses to come out of the closet. She even blames it on her best friend Matt (Matty) and doesn't talk to him anymore afterwards.  When she eventually does emerge, she finds herself five days shy of her 30th birthday, uncertain to how she got there.

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with most praising Garner's performance and its nostalgic environment. It was also praised for its humorous plot and self-empowerment message. The movie was also a commercial success, earning $22 million in its first week, and grossing over $96 million, becoming one of the year's biggest DVD rentals and sellers. The movie's soundtrack features songs spanning the 80's to the 2000s, with a range of hits from famous recording artists such as Billy Joel, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Pat Benatar and Whitney Houston. Additionally, the soundtrack charted inside the top-fifty on the Billboard 200 chart. Jennifer Garner's acting earned her nominations from both MTV Movie Awards and Teen Choice Awards, and the movie was also re-released in DVD in 2006 with a special packaging titled "Fun and Flirty Edition", and on Blu-Ray in 2009.

A girl who's sick of the social strictures of junior high is transformed into a grownup overnight because of a wish she made to be thirty, flirty, and thriving. In this feel-good fairy tale, teenager Jenna (Christa B. Allen) wants a boyfriend, and when she's unable to find one, she fantasizes about being a well-adjusted adult. She has always wanted to be popular, accepted, to be and look like the other girls, and all in all just grow up already! Suddenly, her secret desire becomes a reality, and she is transformed into a 30-year-old (Jennifer Garner). But adulthood, with its own set of male-female challenges, isn't as easy as it looks.  She works as a magazine head at the company, Poise, who has been getting sabotaged by the magazine, Sparkle, for a long time.  She finds that she is in love with Matty, makes a new face for the magazine, and has a wonderful time.  It all crashes when Lucy stabs her in the back and sells her prints to the rival magazine, Sparkle. In the end, she is transformed back to her 13 year old self, and happily marries Matty when they get older.

This is such a feel good, fun movie to watch!  It could be considered a chick-flick, but I think that it's a nice movie to watch if you want a laugh.  It teaches you to enjoy life and don't try to rush it!

Empire has Taken over the Television

So over the break besides the long periods of sleeping and not thinking of homework or anything of that manner.  My roomie convinced me to watch this show:

May I just say a round of applause to the writers, producers, directors and every other aspect of this show.  This show has reached a potential that I have never seen in any other show. It has the music, the plot twists and most important the talent to pull off such an amazing production. So worth while!

Empire was picked up on FOX in May. It is a musical drama television series, that centers around hip-hop music and an entertainment company---EMPIRE ENTERTAINMENT. The show was created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong and stars Terrance Howard and Taraji P. Henson.

Rapping up this seasons finale this Wednesday. With an astounding amount of flips and turns, punches and blows. Leading someone to do some time...... 

According to Vulture.com---

**With the season finale it probably topped those number all together**

This is an amazing mind blowing show that continues to accomplish it's goal in pleasing their audience every week. I look forward to season 2 of EMPIRE ! 

Like Lucious Lyon said "This isn't over!

The Last Five Years; let your heart sing.

I have always loved staged musicals. There's something so powerful in telling a story through song; the character's emotions and conflicts are emphasized even more through dynamics and note variation. The mere tune of a song tells a story on its own. So when I began to watch the movie adaptation of The Last Five Years I knew the story would be that much more incredible.

I never saw the musical when it was on Broadway, but I am very familiar with the soundtrack and plot. So I was very excited to watch the film after much anticipation!!

The Last Five Years, originally written and composed by Jason Robert Brown, first premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and then in March 2002 was then produced Off-Broadway. Ever since then, there have been many productions all over the world. Richard LaGravenese wrote the screenplay and directed the movie adaptation, which was released on February 13th.

The story follows Cathy Hiatt, a struggling actress (played by Anna Kendrick) and Jamie Wellerstein, a hit novelist (played by Jeremy Jordan) in the rise and fall of their five-year relationship. The concept of the whole musical/film is very interesting because the story is not told chronologically; Jamie's story starts at the beginning of their relationship and progresses to him leaving her, while Cathy's story begins right after their divorce and goes backward to their first date. It is not until the middle of the movie when they become married that their stories (and emotions toward one another) start to converge.

What I love most about The Last Five Years is how real the interactions are. Since the story is purely about their relationship, the writing really delves into their character development and makes for a really beautiful story.

I highly recommend that you watch this movie! It is playing in select theaters and is available for rent & purchase on iTunes.

Here is the trailer for those of you interested!

The Pentatonix and Todrick Halls' "Wizard of Ahhhs"

The Pentatonix are an amazing a cappella group that became famous by winning the third season of The Sing-Off. They combined in 2013 with Todrick Hall, a semi-finalist on American Idol and a YouTube star to create a music video based off the classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. In a sensational way they managed to use modern songs to tell a six minute version of this movie. They of course included the films most renowned song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, at the end of the video. The lighting was a mixture of flat and natural elements that brought out different feelings throughout the length of the video. For example, it was very bright during the Munchkin City sequence since it was supposed to be happier, and used a lot of darker and green lighting when they met the Wizard of Oz since it was supposed to appear more sinister. One thing that definitely stood out was the coloring. In the beginning, the colors were very desaturated and a sepia tone to go along with the theme of being on a farm during that specific time period. It very closely followed the coloring of the original movie. When it transforms from the drab farm to the land of Oz, the colors become very bright and saturated and make it seem more mystical and dreamlike. The editing of this video consisted of a lot of dissolves into the dreamlike state and cuts when the actions were supposed to be portrayed as more chaotic. They used a lot of closeups of the different characters which really enhanced their presence. Obviously, the main part of this video is sound, and a lot of it is diegetic. It is seen on screen because everything that you hear is coming out of the mouths of the singers and beat boxer. The sound that is created is the motivator for all of the actions on screen and the music describes what they are doing in a creative and different way.

What ARE We All About?

We currently live in a period of time where feminism is a strong theme in everyday life, body shaming is no where near okay, and self love is very important among everyone. I'm not sure how these trends started, but I'm so glad they did. But, as happy as I am that I can't go to any social media site without seeing something about one of these themes, I'm also a bit off put by some of the media surrounding these subjects. One of the bigger portions of media that has stirred up controversy among these subjects is pop singer Meghan Trainor's song, "All About That Bass."

The song has become an anthem for many women who are said to be more "curvy" than others, which I honestly find great. Being bigger shouldn't be a shameful thing, and I'm really glad that that's out there. However, as much as the song has it's high points, it's also got a lot of lows. As much as I love to hear that every inch of me is perfect from the bottom to the top, I'm not so sure that I like to hear that the reason I should be okay with having a little more "booty" is because that's the way guys like it. This idea comes from the line "my mama, she told me, don't worry about your size. She said that boys like a little more booty to hold at night." I don't think that in a world where feminism is rising that girls should love their bodies because boys do. 

I'm not the only one who thinks so, either, This Instagram video by the user "mobrienorwhatever," was posted on the subject, The new lyrics say "fuck what boys think, it's your body so do as you like." And, however crude or funny you might find this short video to be, it's very true. No girl should ever feel empowered by her body just because a guy likes her that way. It's 2015, and we've got to start loving ourselves because IT'S WHO WE ARE, IT'S HOW WE WERE BORN, AND IT ISN'T GOING TO CHANGE, and that should be okay.  

This isn't the only problem encountering the song and it's video. While the song promotes women who have curves, it very much shames people who do not. It refers to girls without curves as "skinny bitches" and "stick figure silicone barbie dolls." The smaller girls in the video seemed more ditzy, more rude and just overall not nice people. This is the WRONG message to be sending out. Smaller girls should love their bodies too, they don't need to spend their time figuring out how to gain weight so they can "shake it like they're supposed to do," just as much as curvy girls shouldn't be worrying about losing weight to be like smaller girls.  There's no reason to be shaming girls who are smaller, don't hate them for their metabolisms, they can't help it. This is also something that I think many people can agree on, and YouTube user Natty Valencia expanded on it and made her own rendition of the song, that includes all woman, skinny, curvy, black white, and encourages them to forget about guys who don't accept them the way they are. 

I think this is a really great way to approach the matter, because the tune is catchy, and it's something people catch onto. I hope all women get to see this version of the song, because it's really important that we stop body shaming, and we start loving ourselves for who we are. 

Thinking Out Loud

Ed Sheeran's music video for his song "Thinking Out Loud," probably killed millions of fangirls back in October when he released it. It was one of his only music videos that he was actually in the entire time - something that many dedicated fans weren't used to, and better yet he was ballroom dancing. In my opinion, as a loyal fan, this was such a good move and better than any romance music video that would try to have something meaningful behind it and become cliche.

 The dancing wasn't some intricate interpretive dance that would take a while to interpret. It was just a "couple" dancing to a romantic ballad, and it was honestly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I've never seen Ed dance like this or act like this.


The song since has quickly become one of the greatest romance songs of the year, becoming the next wedding song, Ed even performed it at a few weddings himself. His music seems to inspire, and his videos follow straight through with that. His videos have always been interesting and entertaining; they have included things such as carrying a strong message, talking cats, Rupert Grint pretending to be Ed, dancing puppets, dancing incorporated ASL, and many other things.

 

 


I have never once felt disappointed by his music videos, and he has always surprised me with the angle they've taken. I guess, what I mostly have to say about this is that Ed Sheeran, to me, is one of the greatest entertainers alive right now. He's willing to do what it takes to please fans, and he's got some serious guitar and vocal skills up his sleeve.  Now that he can ballroom dance, isn't he the whole packaged deal?  I think he has amassed many more fans since the release of the music video.

I will never get over this beautiful ballad and dance. Well done to Ed Sheeran and his team.

 He's even announced a North American headlining tour in the past week. He's heading to places he's never been on his own, (since he accompanied Taylor Swift on her Red tour).

More info on that here.
Watch his YouTube videos on his YouTube channel here.

Elastic Heart Raising Controversy

Recently, Sia came out with a music video for her song "Elastic Heart." The music video features actor Shia LaBeouf and young dancer Maddie Ziegler interpretive dancing within the confines of a cage. As soon as the video went viral, the controversy over whether or not it was pedophilia stirred up conversation around the world.

 In the video, both Shia and Maddie are in little clothing, and dancing together. There are moments in the video where they are laying beside one another, she is on his back, or he is reaching out to touch her. Due to this, many people quickly wrote off the idea of the video being anything more than some old guy wanting to be with a young girl.
To me, the dance itself wasn't as suggestive as people had made it out to be. The touching between the two is very minimal, and for most of the video it seems that the two of them are in some sort of battle. Honestly, I thought it was a bit strange the first time I watched it, but it deserved to be watched again.
Upon watching it a second time, I listened to the music behind it more carefully and tried to tie the two together.
The lyrics contained phrases such as "You did not break me, I'm still fighting for peace," "I've got thick skin and an elastic heart," and "I want it, I want my life so bad. I'm doing everything I can." Hearing this, I knew for sure that this wasn't a two person relationship struggle, but a struggle that was occurring within oneself.

I think the concept was a lot harder to grasp for most people because it wasn't two people of the same gender playing the part. But, Sia tweeted recently after the controversy began that Shia and Maddie were the only two that fit the role to her, so this was how it was supposed to be. The video could have been completely different if just one of the two were switched out for someone else.

The two Sia's. 

The character that Maddie portrays in this music video would be better known as a younger, care free Sia, while Shia would be what Sia has become, how she is now. I would think that the cage works as her mind, where the two of them are confined. As Maddie dances around and acts carefree and naive, Shia watches her in fascination, as if wondering how this could have been his former self and what has happened. Maddie dances away from him, and you can tell she isn't happy with what she's become. I imagine it'd be terrifying looking into a mirror and seeing that you've become an old, worn down member of society. 

Through Shia's facial expressions and the way he looks at her, you can tell that he is having a hard time letting go of who he used to be.

Does he really want to?

Does he have to?

And Maddie doesn't really want him to be this person either. She hits him and his facial expressions become more childish, almost proving to him that she's still somewhere in there. That maybe they shouldn't let go just yet.

Ultimately, it's just a matter of time before it's too late and she has to go. But neither one of them want her to go without him. She can easily slip through the bars of the cage, but he is too big to fit. They fight to try to get him out until the very end of the video, where he seems to become much more hopeless about what is to be, while she seems to want to fight indefinitely.

I would ask people to look further into the video before writing it off. The concept of fighting and letting go of your inner self is pretty big. My advice is to sit back and enjoy the wonderful performance put on by Shia LaBeouf and Maddie Ziegler with the musical styling of the talented Sia and just relax, not everything in the world has to be something so terrible. If you haven't seen the amazing music video you can watch it here.

Mozart in the Jungle

Mozart in the Jungle is an Amazon original series that follows the lives of the members of New York Cities most prestigious symphony. This show, based off of the novel Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music, is created by Paul Weitz, Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman. The plot follows a young new maestro by the name of Rodrigo (Gael Garcia Bernal) as he attempts to bring a new sense of wonder into the slowly dying orchestra. Along the way newcomer Hailey (Lola Kirke) is doing her best to make a name for herself in the cut-throat industry.

The first thing that I have to say about this show is that it is unlike any series that I have ever seen before. The style that the show is shot in is eye-catching; however it is not so well shot that the cinematography is a sole factor for the show to rely upon. Where this series truly flourishes is the character developments alongside the dialogue these characters have. The show truly sticks to its tagline "what happens behind the curtains at the symphony can be just as captivating as what occurs on stage." We follow all of the characters as they spend their time performing with the symphony as well as their individual lives outside. For example we follow the 1st chair Oboist. She is introduced as an uptight, older woman who would do anything to win but the moment we leave the orchestra house her personality is the polar opposite. We realize she is a heavy drug user who enjoys spending her days getting high while listening to music.

Overall I believe that this show is interesting and has a lot of positive traits in it. The actors are all very strong, perfectly portraying and adding depth to their characters. It is shot very well and the story kept me watching for the entire first season. I would definitely recommend everyone give this show a try due to the creative and interesting story.

Frank

I had meant to see Frank in theaters. I settled for watching it the day it came out on Netflix. Frank is a film about an odd underground rocker, Frank, who constantly wears a large head shaped mask.

The movie is directed by Lenny Abrahamson and stars Domnhall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Michael Fassbender in the titular role.  While Frank is the masked face of the band, the story follows that of Gleeson's character Jon Burroughs. Jon is a young artist, working a full time job at an office and struggling creatively. The plot gets under way when Jon goes to a beach and sees a man trying to drown himself. He learns that this was the keyboardist of a band called The Soronprfbs. Jon offers himself up and plays a strange, talented, but ultimately short-lived set with the band.

Frank, who is undoubtedly the band's leader, decides he likes Jon and brings him to Ireland to record their next album. The movie meanders in plot for a bit but sets up large scale themes that continue to pay off throughout the film. Frank is obviously eccentric and a bit insane, but where does this insanity end and the genius begin? Can creating art be fundamentally new and still aesthetically pleasing? The viewer, who sees Frank and the Soronprfbs through Jon's outsider eyes, wonders who Frank is under that mask and why is he always wearing it.

The plot picks up again about halfway through the film as the band gets offered a gig at SXSW due to Jon's guerilla social media campaign. A break down is imminent as Frank tries to get more and more "likeable" and Jon starts alienating band members. 

The movie reflects its titular character; it's strange, it's loosely structured, but all together likable and fun. The character is a pseudo homage to Frank Sidebottom, who has a mighty similar head but more of a popular tv look instead of alternative music sound.

Frank is a fun movie with a mysterious center much like the Michael Fassbender's character. The movie denies to be defined. It is complicated and simple. Fun, yet strikingly serious and sad. We end up routing against Jon who was the one who introduced us to this world. As an artist Frank is important movie showing how difficult it is for creative minds to balance themselves, their friends, and the work they so love. I loved this movie. 

Whiplash: Into the Mind of the Musician

One of the most stressful and competitive environments in the world is that of music performance.  Though many films portray a glorified version of what it is like to be a performer, Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle managed to honestly capture the world and mindset of student musicians.  Granted I have never attended a music conservatory, the music program in my high school was very competitive and we would often compete against other schools.  These competitions were similar to the ones shown in Whiplash.

The moment we step into the jazz rehearsal room with the protagonist, the editing becomes quick and choppy.  There are many quick cuts to players wetting their reeds, emptying spit valves, tuning drums, and doing short riffs to warm up.  In a rehearsal setting, there is a feeling of urgency that this editing helps to convey.  The players prepare themselves quickly and efficiently, so that they can be ready to play at their highest level when the conductor steps in front of the group.  A hectic series of quick cuts also helps to display Andrew’s state of mind.  Entering a top notch jazz band as the youngest player is a very stressful and chaotic situation.  From these cuts the audience can sympathize with the stress and pressure that Andrew is feeling.

Another moment in this movie that emphasized the mind of the musician occurred as the band practiced.  When the band is getting ready to begin playing, the conductor, Fletcher is in focus.  As soon as he moves his hand up, signaling the musicians to bring their instruments up, there is a rack focus to Fletcher’s hand.  This particular moment mimics exactly how musicians think.  When the conductor’s hand goes up to start a piece, every musician is focused intently on that hand, waiting to see when it will give the pickup or down beat.  By utilizing this rack focus, Chazelle allows the audience to take the place of the musicians and anticipate the beginning of a song.   The director literally shows us where the musicians’ attention is by using this rack focus.

Chazelle does a wonderful job of portraying not only the competitiveness of the music field, but also the mind of the musician.