Page 4 of 16 FirstFirst ... 2345614 ... LastLast
Results 76 to 100 of 381

Thread: Video Essays + Every Frame a Painting

  1. #76
    There's clearly no "always applies" answer to that question, but on the whole I believe film scores should be noticed. They are not like sound effects or CGI where they are meant to blend seamlessly with what is on the screen so as to avoid revealing the mechanics of filmmaking. Noticeable film score does not distract from what is on the screen in this same manner and generally does not do so through an entire film (I dare someone to tell me where this piece shows up in A New Hope without looking at the track title). To provide the same rationale for avoiding it as you do other technical aspects of filmmaking is to ignore music as the emotional medium that it is. We have no inherent emotional relationship to sound effects or CGI, but music is entirely different. It is nearly always meant to make you feel something, and when it does that effectively it is triumphant. When it doesn't, it may as well not exist at all (which is what I think Tony's video was getting at).

    However, I think it's an unfair standard to hold a composer or director's feet to the fire for not creating and perpetuating a "hummable theme". Noticeable does not necessarily = memorable in the sense that we think of people cheering to the opening title card of Lord of the Rings because we immediately recognize the string melody. I'll never hum Trent Reznor's "In Motion" from The Social Network or Johnny Greenwood's "Proven Lands" from There Will Be Blood, but these are some of the best film scoring in cinema and you damn well notice them when they are augmenting their respective scenes. What becomes memorable may not be the piece of music itself but the entire scene, which is usually because of an expertly placed piece of film scoring.

    In fact, I think the downside to great film scores, and perhaps a subconscious deterrent for filmmakers, is that they can reveal the inherent weaknesses of a film. This is an exciting and powerful piece of music, and it feels slightly wasted on a shit Bay movie. In fact, first few times I heard it used in trailers (which it often is) I couldn't remember what film it was from. There have been, what...a dozen Marvel movies at this point? None meant to stand out above the others. You may be able to elevate a mediocre film to a higher level with some brilliant music (e.g., Conan the Barbarian) but if none of your films are meant to standout in the formulaic universe to which they were created, why would a composer even try?

  2. #77
    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Neo-Ohio
    Posts
    16,583
    Yep, I agree with both of you.

  3. #78
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    37,786
    Quote Quoting Skitch (view post)
    I suppose the question should be asked, do you feel the score should be noticeable or background/unnoticeable? I would understand both arguments. How strong should this element be in cinema?
    Look what it can do to a movie like Drive or Turbo Kid. It changes the tone entirely.

    Likewise a movie like Fight Club, it can enhance the tone.

    In a franchise like the MCU, where there are dozens of directors involved, and Marvel doesn't necessarily want one to stand out more over the other, I can understand why you would only want it in the background.

    Edit: Yeh, amberlita basically said that.
    Twitch / Youtube / Film Diary

    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  4. #79
    collecting tapes Skitch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Neo-Ohio
    Posts
    16,583
    I don't know that Marvel is purposefully hampering it to keep all the films on the same level. I mean, why not just make them all good then they would all be better? (using the vids altered scenes as examples). I think they are just trying to save money.

  5. #80
    Quote Quoting Skitch (view post)
    I suppose the question should be asked, do you feel the score should be noticeable or background/unnoticeable? I would understand both arguments. How strong should this element be in cinema?
    I want a score to either be catchy/memorable in service of generating mood/atmosphere (e.g., LOTR, The Last of the Mohicans, In the Mood for Love, Mulholland Dr.) or to be absent altogether. There is nothing worse than a generic score that is designed merely to double underline character emotions or story beats (hear those strings? Our main character is sad now....)
    Last edited by transmogrifier; 09-14-2016 at 01:59 PM.
    Last 10 Movies Seen
    (90+ = canonical, 80-89 = brilliant, 70-79 = strongly recommended, 60-69 = good, 50-59 = mixed, 40-49 = below average with some good points, 30-39 = poor, 20-29 = bad, 10-19 = terrible, 0-9 = soul-crushingly inept in every way)

    Run
    (2020) 64
    The Whistlers
    (2019
    ) 55
    Pawn (2020) 62
    Matilda (1996) 37
    The Town that Dreaded Sundown
    (1976) 61
    Moby Dick (2011) 50

    Soul
    (2020) 64

    Heroic Duo
    (2003) 55
    A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
    As Tears Go By (1988) 65

    Stuff at Letterboxd
    Listening Habits at LastFM

  6. #81
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Brooklyn
    Posts
    30,529
    Yeah, I think that's exactly what EFAP's main criticism of the Marvel scores are. Not that they're unmemorable as a composition, but that they're used in a completely expected way. Their alteration of those scenes in Thor and Winter Soldier in the video are definitely improvements.
    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
    Movie Theater Diary

  7. #82
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Denver
    Posts
    30,597
    This kind of carries on to the new Star Wars movie too, don't you think? There weren't any unique themes in that from what I can remember.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


    twitter

  8. #83
    Screenwriter Lazlo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    2,505
    Quote Quoting Ezee E (view post)
    This kind of carries on to the new Star Wars movie too, don't you think? There weren't any unique themes in that from what I can remember.
    Rey's theme?

    last four:
    black widow - 8
    zero dark thirty - 9
    the muse - 7
    freaky - 7

    now reading:
    lonesome dove - larry mcmurtry

    Letterboxd
    The Harrison Marathon - A Podcast About Harrison Ford

  9. #84
    Piss off, ghost! number8's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Brooklyn
    Posts
    30,529
    Come on.

    Quote Quoting Donald Glover
    I was actually just reading about Matt Damon and he’s like, ‘There’s a culture of outrage.’ I’m like, ‘Well, they have a reason to be outraged.’ I think it’s a lot of dudes just being scared. They’re like, ‘What if I did something and I didn’t realize it?’ I’m like, ‘Deal with it.’
    Movie Theater Diary

  10. #85
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Denver
    Posts
    30,597
    Quote Quoting Lazlo (view post)
    Rey's theme?

    Not to me at least.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


    twitter

  11. #86
    Winston* Classic Winston*'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Wellington
    Posts
    8,229
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I'm not sure there's a clear cut answer, and it's probably situational. I've seen movies where I felt the score was overbearing and distracting (12 Years A Slave), but then I've also seen plenty more where very noticeable music can largely amplify and compliment a movie (Interstellar).
    I can't remember feeling one way or another about 12 Years a Slave's score but Interstellar's definitely falls into the former category.

    Feel like it drowned out the dialogue at a bunch of points....actually maybe it was good.

  12. #87
    Winston* Classic Winston*'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Wellington
    Posts
    8,229

  13. #88
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    3,819
    Quote Quoting Winston* (view post)
    I can't remember feeling one way or another about 12 Years a Slave's score
    It honestly probably wouldn't have been bad if Hans Zimmer hadn't literally just used the exact same score that he used for Inception in it. Took me out every time the music really kicked into gear, very inappropriate choice for a movie like that I felt.

  14. #89
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Denver
    Posts
    30,597
    Interstellar had a good score, but was so loud that it did make it hard for many to hear the dialog. So I put more blame on the sound editor than the composer in that particular case.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


    twitter

  15. #90
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    3,819
    Quote Quoting Ezee E (view post)
    Not to me at least.
    Nor me, now that I think about it.

  16. #91
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    3,819
    Going back to Marvel music, I will say that, in terms of actual score, Civil War is definitely the exception of the bunch, where the music in that movie really stood out quite a bit and elevated the material. In particular, the final fight between Iron Man and Captain America, which I also found to be the most emotionally invested I've been in any of the big action scenes in any of these movies, and I wonder now if the rare standout use of music in that scene didn't help raise the emotional impact of that battle.

  17. #92
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    3,819
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    So someone made a video response to this:


  18. #93
    Second star to the right [ETM]'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Novi Sad, Serbia
    Posts
    8,411
    And another good response to both of those:

  19. #94
    Shocking Seductive Spiral Thirdmango's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    3,778
    Do you guys know of any other youtube users which are in the same arena as every frame. I want more and I figure there might be some decently good ones that aren't as good but still decent.

  20. #95
    A Platypus Grouchy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    9,853
    The Nerdwriter channel has some pretty solid analysis of films despite the YouTuber himself being annoying as all fuck. It's not, however, only focused on cinema and his analysis are more about the themes of certain films than about technical aspects. The best video is probably the one about one of the opening scenes in Vertigo.

    Now You See It is more similar and almost certainly inspired by Every Frame. Not as good, but then again, almost nothing is.

  21. #96
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    3,819
    Renegade Cut is really good.

  22. #97
    Administrator Ezee E's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Denver
    Posts
    30,597
    It seems like there were a bunch of users in the Gone Girl/Whiplash/Inherent Vice year, and then they stopped after that.

    Barbarian - ***
    Bones and All - ***
    Tar - **


    twitter

  23. #98
    Channel Criswell
    Chez Lindsay
    CinemaTyler
    Film-Drunk Love
    kaptainkristian
    KyleKallgrenBHH
    Lessons from the Screenplay
    Ryan Hollinger
    Sideways
    Wisecrack

    Try those. Most of them very different from one another, but with something worth watching.

  24. #99

    Since we don't really have a video-essays thread, we might as well use this one.

  25. #100

Page 4 of 16 FirstFirst ... 2345614 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
An forum