Music & Lyrics

In film, we are taught that one of the most ignored aspects of the screen lies in sound. When referring to television programs or movies, sound just seems like it becomes part of the package that accompanies a moving image. It is in fact recorded video right? But sound happens to be the most important aspect of the overall effect of a finished product. Many times, the music and lyrics and sound effects will make or break a picture. A Disney and Pixar film is completely made from scratch and it is therefore daunting to think that every single sound heard in one of their pictures was meticulously placed there. It is these choices that carry the great importance. Would the sinking of the "Titanic" be as horrifying and captivating without James Horner's haunting score and twisted metal and victims' screams? Would "The Phantom of the Opera" still be playing on Broadway without the backdrop of an Andrew Lloyd Weber masterpiece of score. Television shows are recognized by their theme songs. "Grey's Anatomy" did away with theirs after season 2 but I still hum it to myself after 6 seasons. For me, a song is the inspiration behind any work I do. All my videos are a result of coming across a song that stands out above all others as a way of communicating across an idea I have. Without the perfect song, without an underlying score, the building of sweet music, the pulsating horror themes, the belting of soaring melodies, the hushed pauses, the electro beats, the silences placed at the right times, a moving image becomes open to interpretation. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but most artists have a vision for their work, and without sound, a director gives up his interpretation to the audience. As an audience though, we like to be told how to feel during a movie, that's why we have genres. Some people watch movies like "Mean Girls" because they want to laugh, others enter "A Nightmare on Elm Street" because they want to cringe and hold each other in fear. Without sound, the line between genres fuses into one - silence. Moving pictures which will act upon you and you in turn will use your vast storehouse of experience to draw from the material and evoke a response. This doesn't work for me. I created a senior project for my Freshman Comp, class in which I took many clips of video. When cut together, the amalgamation of videos flickered like snapshots of happy memories with my friends, many were hilarious, and would provided apt entertainment at any party. The thing though is that as a director, I get to guide how you will feel about my work, so... I deleted the sound in every clip, because without that sound, the clips become a blank slate. By chance, I had heard a snippet of song that struck me completely and after searching out the song's title from a close friend, Mary McDade Casteel, I had my inspiration. When the silent moving images were placed among the backdrop of the riveting "Videotape," by Radiohead, the clips took on a form, a genre. They worked with the music and lyrics and became more than snapshots of memories. They became flashes of distant moments and happening, of places and times, of people and friends, of emotions, and of feelings that were quickly disappearing into the silent depths of the pass existing only as silent flashes of life slipping away. (I'll post the video separately)

 It's not my best work and was ultimately a school project but the effect is something I am now revisiting in the editing room. Sound works inside of you to define your evoked response. The target audience were my fellow seniors, and being a senior, one thing that always stares you in the face is the fact that life is about to drastically change and you have no idea what you will lose in order to gain access to the next phase of your life. For these people, my friends, for myself, the music, lyrics, and image become a means of expressing that feeling. For anyone experiencing change. I think that's how a song works, we are all different and we have all experienced different things, but there are certain experiences we share, and certain songs that speak to that connection. Music is a powerful force. I don't know about you, but I live knowing that my life has a soundtrack, (one which you will most likely here me singing out loud). At any one moment there is music to express my thought, emotions, and feelings, even if that music is a momentary absence of music. If you are lost, music will find you, it did so along time ago, and lives inside us all but for now, I'm just sharing my process - the idea comes first, the song brings the idea to life and the idea is realized. Never underestimate song choice.

Must Listen:

"Dancing" Elisa & "Jar of Hearts" Chistina Perri - Just dance no matter who is watching

The music of Ingrid Michaelson - She has a song for every feeling in the range of human emotion

                        "Home" by Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes - A song perfect for weddings, road trips, and just feeling good about life.

Andrew Belle's Album : "The Ladder" - Almost every song graced Grey's Anatomy season 6, all about the connections among relationships and holding on to yourself. (Open Your Eyes is my fav)

"Black & Gold" - Sam Sparrow

"7 Things" Miley Cyrus

"That's Not My Name" The Ting Tings

"Say It's Possible" Jay Brannan

Never undermine the importance of those important people in your life...

...let the memories flicker across the dark movie screen inside your mind until the images are burned in and never forgotten endlessly playing to the sounds of your favorite songs, not lost, but found.