Video, Video, and more Video

Over the weekend, I played around with movie maker. I made the following short movie, which probably infringes on copyright laws, but it is for educational purposes, and John Lennon is dead so...What I wanted to do was talk a little about my rhetorical choices, what I thought worked well and what I think are the weaknesses in the video.



Now that you have seen the video, I will attempt to explain what I was trying to do. Thinking of audience, I used images from WWII, Vietnam, and Iraq, I was hoping to appeal to a wide range of viewers. I chose black and white, because i think it adds a nostalgic quality. I wasn't going for the same nostalgia as grandmas cookies, but nonetheless a connection with the audience. I choose "Imagine" because it has become an iconic mantra for any peaceful protest. Besides the recognizably of the song, the song itself has powerful lyrics that help to tell the story along with the pictures, Lennon has a poignant, calming voice in this song, and the tone of the music is sombre. I chose to add words in title screens to make very specific points during the flash of images. I chose not to distract from the images with flashy transitions (I used the same transition. I also extended the amount of time that each image stays on the screen for better viewablity.

My favorite part of the video is when we see the word imagine and then a picture of John holding up a peace sign. i think this is the most effective because John's symbolic hand gesture stands in for the text Peace, and adds a little reverent moment for Lennon himself.

There are issues; I think I could have used more current protest images, I think the music could better sync-up, and I wish I had down the beginning quote in black instead of white lettering.

There is my brief attempt at video and justification for the video, for fun I am putting up the first video I made in class, it has a lot of issues that I won't get into here...Okay the first video will have to be a later post...you tube is being slow.

Ooops, forgot one

The Smiths / Girlfriend in a Comma

Thinking of Video, well music videos...

In the spirit of our upcoming video lectures, I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite music videos. Here goes:

The National / Apartment Story


Kings of Convenience / I'd Rather Dance With You


Bright Eyes / First Day of My Life


R.E.M / Fall on Me
early REM video, which I couldn't embed, but Micheal Stipe is really interested in photography and video and thier videos usually show it...he directs a few, I'm not sure if this is one of the ones he directs or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVx3Qv1Q6PU

Bright Eyes / Easy/Lucky/Free
Wow!! it isn't my favorite song but what a concept.

Attempts at a Multimodol Rhetorical Model

Okay so here goes, I am thinking throuhg this idea of how our choices in adaptation are in reality rhetorical choices. Here is my example.

1st lyrics / Written Composition
The glove compartment isn't accurately named
And everybody knows it.
So i'm proposing a swift orderly change.

Cause behind its door there's nothing to keep my fingers warm
And all i find are souvenirs from better times
Before the gleam of your taillights fading east
To find yourself a better life.

I was searching for some legal document
As the rain beat down on the hood
When i stumbled upon pictures i tried to forget
And that's how this idea was drilled into my head

Cause it's too important
To stay the way it's been

There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
And now that it's gone it's like it wasn't there at all
And here i rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night

There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
And now that it's gone it's like it wasn't there at all
And here i rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night (up all night)
When i'm lying awake at night.

2nd Lyrics and Pictures / Photo Essay


The glove compartment isn't accurately named
And everybody knows it.
So i'm proposing a swift orderly change.

Cause behind its door there's nothing to keep my fingers warm
And all i find are souvenirs from better times
Before the gleam of your taillights fading east
To find yourself a better life.

I was searching for some legal document
As the rain beat down on the hood
When i stumbled upon pictures i tried to forget
And that's how this idea was drilled into my head

Cause it's too important
To stay the way it's been

There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
And now that it's gone it's like it wasn't there at all
And here i rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night

There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
And now that it's gone it's like it wasn't there at all
And here i rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night (up all night)
When i'm lying awake at night.

3rd Audio
Unfortunatley I haven't figured out how to post just audio

4th Video

The Logophile

I just read Taggs article "Reading Sounds or An Essay on Sounds, Music, Knowledge, Rock & Society" umm that really is quite an ambitious title. At any rate I was interested in some of the terminology that he brings up, so this post has some of my favorites in the form of a top 5 list with visual adds:

1) Soundscape

2) "Sonic Property Ownership" Okay, its Sonic Youth, but I couldn't find a picture of sonic property ownership...

3) Wall of Sound

4) Acoustic Horizon

5) Sensomotric