sibleyscomp2's Blog

Watching Chicago for the first time in a class setting and knowing that I am going to have to write a paper was not the ideal setting for a great movie experience. However, the discussions we had as a class were enlightening and always entertaining. We covered things that I would never have thought of had I just watched this movie on my own. There were so many things we discussed that were striking to me from the vaudeville acts that are meant to represent acts from the time that the film is set. The double meanings behind every lyric in every song, the fact that the songs and acts are what the characters want and fantasies about. Also, the choice to do this story as a musical in the first place. Doing this dark story as a musical would seem as a strange choice to some but was pulled off nicely. I like to think that the story would have worked had they chosen to film it a straight drama/crime movie, but I am glad that they didn’t. Filming it a musical gave this story of murder and betrayal an almost upbeat feeling that only musicals can provide. You are swept into this world of song and dance that taps into emotions deep inside of you that are only brought out by the words of these songs. Overall I really liked the movie but will have to wait awhile before I watch it again. I felt like we dissected it to much for me to really enjoy it, but honestly if I do watch Chicago again I will be thinking about all the topics we covered in class.

Work Cited

Chicago. Dir. Rob Marshall. 2002. DVD.

Logan, Kelley Dr. “Chicago Discussion.” English Comp2. Swosu, Weatherford. 21 Apr. 2010. Lecture.

          Chapter five talks mostly about the different things you need to look for while watching a movie that you plan to write about. It discusses genres and subgenres; also, it talks about how to understand different aspects of films. Such as, characters, cinematography, composition, editing, mise-en-scene, setting, sound, and subject. It gives detail as to why and how each of those is important to the movie. It also gives tips on how to take note on movies and what to look for while watching. The end of this section of reading covers the different types of papers that can be written about films, like, a review essay, a reflection or response essay, an analysis essay, and a synthesis essay. It lets you know why each of those would or would not be good for a certain type of film. All and all I learned a few things and I am excited to get start on writing about or film.

Work Cited

          Growing up in the 90’s I watched a lot of sitcoms from the late 80’s, sounds strange but its true. One of my favorites being Roseanne. It was a show about this loud mouthed, smart-ass mom who was nothing like the other fake mothers on TV. She was always giving the kids and Dan crap, but you could see the love between all of them. After reading the article “Unruly Woman as Domestic Goddess” by Kathleen Karlyn I understand a little bit more why I love this show so much. Karlyn addresses only one episode, which is actually atypical to the series, but still has all the things that make Roseanne so real. In the article she breaks down the story, gives meaning to every part of the show and lets you know just how unheard of this show was at that time. Then I watched “Pros and Cons of Writing for Sitcoms” and it talks about how difficult it is to even get something read in Hollywood. They mention getting lawyers and agents before you even hand over something that you have written. Its sounds very scary, stressful, and difficult, learning that makes me appreciate the shows a little more and makes me think about how much hard work the writer of Roseanne had to go through to even get their idea read. Then they had to get it produced then to have it last for so long, it’s all so crazy, especially for something so controversial. Over all I got to understand the complicated process of getting something made in Hollywood, and I had one of my favorite shows broken down and explained to me.

Work Cited

Work Cited

I assumed that with greater population bigger cities are targeted for these radical means of advertisement just because of pure numbers, but after reading this article I think it might be partially do to the various places to put them. According to Skenazy ads are placed everywhere, bathroom stalls, above urinals, in urinals, inside showers at health clubs, strollers, movie tickets, shopping carts, and even live cows some places in Europe. Honestly, this all just seems so stupid, especially if they were to do things like advertising on live cows in rural Oklahoma. Who would they be advertising to, just the farmers taking care of the cows? So it is obviously a combination of population and surface area that helps advertisers decide where they will be focusing. With this constant bombardment of ads I wonder how people in bigger cities even function.

Throughout the article Skenazy mentions that ads are invading every aspect of people’s lives. They have put TVs in elevators, taxis; they are even at checkout stands. I had never realized that they were doing that, playing commercial while we are shopping, but they do, and now I will always notice when I go in to a store. These ads are getting so in invasive that a simple elevator ride is turning into a torture device. Scott Donaton, editor in chief of Advertising Age, is quoted by Skenazy saying, “I work on the second floor. God forbid I have five seconds to myself to have an independent thought” (p140). Even a man in the advertising business is getting tired of all the crap.

For once in my life being from a small town has actually benefited me. It has kept me sheltered from the harsh world of advertisement that is going on out there. Coming from a small town I don’t see as much of this abusive of advertisement as people from bigger cities do, but I do understand that the advertisers are going overboard. They have gone too far with their need to get their products name out there. I can look past the ads in bathrooms, the commercials in stores, but the ads on live stock irks me in a bad way. I am in no way an animal activist; however, if they are willing to this I’m scared of what they will be doing next. Hopefully being aware of the advertisements will help to lessen the effect their crazy ways have on us. I don’t it, but there is always hope.

Work Cited

Smith, Allison D., Trixie G. Smith, and Stacia Watkins. The Pop Culture Zone: Writing Critically about Popular Culture.Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009.140-141. Print.

Movies and the music in them are ever evolving. Composers used to be an important part of the filming industry, but with this evolution; from made for movie music to popular music, they are getting left behind. It’s a shame because popular music is taking away from our movie experience. Our minds tend to connect memories to music, so if we have heard a song before it is already contaminated with our own thoughts. Since almost ever movie today is laced with popular music that is so bogged down with other thoughts and memories, it is no wonder I am beginning to miss the days of the composer. With that said, there are certain genres that continue using composed pieces. Westerns, Horrors, and Musicals all are making efforts to keep composed music in film.

Musicals are a given for having composed pieces. But, we take for granted the knowledge and the emotions we receive through these songs. Somehow they are able to create emotions that would never be accomplished in a none musical setting. They are able to tap into our souls quicker than just words, it is quite special. This is all so crazy too, considering most musicals are made in almost the same way every time: “The Sound of Music concerns a conflict; the forces of music, dance, and life versus those of silence, rigidity, and death (or at least emotional numbness and sterility).”(Erskine) This just sounds like every other movie made, but when put together correctly a good musical becomes a classic. Musicals stir up so many emotions in us that it’s almost scary. We see a musical then for the next week we sing or have those songs stuck in our heads. Everything that happens reminds us of apart from the movie or one of the songs. When I was younger after watching The Sound of Music or any of the Disney movie really, I would try to break out in song and dance, and then wonder why it never works. Musicals are really just magical, they make everyday experiences just that much more enjoy able and epic things near mind blowing. I pray that they stay around.

Westerns are another genre of film I hope makes it through this evolution of film we are facing. Sure, Westerns don’t really fall under the label of “modern film” but they are filled with composed piece, and that’s why I love them. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, made in 1966, could be one of the best westerns ever made. It is a fantastic movie with some really great music. This is one of my favorites, but the most memorable song from this movie would have to be this. Since it is so memorable its popularity has caused it to lose some meaning to me. I think when I heard it as a ring tone that’s when it lost most of it meaning for me. That is exactly what I mean by our minds connecting our memories to music. Now every time I watch The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and that song plays I will be distracted by thoughts of that person and their phone. Our minds don’t always ruin music and movies for us though; they often help in Horror movies.

It seems as though in every Horror movie there is that one song that is there to lets you know that the murdering evil bad thing is coming to get everyone. More times then not, that song is a composed piece. One of the more famous of these songs would be the Jaws theme, composed by John Williams. You know the one; it’s the song that made us all afraid to go back in the water. It’s strange considering how simple it really is, just a two note phrase. “On the piano, it sounded silly, but when performed by the large string section of an orchestra, both men [Spielberg and Williams] were surprised by monstrous thematic creation they had stumbled upon” (Filmtracks.com). It’s funny to think they were so worried, now it is one of the most recognizable tunes from a movie. Jaws, having so many sequels, 4 total, would not have been the same with out that song. Each Jaws movie had that song in it, there was no way a sequel could be made and not have that song in it. That’s why I think Horror movies will never be able to be completely popular music. Every killer or monster has its own theme song and it seems as though they can never just make one movie about these things.

The Horror genre is just filled with sequels, and each contains their own special composed theme song. The shark from Jaws, Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street, Michael Myers from Halloween, Jason Voorhees from Friday 13^th , and a newer one Jigsaw from the Saw movies. Each has their own individual tune that, when heard, strikes up fear in all of us. Could you imagine if there was a new Halloween movie made and you didn’t hear that crazy song, it just wouldn’t be the same. It’s really all just about association, we hear this tune and see that same killer or monster every time, and we begin to associate that song with the consequences of meeting that killer or monster. So this connection our mind makes between music and memories can be used to bring composed pieces back into the movie industry.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t intend to create a revolt to change what’s happening to music in movies. I understand that it is expensive and time consuming to create new songs for movie, but its upsetting when I watch a movie and I have every single song from the movie on my ipod. Yes, technology helps in finding any and every type of music out there, but I don’t sit around all day looking up music. I just feel as though we are all losing a special conection between music and film do to some peoples laziness. I’m not asking for them to make every movie filled with all composed pieces, that would be just as bad as what is happening know with popular music, but I would like to hear different things. They need a change because the path they have taken on this evolution is killing me a little on the inside.

Work Cited

 Erskine, Thomas L. “The Sound of Music Captivates Audiences.” Great Events from History: The Twentieth Century, 1941-1970, 1st ed. Salem Press, 2008. Salem History. Salem Press. 02 Feb 2010. http://history.salempress.com.libnet.swosu.edu/doi/full/10.3331/GE20b_2651037 222.

“Filmtracks: Jaws (John Williams).” Filmtracks Modern Soundtrack Reviews. 23 Mar. 2003. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.

http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/jaws.html.TheFilmFaction. “YouTube – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly SoundTrack – Ecstasy Of Gold.” YouTube – Broadcast Yourself. Web. 24 Jan. 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOKhQ8ObQ7E. Seeme45. “YouTube-Halloween -Theme Music/Song(Original).” YouTube-Broadcast Yourself. Web. 29 March. 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWTD- nXadaI.

Sunfilling.“YouTube – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Theme 1966.” YouTube – Broadcast Yourself. Web. 24 Jan. 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hYV-JSjpyU&feature=fvw.

After searching through many different types of blogs and topics I was able to find two that hopefully help in bringing more understanding to the point that I have been trying to make. That point being, that the music in films is and has been evolving, and it some times makes or breaks a movie. Basically, it has as much important to the movie as the leading actors. With that covered lets move on to the task at hand. The two blogs I settled on are completely different in their; feel, targeted audience and structure. But, they are talking about the same movie, a movie that I absolutely love, V for Vendetta. This 2005 movie directed by James McTeigue is just amazing. So it is fun for me to see others views and opinions of it.

From the very beginning looking at these two blogs side by side it’s almost as if they come from two completely different worlds. The Inferno Music Vault has this strange orange and grey background that is quite bright. Then it has mock black background that the texted is actually on. Then there are several different colored texts in this short post (I think I counted seven). This is hard on the eyes, the switching from color to color. They were using the different colors to indicate different information or links but there are far too many for such a short post. Then you look at Village Voice. It is the complete opposite. White background, plain black text, its all just so simple. They have blue out links and that is it, they don’t have unnecessary changes in text color or font. It all flows nicely and gives a very dependable feels especially when compared to the Inferno site.

Another thing that gives Village Voice a more reliable feel is the About Us portion. It gives various ways to get a hold of the writers and lets you know that they have won some awards for their writing. It is all very impressive and just makes me more comfortable with the information that they are giving me. On the other side you have the Inferno site, with no About Us section. It has a disclaimer at the top but then says it’s not by choice that they were forced to put it on. It also has a NC-17 rating sticker at the bottom of its page that I don’t know if it is there by choice or if this is also part of the disclaimer from the top. These two things almost make looking through this website seem dirty or wrong.

Another thing that adds to the atmosphere of these sites is their use of pictures. They each have pictures, but they are so different from what kind they are to where they put them that the achieve different things. The pictures on Inferno Music Vaults page are of the soundtrack covers, because that is what this blog is about, sharing music. They have pictures of the artwork from the entire five disc of the soundtrack. Now, the Village Voice page has stills from the movie its self. These pictures capture intense moments from the film and help to understand the meaning behind the words they are sharing with us. They place them around the text while on the Inferno has all the pictures then text. Each of these methods adds to vibe the site is giving off.

Vibes and feel are something that music help to accentuate or make in movies. In V for Vendetta a song that really does that is the 1812 overture by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. It is played a few times throughout the movie but the two most notable being in the destroying of the Old Bailey and Parliament. It has this raw emotion attached to it that when paired with the images of destruction it becomes more than just a song. It becomes an anthem, this force bubbling in all of these characters we have come to know, that just needs to get out. This music is moving and it is all do to Tchaikovsky, “His music is extremely tuneful, luxuriously and colorfully scored, and filled with emotional fervour directed to the heart rather than to the head”(Oxford Music).That’s exactly what happens, it touches you helps to draw you in to these characters worlds and it just makes the movie that much better.

There is a lot of good music in this movie, some of which is heard from the Wurlitzer jukebox that V has in his secret underground almost museum like home (Village Voice). This is music that the government has deemed unsuitable for its people. This music was never supposed to be heard again, it give a sense of how important everything. It makes you understand how something so small as a song can create movements and emotions big enough to over turn a government.

Oh, don’t forget to go check out Dalton’s Blog.

Works Cited

Hoberman, J. “Anarchy In The U.K.” Web log post. Village Voice. 7 Mar. 2006. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

http://www.villagevoice.com/2006-03-07/film/anarchy-in-the-u-k/.

Michael, and J. “V For Vendetta (2005) Soundtrack.” Web log post. The Inferno Music Vault. 13 Feb. 2008. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

http://theinfernomusicvault.blogspot.com/2008/02/v-for-vendetta-2005-soundtrack-freedom.html.

“Tchaikovsky, Pyotr.” The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd ed. rev. Ed. Michael Kennedy. Oxford Music Online. 2 Mar. 2010.

http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/opr/t237/e10141.

Wonger 200. V for Vendetta International Banner & Standee. 2008. Photograph. Flickr. 24 Feb. 2008. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/billthedigitalsurgeon/2289350046/.

Bibliography

Gonzalez, Francisco. Weblog post. The Film Connoisseur. Aug. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

http://filmconnoisseur.blogspot.com/.

Hudis, Mark, and Anya Sacharow. “Elite Theme Songs.” MediaWeek 6.37 (1996): 31. EBSCO. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

http://web.ebscohost.com.libnet.swosu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=108&sid=05eea6c0-4197-4e66-845c-4b08b4ab019a%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=f3h&AN=9610160733.

Mermaid, Fiji. Weblog post. Side Show Cinema. Dec. 2005. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

http://sideshowcinema.blogspot.com/.

Philip Gossett. “Rossini, Gioachino.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 1 Mar. 2010.

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Philip Gossett. “Rossini, Gioachino.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 1 Mar. 2010. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/23901pg1.

Web log post. Universal Horror Sounds. 30 Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

http://universalhorrorsounds.blogspot.com/2009/12/scrooge-1970-complete-orchestral-score.html.

Weblog post. Film Blog. Jan. 1999. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog.

This short movie review of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws by James D. Rolfe touches on a bit of everything about this movie. A lot of what he covers is about the fear it caused, mostly the fact that it caused a generation, or more, to be terrified to go back into the water. After all, he is doing this video for a Halloween bit. However, he does mention the music and the man who crated it. And this brilliant mans name is John Williams and he is responsible for some of the greatest music in movie history, in my opinion. James Rolfe mentions how the movie, “Succeeds in both suspense and shocks”. Which I believe has a lot to do with the work of Williams.

Without the work of Williams Jaws, and many other movies, would not be the same. This is easy to see when you understand how much trouble Spieldberg had in the making of this movie. According to the editorial review of Jaws on Filmtracks.com : “The production of Jaws was a near disaster during its shooting, mostly due to “Bruce,” the mechanical shark that was useless 90% of the time, and Spielberg was counting on a strong score with a dark and sweeping identity to help save the production. Such was the reason for Spielberg’s surprise when Williams produced a title theme consisting of a repeating two-note phrase. On the piano, it sounded silly, but when performed by the large string section of an orchestra, both men were surprised by the monstrous thematic creation they had stumbled upon. There is no serious debate about the functionality of the music in the film. Part of the film’s dominant success was due, directly, to its relatively deceptive use of music…” Spieldberg was having so many issues with this movie that he was worried that the music wasn’t going to be able to lift it up as much as he wanted. Which is understandable, this simple music doesn’t seem frightening like other horror or dramatic movie soundtracks. But somehow its simplicity helps to amplify the fear and terror the movie tries to portray.

Throughout the movie the music is used to let you know that the shark is near, even when you can’t actually see it. So, essentially the music is the shark for the audience. That is the point that the Filmtrack team is trying to make: “The ingenious idea of using the mindless two-note progression to represent the shark is effectively applied to the score by its tempo or even by its absence. The two-note progression was meant to match the blood pressure of the shark, but not the audience. Many people mistakenly believe that the theme was intended to reflect the horror level of the audience. In fact, the idea represents the internalized zeal of the shark itself, a flow that Williams and Spielberg allowed the audience to listen in on. The theme increases its pace as the shark gets excited, and it is absent from scenes in which the shark isn’t anywhere near the present locale (most notably in the false alarm scenes of mistaken identity). The shark’s primitive and brutal hunting instincts make the structurally simplistic two-note theme into the embodiment of the shark that Spielberg had struggled to obtain with the actual, physical shark that he had built for the film. Even if you see a fin in the water, if Williams’ theme isn’t heard, then there’s no reason to worry or panic.” I believe this idea only applies to the movie though, because if I see a fin in the water I’m scared whether I hear this theme or not. Since the music is meant to be the life of the shark it doesn’t transfer into every day enjoyment like many other pieces of Williams works, but it is beautiful no the less.

Jawsis a classic, it’s the first movie to make over $100 million and has had many sequels, 4 to be exact and helped make Spieldberg who he is today. It was able to captivate a generation or more and cause fear of things many of us will never encounter. And for that we should all be appreciative. But for the most part, in Rolfe’s words, “we care because it kicked some serious ass.” It’s true, it succeeded in everything it set out to do and that’s more than what many films made today have done.

For more great music by Williams check out this. Oh, and swing on over to Naveenah’s Blog to see some sweet stuff.

Work Cited

Cinemassacre’s Monster Madness. Dir. James D. Rolfe. Jaws. The Cinemassacre Productions, 18 Oct. 2007. Web. 09 Feb. 2010.http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/?p=1553.

 “Filmtracks: Jaws (John Williams).” Filmtracks Modern Soundtrack Reviews. 23 Mar. 2003. Web. 10 Feb. 2010.http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/jaws.html.

 John Williams – His Best Works. Dir. Earthatic. YouTube. 02 Mar. 2009. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFNN_ADpYJ0.

Bibliography

Cinemassacre’s Monster Madness. Dir. James D. Rolfe. Halloween. The Cinemassacre Productions, 19 Oct. 2007.Web.09 Feb. 2010. http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/?p=1555.

Stealth Cat with Jaws Theme song. Dir. Whatsontvnow. YouTube. 14 Sept. 2008. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.