INSTRUMENTALS ... a 'matching pair' on the same album

[GregB]

During the album writing/recording phases, these were simply known as 'Instrumental 1' and 'Instrumental 5'.

 

Meaningful titles ("Sunrise" and "Sunset") only sprung into being a couple of weeks before the album was released ... largely because I had come across groups of video clips on Artgrid.io that seemed to match the vibe and would form the core (approx 95%) of the music videos.  

 

When it came to structuring the 30-tracks on "The Flat White Album", both for symmetry and change of mood, Sunrise was placed the fifth from the start after the heavy The Last Post (anti-war sentiment and large word count).   Sunset was a mirror, placed fifth from the end, and after the frenetic Pop Song.  This was a conceit that only I would ever appreciate  

 

The SUNSET video WON Best Music Video at the 'Picasso Einstein Buddha Film Festival' (2020). It may not be Cannes, but it’s something! And it was doubly pleasing as most of the Beatles’ 'White Album' (after which my album was named and hopefully had a similar vibe) was written during their 1968 retreat in Rishikesh, the Festival's location!

 

 

 

 

[Clay Anderson Johnson]

I really like Sunset.  The video looks very professional.  It shows much more structure than Sunrise in seeming more of a realized vision as a unitary whole.

 

Although they are musically similar Sunrise seems more atmospheric whereas Sunset has a definite forward momentum to it.  This carries into the video where the Sunrise music seems to play behind the film.  In Sunset the film moves to the music.

 

Good job!

[GregB]

5 hours ago, Clay Anderson Johnson said:

I really like Sunset.  The video looks very professional.  It shows much more structure than Sunrise in seeming more of a realized vision as a unitary whole.

 

Well-judged comments, Clay, and they've given me fresh perspective.

 

I think conceptually sunrise/sunset are visually similar (low sun, golden light), but I had to be careful not to 'cross the streams' and share clip sets across the two videos. This alone exhausted what was available/relevant from my limited sources. (There is probably much more content now, two years later.)

 

So it ended up with Sunrise being more about nature 'waking up', while Sunset was more contemplative.

 

Since I did these it's been a jolt when I see some of clips used elsewhere in other people's work, even in adverts!  But that's the nature of stock images. 🙂

 

Music videos are strange ... my brain can't fully appreciate the music and images at the same time - the images tend to dominate. I can only listen intently to music when freed of other stimuli. And yet images can magnify the music, and vice versa.

 

Better stop now before heading into different topics!

Thanks for taking the time to listen/watch and comment.

 

Greg

[Clay Anderson Johnson]

17 minutes ago, GregB said:

heading into different topics

 

To head into a related topic you have the ability to do something which I can't.  I have never been able to conceptualize my music as a video much less execute it as such.

 

I could very easily take a piece of a film and write a score for it however I cannot go in the opposite direction of taking a piece of music and making it into visual imagery. 

[GregB]

3 hours ago, Clay Anderson Johnson said:

I have never been able to conceptualize my music as a video much less execute it as such.

 

If your brain imagines things when listening to music then the video side is just the mechanical manifestation ... as long as you accept you can never really capture imagination.

 

If it's been a while since your last attempt, but you're interested, I'd suggest:

1) trawling through www artgrid.io. Any clip is usually part of a set of 10-50 clips with the same people/scenery. Without paying you can download watermarked clips.

2) have a go at editing with the free version of Blackmagic's Davinci Resolve (it can do 98% of everything I've done in music videos with the Studio version).

 

It's surprising how videos (just like music) are hard to start but take on their own life and develop once you find a suitable opening.

 

If you wish I'd be happy to try helping you get past the initial technical humps - just message me directly.

 

Greg