The idea behind Film-v-Music.com is to highlight the dramatic effect that audio plays in setting the mood in a film scene. By randomly attaching different music to famous film scenes, you can see that the entire feel of the scene changes instantly. This can sometimes turn serious subject matter into comedy, other times it can turn calm dialog into epic drama. A couple of the thousands of possible combinations on the site include:

• ‘Taxi Driver’ v ‘Soul Bossa Nova’
• ‘Silence of the Lambs’ v ‘Rage Against the Machine

Take a look for yourself or watch our video demonstration below…

2013 marks 35 years of video game music (Space Invaders, released in 1978, was the first game to feature a continuous soundtrack). So we took the opportunity to take a look back at some of our favourite examples of video game music and build a 19 track mashup, combining them with some other tracks we love.

The tracks used vary from some of the original 8-bit tracks from the Atari, GameBoy, through to 1990s N64 and PS1 classics, right up to modern day symphonic epics that accompany some of todays blockbuster games…

Grab a free mp3 download of the track via our facebook page.

Tracks used:

• Tetris Music A (Game Boy)
• Abba – Mamma Mia
• Doctor Who Theme
• Super Mario Bros
• Street Fighter II Turbo
• Arkanoid
• Goldeneye – Chemical Warfare
• SBTRKT – Wildfire
• Lana Del Rey – Video Games
• Michael Jackson – Beat it
• Grand Theft Auto IV Theme
• Final Fantasty VIII Theme
• Time Crisis
• David Bowie – Let’s Dance
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 – Main Theme
• Sonic
• Basement Jaxx – Where’s your head at
• Run DMC – It’s Tricky
• Super Mario Bros – Game Over (..and a bit of GLaDOS)

The set-up

We needed to convert the controllers so that they could send midi data to Ableton Live. This was a two step process involving converting the controllers to HID compliant USB devices (you purchase simple kits online to rewire the controllers or alternatively, USB adapters to plug the controllers into into). Once the Contollers were outputting a HID signal through USB to the laptop all that was left was to convert this to midi.

We created a Max/MSP patch, which converted the HID data into MIDI note on/off signals

HID to MIDI MAX/MSP Patch

You can download the Max/MSP patch here. You will need the free Max/MSP runtime application available here.

Instructions

This patch can control 1x N64 controller and 4x NES controllers (or possibly other game pads) converted to HID compliant USB devices. The first dropdown box is for the N64 the others for the NES controllers.

1. Select any N64 controllers from the first dropdown box from the left
2. Select any NES controllers from the other dropdown boxes
3. Noteout 1 sends the N64 buttons out as MIDI, Noteout 2,3,4,5 send the NES buttons out as MIDI. ctlout 1 sends the N64 joystick out as controller data for controlling variable parameters such as volume, filter cuttoff etc. If you are using a Mac then setup an IAC bus if you are on PC then setup midi yoke (these will enable you to send MIDI data from MAX/MSP to another application.
4. Click on noteout 1,2,3,4,5 and ctlout and select either your IAC Bus (mac) or your midi yoke output (PC).
5. If using Ableton live, in Live->Preferences toggle ‘Remote’ input on for IAC Driver (mac) or Midi Yoke input (PC).
6. Click the small MIDI button in the top right hand corner of Ableton and when highlighting clips or parameters, press any of the controller buttons to assign the controller.

Created using a 23 year old Tascam MSR-24 1″ tape machine, we blended 16 tracks together to produce this mashup:

Loops for the performance were edited, time stretched and pitch shifted using Ableton Live before being transferred to tape for the performance.

During playback, each loop can be triggered by un-muting the individual track. A particularly tricky aspect of the performance was muting the tracks again when you want them to stop. Weaving all the parts in and out of each other required a large amount of planning and we ended up devising our own score for the performance.

The Mixtape Score for Tascam-MSR24 Tape Machine

For the video work we used a Canon 600D DSLR and three lenses.

For the macro shots we used the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

The closeups were shot using the Canon EF 50mm f1.8

The main shot used a Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM. This wide screen lens was mainly used as the camera needed to be very close to the tape machine due to space restrictions.

The animation was created by the excellent Alan Warburton: http://www.alanwarburton.co.uk/

The audio was inspired by classic TV themes such The Noveltones – “Left Bank Two” (The gallery theme from Vision On)

Here is a video of some highlights during the installation:

Here is the full video featuring Brennan Heart’s track “Never Break Me”

We used projection mapping techniques to map 26 videos over a box sculpture and perform the mashup live, blending the videos over the surface of the boxes. To create this we used 3 laptops (sending OSC messages across a Wi-Fi network), 2 projectors (one for the projection mapping, one for the control surface camera), Ableton Live 8, Max for Live, Resolume Arena, Syphon and MadMapper.

The whole performance is completely portable and adapatable for easy manipulation and set-up.

Available for live perfomance

Tracks used:
Eurythmics – Winston’s diary (1984)
Night and the City
Mary Poppins – Stay awake
Queen – A kind of magic
Amy Winehouse – You know I’m no good
The Who – Baba O’Riley
Blur – Song 2
Amy Winehouse – Stronger than me
Jamiroquai – Deeper underground
Dizzee Rascal – Fix up, look sharp
Quincy Jones – It’s caper time (self preservations society)
Adele – Rumor has it
John Murphy – 28 days later
Led Zepplin – Whole lotta love
Faithless – Insomnia
Florence & the Machine – You got the love
The Clash – London calling
Eastenders
Queen – We are the champions
Dizzee Rascal – Bonkers
Klint – Diamond (Snatch)
The Kinks – You really got me
Are you being served
Only fools and horses
Queen – Another one bites the dust
The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter

Held in New York, this celebration of exceptional filmmakers from across the globe was hosted by Beardyman and Reggie Watts whilst the show took full advantage of the latest projection-mapping techniques and other cutting-edge technologies to ensure it was an experience not to forget.

Over 14,500 entries were received from 147 countries this time round and whilst there was an impressive display of talent and creativity present throughout the show, unfortunately the $5000 (approx. £3200) prizes could only be awarded to the winners of 13 categories with the exception of a whopping $25,000 (approx. £16,000) Grand Jury Prize for one lucky finalist.

The winners were chosen by an eclectic range of noteworthy judges such as actor and director James Franco, Shelley Page of DreamWorks Animation, director Edgar Wright, Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood and the Museum of Modern Art’s Barbara London, to name a few.

So without further ado, the 2012 Vimeo Award winners were as follows…

Lyrical

Symmetry by Everynone.

This film was one that truly stood out from the crowd this year. For this reason, it was awarded the Grand Jury Prize and features at the top of our list.

The remaining winners are listed in alphabetical order…

Action Sports

Dark Side of the Lens by Astray Films.

Advertising

K-Swiss – Kenny Powers MFCEO by Caviar.

Animation

Umbra (HD – 2010) by Malcolm Sutherland.

Captured

Sweatshoppe Video Painting Europe by Sweatshoppe.

Documentary

Amar (All Great Achievements Require Time) by Pilgrim Films.

Experimental

Prie Dieu by Cokau.

Fashion

Mulberry ‘Skirt’ by Academy Plus (A+).

Motion Graphics

A History of the Title Sequence by Jurjen Versteeg.

Music Video

Manchester Orchestra – “Simple Math” by Daniels.

Narrative

Blinky™ by Ruairi Robinson.

Series

Often Awesome The Series by All Aces Media.

Remix

Rear Window Timelapse by Jeff Desom.

Although the Grand Jury Prize went to US-based Everynone, it is comforting to know that our fellow UK entrants also made a significant impact at this year’s Vimeo Awards, claiming a total of 3 awards.

We are already looking forward to next years show…

The Advantages of Loud Music

It comes as no surprise when I say that music can make us feel good (Ensha, Azadeh). It can help us to perform both physically and mentally and also provide therapy for a wide range of physical and mental illnesses (eMed Expert). In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that loud music, specifically music above 90dB, can also contribute to the release of those ‘feel good’ hormones – some of which were discussed in last week’s post ‘Chemistry and Creativity’. There is supposedly a part of the inner ear called the Sacculus that responds to the beat in music and music’s low-frequency vibrations (Ensha, Azadeh)(Todd, Dr. Neil).

Academic Dr. Barry Blesser claims that loud music is a stimulant that can be compared to likes of caffeine, sugar and even rigorous exercise. Blesser additionally claims that loud music is ‘simply a stronger stimulant than soft music’. If this is the case, theoretically loud music may well be able to magnify many of the positive effects that music can have on our well-being.  However, as with all matters concerning the human mind and body, it is never quite that simple.

What we do know is that loud and fast music has been shown to benefit physical exercise for one example. From personal experiences, many of us will also willingly accept the notion that loud music can also make us  ‘functionally deaf’ to our surroundings and essentially transport us to another world; a world where music is most influential on our mind and body (Blesser, Dr. Barry). In these instances, loud music more or less acts as an extreme form of escapism; the benefits of which are obvious.

The Loudness War

The advantages of loud music appear to be more recognised than we thought. Due to this, it is no surprise that music records and concerts have got louder and louder over the years. Record labels, advertisers and many others for a while now have taken advantage of the fact that loud music and loud sounds do an amazing job at grabbing our attention and this is supposedly one of the main reasons behind the start of the so-called loudness war (Leung, Grant).

Although loud records can appear to benefit us by initially appearing to sound better, the fact of the matter is that making louder records has always been a trade-off with sound quality (Bob Katz)(Music Radar).  The loudness war has created an ultimately pointless trend that sees music professionals prioritise volume and what is essentially digital clipping and distortion over audio clarity and dynamic range. At a glance, this use of loud music seems hardly beneficial to us at all.

We are now overloaded with excessively loud records to the point where it is more or less impossible to make records any louder. Ironically, we now find ourselves in a ridiculous situation where even the loudest of records fail to grab a listener’s attention and have the impact that they once did. It appears that our ears are finally growing tired of this approach to music production and this now means that all we are essentially left with is a rather large bunch of poor-sounding records and ear fatigue at best.

For those of you who are looking for new and better ways to make your music stand out from the crowd, I urge you to check out our other post ‘5 attention grabbing audio tricks’ by Chris if you have not done so already.

More Disadvantages of Loud Music

The loudness war aside, music is famously only pleasurable and beneficial when we want it to be. As discussed above, loud music’s ability to dominate our ‘aural space’ is a quality that many of us clearly do appreciate at the best of times, but it is also the reason why loud music can often be an intolerable distraction and nuisance (Blesser, Dr. Barry). Whilst music can improve our health and make us more relaxed, it can also just as easily damage our health and make us more stressed. Therefore, it is vital to know when exactly loud music is most useful. Knowing this can not only improve our well-being but it can also make us better as music professionals (Music Radar).

Hearing damage is perhaps one of the most significant disadvantages of loud music. If we cannot hear music, then we cannot benefit from music. It is also important not to forget the social and psychological repercussions of hearing loss as well. There is seemingly a fine line between the benefits of loud music and the damage it can cause (Blesser, Dr. Barry). Music’s remarkable impact on our lives undoubtedly relies on surpassing that 90Db threshold at least every once in a while. However, like Chris Martin, Gary Numan and Plan B are all saying, looking after your ears is vital and it should be a no-brainer, it is simply a matter of awareness (BBC).

Whilst we sometimes may crank up the volume a little too high (and a little unnecessarily), the key to making the most of loud music’s many potential benefits has been obvious from the beginning; by doing so in moderation. This can be applied to live music, records (including the motives behind the loudness war), as well as pretty much everything else of course.

References:

• Blesser, Dr. Barry: ‘The Seductive (Yet Destructive) Appeal of Loud Music’. http://www.blesser.net/downloads/eContact%20Loud%20Music.pdf.
• Ensha, Azadeh: ‘Boost your Brain’s Health with Loud Music’. http://lifehacker.com/5350990/boost-your-brains-health-with-loud-music.
• Todd, Dr. Neil: ‘Evidence for a Behavioral Significance of Saccular Acoustic Sensitivity in Humans’ – Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
• eMed Expert: ‘How Music Affects Us and Promotes Health’. http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/music.shtml.
• Music Radar: ‘Why do we like our music Loud?’ .http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/why-do-we-like-our-music-loud-212790.
• Leung, Grant: ‘The Loudness War Explained’. http://vimeo.com/34196540.
• Evans-Roberts, Chris: ‘5 Attention grabbing tricks’. http://www.ithacaaudio.com/2011/07/04/attention-audio/.
• BBC: ‘Plan B and Chris Martin back earplug campaign’. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17952110. 

Images: 

• Feans, Noel: ‘Max Loudness – Marantz Amp’. http://www.flickr.com/photos/endogamia/3238582712/.
• Populagram: ‘Music: On, World: Off’. http://populagram.appspot.com/user/pinksparkleybows.
• Kaji, Masaaki: ‘Simple VU Meter’.http://masaakikaji.deviantart.com/art/simple-VU-meter-255114621.
• Wikipedia: ‘The Loudness War – Michael Jackson’s Black or White’. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war.
• Whim: ‘Loud Music’. http://www.ruwhim.com/?tag=loud.