A form of art that uses Sound as the medium of expression, Music is the universal language spoken around the globe. It is a major part in cultures around the world, bringing people together from different backgrounds and social circles, if only to indulge themselves in one of the finest treats; Listening to good music and dance.
Around the world, music is directly related to happiness and peace.
The animatics used in the particular video I have selected give a play by play description of how music affects lives globally.
It does not matter whether a person is from the United States of America or from as far as the Netherlands, music is the ever present entity that connects individuals to each other like no other entity can.
Be it a complete burst of absolute happiness or a splat of depression, Music is the one entity, that one quintessential being that easily expresses all the feelings of a person, giving vent to silent anger/rage or complete articulate bliss.
In making my animatic, I have used photographs of people from across the globe.
Using a narrative style of expression, the video takes viewers through the lives of the individuals appearing on the screen as they express how music changed their life – or how it just gave them a reason to live.
The different narrators appearing in the shots in the animatic talk about how and why Music is a big part of their lives – most of them even going so far as to say that without Music and Dance, life would not be worth living.
Every actor is given a close-up shot, in order to make them seem more ‘relatable’ and generally more realistic. (Gender goggles, Narrative as essence of film)
From the non-narrative perspective, the film was made on a very small budget and is an amalgamation of different snap shots depicting people in different positions/action sequences, run together so as to make a full-fledged film with a basic theme: Music is everything.
Starting from Ankara, the viewer is made to travel across the globe through England, Russia and finally Nepal. Each individual narrates his/her own story – and talks about how music has played a great part in effectively changing their lives.
Films, being viewed universally by audiences of vast backgrounds and different ken, cannot be confined to a particular language unlike the literary works of art that have made so many artists famous all over the world.
The works of art that are produced within the magical cinemas across the world contain messages that have to be delivered to a vast audience around the globe. Thus, they usually conspire to achieve this objective by making use of the medium of expression(s) – such as via photographs, videos, etc – which is not limited to a select audience but can be viewed by a vast number of people from different backgrounds, without the hindrance of one particular language. (Language of Film)
For this reason, Christian Metz states, in reference to film semiotics, “…thus, cinema is a language in the sense that it is a technico-sensorial unity, graspable in perceptual experience”.
With reference to my animatics, the language in common that I have used is English, as it is the most spoken language around the globe – and is therefore easily understood by almost the whole world.
The native languages of the narrators in the video have been translated to English for the ease of the viewer’s understanding.
The shots have been so arranged so as to give a sequential plot to the story.
It is however important to keep in mind the exact timing of the ‘who, what, where, when and how’ elements of any story before it can be presented as a finalized version to any audience. Too much time taken in either of these can cause the audience to lose interest, and the story to lose flavor. (Semiotics and Film Theory)
Each shot starts from Who, taking a close-up of each individual so that the audience can easily relate to them as they narrate their story. Before each new story frame begins, a hand drawn map indicating the country Where the incident is taking place comes up on screen, with an arrow pointing towards the exact location. However, in order to help the audience better relate to the plot and the actors, the shots taken of the location are mostly MCU and MS; this shows what the subject is doing, and presents him/her in an objective light to the viewer.
A close up of each individual is important to make the audience feel as though they somehow know the person intimately, and this is followed by a few short photos that show How each individual expresses his love for music; these can be dancing, listening to music – or simply singing.
The ideology behind the film relates to how music spreads happiness across continents, irrespective of social/cultural barriers. (Hughes, Film and Ideology)
There is no right and wrong – only an objective depiction of how the art of music brings into the lives of all the people it reaches certain happiness that light up the darkness around. There is no place around the globe where Music has not penetrated; no soul on the planet left unturned by the soulful music that erupts forth from blasting speakers rocking a party; or simply calming the racing heart of an over stressed individual.
From 9 years to 90, music is the language spoken by all. It spreads love and joy wherever it goes, and is also there to give company when a person is upset or sad.
This film bases its animatic placements on the importance of music in our lives, and aims towards projecting the positive view people have of music for those who are against it (religiously, or other wise).
It serves to logically define the boundaries that separate individuals from one another, while at the same time aiming towards – and achieving – a complete eradication of the very boundaries it first talks about.
After showing the different stories of individuals so uniquely affected by music, it follows on to show the rise in perception of music in different parts of the world; and how this gift of sound renders the world immobile with its absolute power and beauty.
The film focuses on showing to the audience that such unique gifts as music cannot be judged, and should not be held in contempt of the different backgrounds it arises from. It is not up to mere mortals to judge the absolute importance of music, and that is the essence of this entire animatic.
The world of music is too vast to be contemplated by the likes of ordinary people, and must only be enjoyed as is – in its pure, raw beauty. Any particular genre being listened to must never be compared to another genre of music, as each genre is different and unique in its own style and personality of hearing. People from all walks of life are joined together by music, and as such this purity of sound must be taken in its true form.
The abject framing of the film also talks about how, for music lovers, dancing is another outlet for emotion and a way to express themselves. Music is not just a way to pass the time, it is a complete culture and my animatic serves to prove that claim.
The narrative and non-narrative styles used in the film pertain to explaining in a comprehensive way to the audience aptly watching, that music is acceptable in all forms – to all kinds of people, from all forms of life.
It cannot be differentiated from one genre to the next – or, at the very least, one genre cannot be thought better than the other, as each has its own unique place in the overall setup of the Musical industry.
Also, music provides a way of emanating one’s culture to the outside world, and gracefully showing the better sides of one’s cultural heritage. Music can help show off the richer cultures of most of the countries of the world, and – as such – can cross boundaries and climb barriers of culture/language and gender like no other tool across the universe is able to do.
This animatic serves to provide a platform through which to showcase the importance of music around the world, and uses different cultural backgrounds to get to it.
The ideology behind the film’s framing is that music can identify with individuals on a level no other instrument of artistic design is able to. This in itself, is an accomplishment to be cherished and cultured, as it has the ability to throw together two wildly divergent factions of society and join them in a union that is unbreakable so long as either party continues to retain a certain modicum of interest in the music being played.