ASSIGNMENT #3 - Reflections on Sound Design

This bizarre scene of David Lynch’s Eraserhead uses sound as an important reflection of Mr. X’s elevating rage. There is heavy use of the Gestalt Principal. For example, in the moments of silence before Mr. X’s eruption, “figure and ground” are used. The suckling pups and droning machines place emphasis on the silence between segments of the conversation. It is very much like a situation where “it is so quiet that you can hear a pin drop”. Not only do the sounds make the viewer feel uneasy, but they also seem to stick out more than the dialogue itself. When Mr. X does burst, however, “proximity and similarity” are used as the machines grow more intense and the harsh timbre of a barking dog dominates the sound track. Sound is also used to represent the space of the home and also to draw attention to certain sounds. The mixing of the dialogue seems to remain true to the small dimensions of the space inside the home. There is minimal echo and only a slight reverberation of sound bouncing off walls and ceilings that are clearly close together. However, the dog’s barking has more echo to it. This draws the viewers attention to this barking, which coincides with the anger broiling inside Mr. X. 

ASSIGNMENT #2 - Finding Your Howl

Please visit http://changethis.com/ to read Jonathan Flaum's FIND YOUR HOWL.

Find Your Howl

This is a story of endangered wolves that are reintroduced to the wild after conservation efforts by humans. However, they have forgotten how to howl. One wolf is ready to take on nature and learns of his hunting instincts. He feels guilty at first, but then learns that it is what he needs to do to survive. When he learns this, he sacrifices himself and, in a spiritual way, teaches all of the other wolves how to howl.  The meaning behind this story is that we must go through hardships and internal conflicts to achieve what we want.

This guy found his howl.

Tool - "Reflection"

I have come curiously close to the end, down

Beneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole,

Defeated, I concede and

Move closer

I may find comfort here

I may find peace within the emptiness

How pitiful

It's calling me...

And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping

The moon tells me a secret - my confidant

As full and bright as I am

This light is not my own and

A million light reflections pass over me

Its source is bright and endless

She resuscitates the hopeless

Without her, we are lifeless satellites drifting

And as I pull my head out I am without one doubt

Don't wanna be down here feeding my narcissism.

I must crucify the ego before it's far too late

I pray the light lifts me out

Before I pine away.

So crucify the ego, before it's far too late

To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical,

And you will come to find that we are all one mind

Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.

Just let the light touch you

And let the words spill through

And let them pass right through

Bringing out our hope and reason ...

before we pine away.

The song “Reflection” really speaks to me creatively. As a drummer, what originally caught my attention were the innovative drum parts. The use of mainly tribal rhythms was something that I’ve never heard before in rock music, and I have since found ways to incorporate these types of rhythms in my own playing. However, upon further listening to this song, the lyrics started to jump out at me more and more. Tool’s lyrics are often written about and debated over. Since there is no confirmed meaning to any of the songs, they can be interpreted in any way the listener feels fit. To me, “Reflection” gives me inspiration and guidance on how to stay creative and inspired as an artist.

When stuck in an artistic rut, it can be hard to know where to go. It feels as if nothing is progressing and it is becoming increasingly more difficult to come up with fresh ideas. Many times, ones own endeavors can become to challenging and difficult that the only way out seems to be to simply give up. It can be interpreted that the lyrics refer to this as a “self-indulgent pitiful hole”. And, in wake of this artistic block, one can easily start to believe that there is no need to keep going, and that the current level of ability and creativity is “good enough” (“Defeated... I may find peace within the emptiness/How pitiful”).

This sometimes happens to me when I am stuck practicing a technique or “chop” for hours on end. While practicing, I start to think, “if I just get this technique down I will be able to impress so many people” or “this chop will make the other drummers’ jaws drop!” This, of course, is the wrong way to go about it and only feeds the ego. In the end, when I’m so systematic about practice and so keen on impressing others, creativity is abandoned and I don’t even know how to include the things I learn into my playing. However, I am always able to catch myself when I'm headed in this direction ("Don't wanna be down here feeding my narcissism/I must crucify the ego before it's far too late")

Sometimes all that is needed is a helping hand or a replenishing reality-check. Sometimes a small push in the right direction can lead to a rush of new ideas. The analogy in “Reflection” that refers to this is the moon. The speaker listens to the moon for hope during his darkest time, and is rushed with inspiration and joy when “she” responds (“A million light reflections pass over me/Its source is bright and endless/She resuscitates the hopeless”).

For me, my moon comes to me in the form of inspiring drummers. The one that comes to mind immediately is my drum teacher, Matt Schoneman. He always knows how to keep me on my toes and keep my creative mind flourishing. Although his main goal is to guide me and to help further my capabilities as a drummer, he also knows how to make sure I don’t let my ego get the best of me. He does this by throwing challenges at me along the way. Other drummers also inspire me to utilize different styles, techniques, and flavors into my playing. Whenever I see a drummer who is better than me at a certain aspect of playing, I am never envious and I am always encouraged. As mentioned earlier, the drum parts played by Danny Carey in this very song prompted me to imitate and, eventually, manipulate this style to be included in my own playing.

In conclusion, I see the song “Reflection” as an inspiration song that guides me during my struggles to become a better musician. I sometimes get so wound up in technical exercises and rudimentary rituals that the left side of the brain takes over and the right side gets left behind. While practice is key to success, the idea of success can sometimes leave one’s creativity drained. This is a bit of a catch-22, as (for the most part), success in music cannot be achieved without creativity. Therefore, one must “crucify the ego” to be able to achieve “all that’s imagined and all conceivable”.

The final minutes of "Reflection" performed by Danny Carey

ASSIGNMENT #1 - Deconstructing Characters

Protagonist

The protagonist’s color scheme is mostly complementary. He mainly has a mixture of blues and purples with a prominent splash of yellow.  Blue is representative of good judgment, and purple is representative of spiritual fulfillment. This works for this character because he is fighting evil. In the meantime, as a teenager of a powerful alien race, he is searching for enlightenment and is coming to terms with his responsibilities as a savior to Earth. Yellow is representative of his intellectual life outside of fighting against evil--he always has his head in the books. He has an important incorporation of white, which reflects his good nature and kindness.

The protagonist is shown with glowing bright lighting and shading that hardly hides any of his features. In a way, it seems as though he is standing outside on a bright, sunny day.  This makes look as though he is cast in a light of “goodness”. Instead of dark lighting and dim shading, his bright appearance is reflective of both his joyful young spirit and his heroic demeanor.  In addition to this, making the lighting look more as if it is from the sun than artificial sources also has symbolic meaning. The sun, the giver of life, shines on the protagonist, a protector of life.

The triangle is a symbol of masculine (the circle being that of feminine). By having a very triangular shape, the character is given a very masculine and mature appearance, despite his young age. This symbolizes his strong, mature spirit and strength. Also, the character is shown in his more powerful “super” form, which is helped by the triangles symbolism of “ascension”. In addition to all of this, the exaggeration of how triangular his appearance really is gives the sense that he is much like a knight with a strong defensive stance. Like a knight who must protect a kingdom at whatever cost, this character must do the same for the entire planet.

"Super Saiyan" Gohan from Dragon Ball Z

Antagonist

The antagonist has a mainly monochromatic color scheme of green. The color green is often associated with life and nature. This goes well with the antagonist because of his evolution throughout the series. First, he starts as a cicada-like bug, unable to cause harm. When he hatches from this shell, he turns into a more man-like being. In order to evolve to the next stages of his cycle, he must absorb others. As he evolves, he becomes more and more like a human, including his body shape, voice, and intelligence. In a way, he must absorb life to become more life-like as we understand it, and the color green reflects this.

The antagonist is represented under an ominous, stormy sky. The lighting caused by this setting is dark, bleak, and threatening. Just as a sky threatening of storms tends to keep people inside in the safety of their homes, the horrors committed by the antagonist forces the streets to be abandoned. The lighting is also similar to this character’s bleak and evil soul (or lack thereof). In many situations in media, evil characters are often cast in dim, soft lighting that reflects their evil tendencies, and this character is represented in the same way. Darkness of lighting is always analogous of darkness of mood.

The antagonist’s shape most closely resembles that of a bug (specifically a cicada). On the surface, this goes right along with the theme of life and evolution. A cicada is a bug that has several different stages of life, just as this character does. However, bugs are also generally “scary”--entomophobia is a common fear of insects. The artists gave him the angular and “segmented” shapes of an insect overtop a generally humanoid body. This represents how widly feared he is (many people are afraid of insects) but also that he is “equal to” or even more powerful than other human beings.

Cell ("Imperfect" form) from Dragon Ball Z

Gohan battling Cell ("Perfect" form)