Good music can save a bad production.
Likewise, bad music can sink even the best production. So choose wisely.
But what happens when someone uses GREAT music - but the WRONG great music in their film?
Here's what I'm talking about.
Take a few minutes and watch "ADDRESS IS APPROXIMATE" - a brilliant short film by UK filmmaker Tom Jenkins of Theory Films. I love this movie and I hope that you will, too. Enjoy.
Address Is Approximate from The Theory on Vimeo.
Okay. Here's another film that just popped up on my radar. It's called "We Stopped Dreaming" by Neil deGrasse Tyson. I believe in and agree with every point that he makes in his film. Great stuff. Have a look...What's that? It's the same frickin' music!
(Music by the wonderfull Cinematic Orchestra (cinematicorchestra.com) and the track is Arrival of the Birds - please buy the fantastic album: itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-crimson-wing-mystery-flamingos/id297787201)
By "frickin'" - I'm saying that it's such a wonderful, MEMORABLE track - that you can't use it without inviting comparisons to the other, EARLIER film. And when that EARLIER film has had 2.3 million online views - it's a pretty popular film. The net effect is that the music track took me out of "We Stopped Dreaming" and sent me looking for "Address is Approximate".
So what's the lesson? Find a great music track - but make sure that it's an original music track. Not one that's been heard 2.3 million times.
I think the track works with the message of the Neil deGrasse Tyson montage. I am just grateful the author of this cut didn't pick "Manah Manah" Or the Benny Hill theme as a score. Different effect altogether.
ReplyDeleteI am not one of the 2.3 millions who heard "Arrival of the Birds". It's a commendable number, but still less than the amount of people who put themselves through listening to Rebecca Black's "Friday".
Hi Jean,
ReplyDeleteProbably not a good idea to have "Friday" as the track for your video either.