Category: sound

Week 5 Post

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Caleb

Hello everyone,

Here are three looping videos that I found on YouTube for this week’s post.

This Minecraft loop incorporates sound alongside repeated visuals. The player/camera moves forward in an already visually perplexing environment as the screen is framed by different types of blocks each second or so. The sound of the loop is one that uses “Shepard’s Tone” to simulate an ever-decreasing sound. The editing of the sound and movement of the player/camera adds a rhythmic pattern to the loop. The video itself ends the loop by the player breaking a block which returns the loop back to the beginning. There is a slight moment where the editing from end to beginning seems just a hair off of perfection, but I believe this comes very close to nailing it.

This looping video contained some useful information regarding creating loops while being a loop itself. The difference here, however, is that this loop is cyclic. Rather than having repeated elements within a single loop, this video cycles its content once per loop and contains a lot of visual elements that could partially place it into a frantic category. The creator uses an audio cue at the end of the loop to cycle straight into the beginning and even includes a countdown to the loop restarting. They also edit the footage by cutting a single recording in half and then placing one half at the start and one at the end to simulate the video continuing after the loop begins.

In this video, we see the creator interact with themselves to create a loop. I find videos that duplicate the creator to be very interesting and clever video editing. They had to record both of these instances and then combine the footage by either layering or resizing the footage to match up. The audio is important as well, the space between responses seems reasonable and the loop transition is barely noticeable. Another cyclic example as the previous but with less elements and a more simplistic concept. The creator also made sure to follow with their eyes the location of their duplicate to add to the illusion.

Thanks for reading!

-Caleb

A Film That Builds Sandcastles Using the Sands of Time: “Run Lola, Run”

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qharris24

Introduction:

The 1998 film “Run Lola Run” is a true work of cinematic magic. Director Tom Tykwer did a magnificent job directing this experimental thriller. Tykwer does a masterful job using this film to visually build sandcastles out of the sands of time.

Narrative Storytelling:

The film uses continuity rules to stitch together each scene. Tykwer does so in a way that makes you as the viewer feel like you’ve watched a story that had the good ending. Especially compared to the first two story outcomes for the characters.

Editing:

Franka Potente is the actress who plays Lola. She is tasked with getting to her boyfriend Manni before he changes their lives forever. The shots are edited in a way that makes you feel Lola’s sense of urgency. Shots of her running out of her apartment, down the street. She passes people on her mission and were shown different outcomes for most of them each time she hangs up the phone and starts the cycle again. Tykwer uses still images flashing on the screen to show us the outcomes of these people with quick flashes on the screen. The soundtracks also help build the scenes of Lola running.

Time:

Tykwer uses scenes to compress how time feels or stretch how long time feels. Each section of the film is 20 minutes. There are 3 different runs that Lola goes on while showing the time on the clock we also feel the time due to the clear starts and ends to each of the runs. Overall, this film has great passing that keeps you watching and involved in the story.

Conclusion:

“Run Lola Run” is a great showcase of what cinema can do for storytelling. The momentum of the story mixed with Lola’s determination to achieve her goal each time makes for an amazing tale. Tykwer made amazing editing choices to help tell this story. This film can be rewatched and still match the energy the first time it was viewed. An amazing film I’d recommend to anyone to check out at least once.

-Quincy Harris