KeepItSurreal: January 2011

It seems a little pretentious explaining what kind of creative person I am, but I'll give it a shot. I believe I have a knack for music and the ability to recognize the musical elements in a song. Therefore, I consider drums my outlet for creativity. Nowadays, with enhanced digital audio technology, producing your own music has been easier than ever. For example, drum machines, synthesizers, and digital audio workstations create endless possibilities for anyone with a little bit of musical experience.

I have a wide array of creative influences. Although I admire the works of talented disc jockeys like Paul Van Dyk, Deadmau5, and Daft Punk, who use electronic instruments, my true influences are musicians who use both organic and electronic instruments. Examples of these artists/bands include Radiohead, Massive Attack, and Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9).

Below are three links to works that have influenced me and a description of the effect they have on me and others:

For my first example, I chose the trailer for a film called “No Country For Old Men,” directed and written by Ethan and Joel Coen. The trailer begins with simple percussion shakers for background music, accompanied by still, long shots of various landscapes in rural Texas. Consequently, this creates an affinity between the music, as heard through basic shakers played at quarter notes, and the visuals, as seen through still, long shots of a desolate, barren Texas. The Coen brother's method of creating an affinity between the music and visuals undoubtedly influences me as a filmmaker. As we learned in class, music is vital to how well an audience receives a certain message. Therefore, the ability to effectively syncopate appropriate audio with video is an indispensable skill for a filmmaker. After quickly showing the exterior of a Texaco gas station, the trailer moves to a scene inside the gas station. One of the film's main characters, Anton Chiguhr, and the man at the cash register are engaged in a nerve-racking conversation, creating tension. Building tension is also paramount to any film. Without building tension, the filmmaker takes the risk of creating a boring and unexciting film. Therefore, I also embody tension in all of my works. Initially appearing frenzied and maniacal, Anton flips a coin and asks the the man about the most he has ever lost in a coin toss. The trailer quickly jumps to a moving shot of two men, with guns in their hands, dead on the ground next to their car. An ominous synth accompanies the shot in the background. Anton's initial portrayal – a deranged and vicious man proposing an erratic question to a harmless gas station employee – immediately followed by the brutal sight of two men with guns dead on the ground, actively sends the viewer the message that Anton is a psychopathic killer. The Coen brothers method of sending active messages throughout the trailer also influences me as a filmmaker. Forcing your audience to decipher a hidden message without didactically informing them is an effective way to engage viewers. The pleasure of recognition once that person acknowledges a certain message creates a new dynamic for a film. Accordingly, I try incorporate active messages in all of my works.

For my second example, I chose a live performance of one of my favorite bands, Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9). STS9 utilizes both electronic and organic instruments, creating an unprecedented, boundary-pushing, hybrid genre of music. In this video, they perform “EHM,” a high-energy, dark song filled with deep, bass-infused synths, fast-paced percussion, and heavy crash cymbals. The result is a rather eerie sound, suitable for the name “EHM,” which is the abbreviation for an “economic hit-man.” An economic hit-man is a highly-paid individual who illegally cheats poor countries out of trillions of dollars. Although any listener would agree that the song is dark, the fact that it represents something deeper – a shrewd character known as an economic hit-man – creates subtext. The chilling actions of an economic hit-man serve as the underlying message behind the dark song. As a musician, I understand the importance of embedding a meaning within your music. Creating subtext allows for listeners to identify with your music, strengthening the bond between musicians and fans. Similarly, STS9 also actively sends a message in “EHM.” Because they are an instrumental band, conveying a message didactically through lyrics is not an option. Accordingly, STS9 finds alternative methods to incorporate messages in their songs through their use of dark synths, heavy percussion, mysterious samples, and fast-paced melodies. Similarly to creating subtext, embedding an underlying message in music creates a new dynamic that is enigmatic for listeners. Therefore, I try to embody active messages in all of my work. Lastly, an affinity is created between the dark music and the dark lighting. This is conducive to effectively sending a message about economic hit-men. Although I have never synced my music with lights, STS9 has helped me understand the importance of appropriate lighting with audio.

My third example is the introduction to one of my favorite skateboarding videos, titled “Fully Flared,” and directed by Spike Jonze. The video begins with a slow, ponderous song by M83, titled “Lower Your Eyelids to Die with the Sun,” synced to skateboarders riding in slow-motion. The slow-motion skateboarding and heavy, ponderous M83 song create an affinity between audio and visual. Since I have produced skateboarding videos in the past, I can easily observe many comparisons between my work and Jonze's. Like all other movies, music plays a paramount role in skateboarding films. Used effectively, music should complement the style of the skateboarder. Spike Jonze does an excellent job of choosing a song that properly matches the style of each skateboarder in his work. Jonze also utilizes tension and release at the beginning of the intro. After the first skateboarder, Eric Koston, lands a trick down a set of stairs, he rides away and apparently is about to hit a concrete wall. Tension builds as the viewer questions what Koston will do when he reaches the wall. The music picks up with a loud drum fill and synth as Koston breaks through the wall, sending small pieces of the structure everywhere. Dust fills the screen as Koston successfully rides away from the explosion, releasing the tension that was built as he approached the wall. Jonze has influenced me to incorporate tension and release in these types of films by creating a story to go along with the skateboarding. This keeps the audience engaged and interested in your film. Lastly, there is a sharp contrast between the peaceful M83 song and the violent explosions that the skateboarders ride through. Although affinity is important in film, it is also appropriate to create contrast in your works to surprise viewers. For example, the first time I viewed this piece of work, the last thing I expected was a vicious explosion when Koston reached the wall. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised and eager to see what happened next. Therefore, I try to use contrast in the way that Jonze does in his work.

14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas

Visit http://changethis.com/ and read Mitch Ditkoff's “14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas”

      In “14 Ways to Get Breakthrough Ideas,” Mitch Ditkoff discusses the importance of innovation and 14 methods to generate breakthrough ideas. He begins by explaining the importance of innovation in today's day and age. Because of the aggressive nature of the media industry, it is crucial to possess qualities that sets you apart from everyone else, or a “competitive edge,” as Ditkoff would call it. Accordingly, Ditkoff provides the reader with the following guidelines for arriving at breakthrough ideas: Follow your fascination, immerse, tolerate ambiguity, make new connections, fantasize, define the right challenge, listen to your subconscious, define the right challenge, take a break, notice and challenge existing patterns and trends, hang out with diverse groups of people, brainstorm, look for happy accidents, use creative thinking techniques, and suspend logic. I believe all of these techniques are “good suggestions” for generating ideas.
      For example, I believe Ditkoff's first suggestion, “follow your fascination,” might be the most important. Passion sometimes drives people to commit irrational acts – such as planting a pipe bomb in a Planned Parenthood building or shooting a Senator for her political ideologies, but conversely, passion drives people to materialize their greatest ideas. For example, we wouldn't have access to seemingly endless information about our complex universe without the passion of scientists at NASA. We wouldn't have the opportunity to view magnificent structures like the Roman Collessum, the Great Wall of China, and the Statue of Liberty without passionate architects who made blueprints of their ideas and spent years materializing their plans. I chose to enter the School of Media Arts & Studies because I have a passion for, and a fascination with music and film. By following this fascination, I hope to enter a line of work that will provide a career that I love. If you love your job, you never have to work a day in your life.
      Hanging out with diverse groups of people, according to Ditkoff, is also an effective method to conjure up breakthrough ideas – and I couldn't agree more. My professors and teaching assistants in the School of Media Arts & Studies have stressed this guideline with particular importance. Although breakthrough ideas sometimes happen alone, teamwork amongst different groups of people is conducive to innovative and unprecedented ideas. This is because teamwork amongst diverse groups creates a synergistic effect, in which the working together of two or more people or groups produces an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects. For example, diverse countries from all around the world joined together to create the United Nations Organization with the common goal of achieving world peace. Similarly, people of many different ethnicities moved to America, sometimes called “the Melting Pot,” to create multiculturalism and a blending of ideas, values, practices, and traditions that doesn't exist anywhere else on the planet. After entering the School of Media Arts & Studies, I understood how important this guideline was to my creative life. Accordingly, I have been seeking out diverse groups of people in my classes, becoming acquainted with them, and working with them on group projects. So far this method has been very effective in improving my creativity.
      Although on the surface it might not seem as important as the other guidelines, deeper analysis reveals the importance of “taking a break” when generating new ideas. When working on a project, frustration can have devastating effects. For example, you might lose interest in a project and decide to stop working on it altogether. Or you might perform at less than your best when working while agitated. The solution to these problems is simple – take a break. Spend a day or two working a different project, and come back to your initial project ready to take on the world. This guideline has been specifically important in my life because working on digital audio workstations such as Apple's Logic Pro and Ableton Live can be very tedious, confusing, and nerve-racking. Consequently, I have discovered that taking a break from a project, rather than taking my anger out of my laptop or MIDI pad, has myriad benefits. After a break, I come back to my equipment with a positive attitude and a willingness to spend the necessary amount of time on a project.
      In conclusion, I believe all of Ditkoff's guidelines are “good suggestions.” After reading the 14 guidelines, I will keep them in mind at all times and apply them to my creative life whenever possible.
      I chose the activity prompt from Ditkoff's first guideline, “follow your fascination,” for the final part of this blog. The prompt asks, “What new idea is fascinating you? What new possibility has captured your attention? In what ways can you honor this inspiration today?” The new idea that is fascinating me is starting a band with both electronic and organic instruments. The possibility of actually starting this band has captured my attention. I have the necessary equipment and potential band members ready to give it a shot. I can honor this inspiration today by asking all of the potential band members to meet up and brainstorm for ideas.

Finding Your Howl

Visit http://changethis.com/ - read Jonathon Flaum's "Finding Your Howl"