-
Turning the Crank
2014-10-01 22:33:32
Well, -that- only took me 5 months. lol.
I'm about ... 2 days away approximately from beginning proper work on my new video. Things finally gelled enough in my head that I feel good about sitting down with the footage and music and making some magic happen. Looking forward to it, honestly.
Had a bit of a minor heart attack earlier today with getting some of the video to load properly but I found a solid workaround that fixed the issue. So now it's just a matter of getting my working footage broken down and rendered for ease of use and then I can get into it. I figure I should be able to start making some progress by Sunday morning.
With any luck at all - I'll have this out within the usual month. -
Subtle Hustle - Liner Notes
2014-05-30 22:03:11
So this one came about as a result of my brother buying some things from Right Stuf International and picking up a 'blind-box' add on to get free shipping. His free goodie? The boxed set of Coyote Ragtime Show. He enjoyed it and upon learning I hadn't seen it, he sent it up to my place for me to view.
At the time, I had just refreshed my interest in the music of Clutch, and having just been to one of their live shows (Totally Recommend this by the way), I had a lot of their stuff rattling around in my head. I honestly had the notion to pair these together just based on the blurb on the back of the box. The song 'Subtle Hustle' in particular jumped out at me as something that might be fun to put with a bunch of freelancing con/disguise artist/piratey types. So I watched the whole box front to back to see what I thought and I was sold on the concept by the time I'd gone through the first disc.
That much decided, I thought about the focus I wanted to take with this one. I didn't want to just do another story crunch and summary (my approach with Super Nitrogon), plus I really didn't feel like the song supported the idea. So I opted instead to go for lyrical/contextual matching for my footage. I also wanted to have a little more fun and not be 'so serious' as the saying goes. So sense of humor allowed and green-lit.
In terms of edit style, I edited Nitrogon in an almost entirely linear fashion, beginning of song to end of song. With "Hustle", I thought I'd try something different and edit in concepts and scenes as they struck me. That's not to say I just grabbed random things of course, but more that I'd be open to a non-linear editing style to try to keep my strongest ideas at the forefront at all times.
And synch. I was happy with some but certainly not all of the synch in Super Nitrogon - so sync was to be the name of the game here.
Guitar is a very strong musical influencer for me - and it even seemed appropriate to shift things up around it. So much of the sync in 'Hustle' revolves not necessarily around the downbeat, but around the guitar work. I felt it gave a sort of bluesy feel to things that matched the song. Additionally, when it's not sync'd up to guitar, a fair bit has points of synchronization with the lyrics.
Given that the rhythms of both of those things can be off beat and syncopated - it presented a challenge.
The structure of the song basically turned the above into a 3-part job:
1.) For the verses, which are a classic call-and-response style, with lyrics and then an answering guitar riff - match for lyrics, but also transitioning with guitar riffs as possible. Action would largely go here.
2.) For the chorus, which is a much smoother part of the song, I wanted to showcase footage around the cons, the disguises, and the general sneakiness the crew utilizes in their endeavors. I mean - how could I not? "My subtle hustle, smooth as mother's butter" is the lyric right there. So the chorus is rarely action-packed footage, and ends up with some very Sergio Leone-esque smirks and eye glances.
3.) Instrumental bits : more guitar work. This was pretty much destined to be more action oriented. See above sync with guitars.
So that was the plan. Now to break down how it all came out, in my opinion: (Time marks below are understood to be approximations)
==========
Intro (first 11ish seconds)
------
I was never really pleased with the JPN bumper at the front of 'Nitrogon' so I wanted to do something different. The opening exploding hallway jumped out as a great place to start, but I needed something to lead it in. While there was sadly no footage of a detonator being used, the 'enter' key press was just about picture perfect otherwise - so in it went.
The song's opening riffs lay out the syncopation and blues feel we're going to get in this song and so it was important to lay that out visually as well. I think this part works fairly well. I'm particularly pleased with how well the bullets ricocheting off of May's face, and the subsequent clip eject and reload matched up.
1st Verse ( up to 00:29 )
-------------------------
The opening few clips here -are- a bit rough feeling. The rocket flying in just feels weird for example, though Mister's foot landing on the parapet prior to that was just dead on. The data display spawning out on 'arithmaticness' was also right where I wanted it. The next bit.. eh. It matches lyrically. Running ahead of the bullets does match up to 'I've go the heat in both feet'. It's not my favorite part though. Swamp twirling his gun around with the 'snake handler's hands' lyrics - I liked that much better. The coyote ship flying in or away was a shot the show used more than a few times... and I
certainly did too. That was one of the last clips I set down for the first verse. I think it works, though in context of Mister's grin right on the guitar, and the group shot panning up. The RPG launcher settling on his shoulder right along with the 'Yeah!" was a happy coincidence and I loved it.
1st Chorus ( 00:29-00:45 )
--------------------
So I tried to do longer shots in the chorus as a general rule. Smoother lyrics should equate to smoother visuals, generally speaking. So the first two long shots of our heroes in disguise, looking smooth as you please did the trick. The next sgement wasn't as 'connish' but the result of one, so I felt I could justify it. And to be honest - May's head bouncing off the ground and up again right on the 'ride on' made me giggle. I love that look of surprise.
The bundle reaction shots after that I'm especially proud of. They timed out beautifully, and given the pain it was to set them up (the cuts were just a hair too quick for my editor to preview accurately) I was pleased I only had to touch it up once. The shots were kind of a mini-story. Mister's smug reaction to the rocket impact... may's head on the ground looking up.... then her sister's face (who was standing over her) looking furious... other furious sisters.. Angelica with her gun (who as in the middle of shooting May herself)... and then just a hair of a delay later.. May's head in the cage.. looking completely annoyed at her place in the world. Beautiful. It's quick and it probably helps that I know it's there - but it makes me laugh.
The second part of the chorus - we've left behind the prison that was the setting of most of the first verse and we're slipping through customs and evading people in disguise. More long shots. I redid this section a bit. It was important to get Mister smiling on the riff at the end of that section.. and it did nail it down. It's much better than the first cut I made of it. The concluding long shot of Angelica walking past the disguised crew was great in concept but felt slightly off. There just wasn't enough footage of her walking so I time-shifted it a bit to stretch it out. She's walking just a hair slower than the beat and it feels awkward to me. I love the double-take I was able to manufacture at the end of it, though. -That- came out great.
2nd Verse ( 00:45-01:02 )
-------------------
Lyrically I knew it was going to be tough to find footage to go along with the "I'm the media darling" and "international phenomenon" lines. Thankfully there was a press conference to pull for the first one (to which I added extra flash-bulbery - I'm not sure if there was a way to line it up with the actual cameras in the footage though - I'd have preferred that, but I still think it looks OK for the short time it's there). For the latter phrase, Mister surfing the tidal wave seemed grandiose enough to fit, and the focus-shift occurred naturally in the anime.. -and- on the beat. It was a sign. And the tidal wave
crashing down filled in a riff spot I wasn't sure what to do with, so it worked OK.
The next bit was the one that honestly gave me the most fits. "I cause eclipses with the wave of my hand." is the lyric. I scrapped and redid this section three times in entirety. I feel it could have been done better, but ultimately I liked the flow of what I achieved. "I cause" and "e-clips" roll in on syncopated beats, so the cuts are a little quick and awkward but... Mister shoots.. then the the coyote ship shoots... and then two sisters get shelled. (And I like the impact showing on the radar. A little Akira callback there).
The section after that by comparison was one of the first I really laid down happily. I got the bracing claws on the ship to plant into the dirt right with the guitar, and the flurry of gunfire that followed nicely mirrored the rapid snare drum that kicks in prior to the chorus.
2nd Chorus ( 01:02-01:18 )
--------------------------
More long shots now, to go along with the smooth con artist chorus. When I first viewed this scene, I knew this was going to be in the chorus somehow so I compressed it to preserve the gist of the con. Testing the raw material in its case... then the switch of the case with something less genuine. The bit after that amused me and I felt it fit there, as if the people being conned had figured it out and given chase. The buck just watching in the foreground as the ships go by just cracked me up. And the buck jumped on the guitar. Good buck. I really like that section. The ships go by nice and even and fit the
phrasing in the music well.
The next half of the chorus was trickier. I liked Mister shooting out the surveillance camera. And Franca poking her head out unseen from the cargo container were good. All pieces of a con. And another long shot of the ship flying off to 'I let it ride on'. That ended up being a visual theme, though it wasn't originally intended. It just worked out like that. I'm not sure it all gels together honestly - but it works and I'm not horribly unhappy with it, so...
Instrumental Bridge ( 01:18-01:38 )
---------------------------
This is arguably one of my favorite sequences in Coyote Hustle. Originally I'd intended the church scene to make an appearance with the 'Can I hear an Amen?' lyric later in the song. However, viewing the scene where the large thug sways back and forth rhythmically before he slugs the other guy got my gears turning. I thought he sort of looked like he was dancing. And the opening bridge guitar riffs sounded like 'dancing' to me, so I went and looked for other things that might fit. Swamp grooving in church with his backing singers was perfect - and thus my bridge sequence was born. I like how he flourishes at the end, on the beat, doing the hand-off-to-the-next-dancer routine. And how the next dancer - my inspirational thug - simply punches a guy instead at the end of his routine. The guitar whine as the poor sod flies into the table was priceless.
The shootout was definitely inspired by the dueling guitar motif here. Lower bass riffs (with matching single pistol shots on the beat) - followed by the trilling higher toned guitar to match the machine gun fire. I tweaked this a lot until I got it to land just right.
The return to the third chunk of 'dance guitar' riff was tough, though. I didn't have anyone else that looked dancy. I settled for Bishop taking off a helmet and then having to run like hell at the snare drums/gun fire. It wasn't perfect, but I thought it worked well enough.
The coyote ship diving down the warp tunnel I was worried about, honestly. I had the vision of what I wanted it to do, and I kept tweaking it and adjusting and then.. bingo. There it was. A great pursuit shot.
Lyrical Bridge ( 01:38-01:56 )
----------------------------
The lyrics here are just pure bombastic balls : "I got your number, I steal your thunder, I got your mother's maiden name tattooed on my arm."
I had two primary thoughts towards the imagery here: 1.) We needed to show some decisive Coyote winning, and 2.) That winning needed to include Madame Marciano getting taken down a peg or two. This was the scene that fit the bill. The long shot of Marciano & Mister locked in combat had a touch of Sergio Leone that I really couldn't resist, and it closed off the phrase nicely while leaving the action unresolved - but available to be settled as the lines repeat themselves for the second time.
I feel this could have been a little better at the end perhaps - though I'm not sure what I'd have needed to do. I think I did as well as I could given my choice and the available footage. Still. it's something I think about.
3rd Verse ( 01:56-02:04 )
--------------------------------
Having let Swamp dance in the bridge, I felt that going back to that scene for an 'amen' congregation shot would have ultimately been the weak move - and honestly the crowd shots just weren't working for me. So I staged the entirety of this verse in the church shootout.
"I drive out demons!" Who does? Swamp does. With a grenade. Nice boom on the guitar riffs.
"Can I hear an Amen?!" It just seemed right to have a smirking Mister with a smoking gun leaning against an altar. And the body drops on the riff. Sweet.
"Lay hands on screaming heathens." Who lays hands? Swamp does. The preacher man. And a machine gun stock is -kind- of like hands. Sister = Heathen in this case. Nice visual match. What I'm most pleased about this, though - is that as fast it goes by, the impression is given that he batted the cyborg gal like a baseball across his church. At least that's the intent. In the actual scene she jumps away from it, but I tried to cut it such that it looked more like she got sent flying. It looks good to me at least and the scene makes me chuckle.
"Do it all again" as Mister & Swamp run like hell out of the shot up church. Again - it just seemed to fit thematically - and made a nice transition point.
3rd Chorus ( 02:04-02:21 )
---------------------------------
I was running out of good cons for chorus material, but Swamp & Bishop fooling the superior officer was a good bit. It would probably have bothered me if I was going for chronology on this one, but that wasn't in my design specs - so it was OK. Again here - bridge officer walked a tad slow for my taste, but the two shipmates going for the close-up Leone glance and smirk made it worth doing as far as I was concerned.
Mister appearing out of the darkness to smirk right on the riff. I like that. It was a neat shift to him hacking the door.
The next bit worked out better than planned. As with the ship being pursued by gunfire in the previous chorus, I opted for another vehicle driving off hell-bent, the jeep with Angelica & Chelsea on board, to go with the 'I let it ride ons". I loved how the jeep changes lanes on the chord, leading right into the Coyote ship (also engaged by gunfire)
Chorus Extension ( 02:21-02:38 )
----------------------------------
Lyrically we just had a repetition of "Let it ride on" a few times surrounded by a lot of guitar. Visually I liked the Coyote ship w/gunfire here, it led to some nice maneuvering and escape shots. Even better was that the night and gunfire here are just about identical to the night and gunfire with the jeep escape, even though they were some half dozen episodes apart or more. It blended very well. Quite pleased with that.
The second set of 'Let it ride on's shifts to daytime later. In the anime it's a closure sort of scene, but the aerial game of chicken just didn't resolve in a way that I felt fit the song or looked visually entertaining. I felt that instead using the close fly-by moment was a good way to wrap up the rest of the chorus and then fly off - symbolizing a near-end thing. Plus I loved the pivot and split right on that last chord before we hit the outro proper.
Outro ( 02:38-2:47 )
------------------------------------
I did the very last shot of this first. Franca slapping the snot of of Mister and shattering the video in the process. The song ends kind of abruptly, and it just struck me as a fun way to shut the video down - and use that shattering glass transition to go to the closing title card. The transition of course was native to the editor I used. Had that not been there? I would have gone with something else. I don't do a lot of transitioning at this stage, but that one was crucial. It looked great, though. Not completely what I'd envisioned, but good enough that it made me grin like an idiot whenever I watched it.
Which I did. A lot.
So opening with the beer toast seemed appropriate.
Why exactly Mister plummeted through the floor? I don't know. I just liked the look of surprise on his face, and it was an abrupt thing to happen - which fit the guitar work again. But the look of complete disbelief on Franca's face at Mister's nonchalance - I envisioned that just getting angrier as he gets back to the party and is fist-bumping his buds. Then Guitar... Slap.. video falls away. Done.
So that's that. If you read through this whole thing? Hey- thanks :) I appreciate your indulging my desire to ramble on for quite some time. It was good to do, though - and got my wheels turning and thinking about other things, which was half of the point on a personal level. Can hardly wait to get started on the next project.
Take it easy. -
New Ideas
2014-05-30 08:14:44
So in listening to a bunch of new music I picked up the other day, I had that lovely synthesis of ideas come together in my head that I believe will be my next project. Anime is purchased and just needs to be viewed in full at this point.
Meanwhile - my 'liner notes' project will be moving forward. I should be able to work them this weekend I think.
More later. -
Pending, but still kicking!
2014-03-28 13:44:05
Wow - when work picks up, it picks up.
One of the things about doing contract work out of your home is that sometimes you just get flat out swamped. Such is the way of it now.
I'm still reviewing anime meanwhile as time permits. My sort of crazy idea is currently back-burnered for the moment - I'm not feeling it as strongly just now - but the song is still stuck in my head, so.. never can tell. I may do that one next or I may do it later. Right now I'm keeping my mind open for inspiration.
To help keep myself thinking about vids though - I think I'm going to add 'liner notes' to my two videos here. Probably very long-winded and not for everybody certainly - but I think I'd enjoy documenting the thought process behind each one, and pointing out things I'm especially pleased with or annoyed about. It's not sitting down and editing - but it'll help me feel like I'm still in the loop while I carve through the tsunami of work on my plate.
Take it easy. -
Screening Continues
2014-01-30 08:28:34
I'm about through 2 of my possible source DVDs for the new project - although I'm a little torn at the moment. My design thoughts on this are specific for a certain thing - though it's not a certain thing that's patently visible.
So do I let it slide under the rader if it's 'close enough' or do I try to maintain the original thought? Hard to say at present. I'm going to see how the rest of the DVDs line up and I'll make a formal call at that point.
In other news - I've got a new song stuck in my head and I feel very strongly that it's got an AMV rattling around inside of it. Of what though? That I don't currently know. But I can feel it there :)
JOURNAL: Metalfrost_JPN (Jason Brittain)
Current server time: Dec 25, 2024 09:04:57