SIgur Ros Contest Video made with FINAL CUT X

Video edited with FInal Cut X for the Sigur Ros Contest! Vote if you like it



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Many years ago I saw an experimental dance group called EDAM (Experimental Dance And Music). Of course we encourage experimentation, some of it is difficult to bear, but occasional flashes of brilliance emerge… hopefully. Yours is a very ambitions piece, you’re shooting for high art, which is a noble aspiration. Experiments by their nature are hit & miss. All one can hope for is more in the positive. You’ve definitely captured some glimmers of greatness here, but for the most part, they are lonely for more company. Some particularly powerful images strike us when first we see them, however once revisited, their appeal wanes. The light through the white drapes as they undulate in the breeze, the first time we see the ants, the silence of the bare feet running on the pebbles, or turning & sinking in the dark soft soil, beautiful stuff. All somehow apropos for this haunting music. But great art features content, & here you have quite a famine. We see hints of visceral appeal in the dancing, but there’s never really a payoff. In structure this technique sometimes works where viewers are left yearning for more, here it’s more of a letdown. The piece is long & slow, so by act 3 disillusionment sets in. The video seems like Nihilism typified, a bit depressing & dare I say, meaningless. Some of the closeup focus work at the end looks lazy, just grasping at straws or filling time. Content needed.

Another great component of art is contrast, not in the film light sense. Perhaps the dancers might have been better framed in a hard angular concrete city scape, as a contrast to their soft supple bodies. Having them on the paths of the open field really doesn’t work for me, especially on the wide shots. Their upper bodies are showcased nicely with the bare arms accentuating movement, but I think the baggy black leggings hide the form & line dancers express with. The shabby interior location also lacks the contrast concrete & steel could have provided.

I’ll never forget about 30 years ago I was on a Hollywood movie set with a famous Italian cinematographer, he was looking at my portfolio, getting excited, but not in a good way. “These pictures are dead, DEAD!” he shouted. “The studio lighting, it’s all flat & lifeless. There are no textures, no contrast... I take the most beautiful woman & surround her with rusty scrap metal, or a filthy fish market. Contrast, you need contrast!”

Here you’ve got women whom you’ve intentionally made very unglamorous, dressed in dingy outfits, writhing about in a dismal abandoned house. All of these components are identical = zero contrast.

But it is the lack of content that is the most unforgivable aspect.

Perhaps a few more dynamic dance moves, costumed maybe with long flowing skirts (dark if you like), but showing some flashes of leg & line on some dramatic kicks, the slowness offset with moments of heightened energy, framed in more imaginative sets, with a few more odd curious shots & props to make us think it all means something, & you might have had a winner here.

From a filmic perspective, your work is excellent, some of your subtle light plays, the reverse effect used once, the gentle speed ramping with the split frame near the end is gorgeous.

Not sure what the criteria for the contest is, but if the judge’s dais is populated by foot fetishists, you’ll be a shoe in.



J. Matthew
Global•Watch•Media•Consulting
www.GWM2.com

I appreciate your advice and i'll make treasure of it! this was our first video we made for a competition so we took it as a game! anyways i LOVE YOUR advice! You definitely know what you are talking about and you are a pretty good writer! congrats!

Thank you for your kind words, Andreas. Only a seasoned artist can receive the good reviews with the bad. It's natural for artists to become very passionate about their work & with this comes deep emotional involvement, so when someone comes along saying perhaps you could have done this part a little differently, many become very defensive, even angry. You've shown some real creative sensitivity in your work & now maturity & openness for artistic growth.

Some may argue that art is entirely subjective, therefor my comments are merely opinions, however there are certain principles that are transcendent, touching people in specific ways, crossing borders of culture, politics, even time. There is an excellent book called - The Digital Matte Painting Handbook by David Mattingly, which covers many of these artistic constants, like the Golden Mean, the Rule of Thirds, & many more. Plus he explains it with pictures so we can all understand.

Be encouraged, Andreas, you've obviously got talent, & I expect we'll see some great things from you to come.

Thanks again for taking the time to write all of those tips and critiques! i hate when people only comment with one word "good" or "bad"! you're the first one that gave me a DETAILED opinion..and EVERYTHING you said i agree with especlally the end of the video! it's true i rushed it and got lazy because we did this video few days before the dateline! so i rushed the end and even the color correction!there are MANY things i would change of this video...content is missing!it's almost like you were there with us! it's incredibile! thanks again and i would like to exchange emails or facebook contact so i could show you more future videos! hear ya soon

last hours to votee!