Both of these pictures are from the British Broadcasting Corporation’s hit series Doctor Who. Both pictures feature the main character (The Doctor) in an active pose facing the camera. The first major difference between the two is the color scheme. The Doctor in the first picture (the tenth doctor) is surrounded by a white light, the hues in his apparel being dark navy-blue, accentuated by the white and red lights surrounding him. The second picture featuring the eleventh Doctor features him wearing a brown jacket and surrounded by blues and a bit of violet. This second picture is darker than the first one which sets a more serious tone and portrays a more serious attitude. In both of the pictures the main source of light is coming from the upper-right. The mood for the first picture portrays a bit more action because of the brighter tones and exaggerated pose. The lines are also drawn straight and inwards all toward The Doctor which draws out the action more directly. In the second picture the lines are drawn in a spiral towards the center. The Doctor isn’t at the center of the picture because his companion is with him so the lines are drawn towards both of them and detracts from just the action of The Doctor. The curved nature of the lines is also detracting from the overall action giving a darker mood. The lines in both pictures are following parallel movement but the weight of the first picture is a lot lighter than that of the second. The overlapping movements of the action lines in the second picture make it much heavier.
Frank Darabont did a fantastic job directing the escape scene for Andy. He abides by the 180 degree rule and the rule of thirds as well as the 30 rule. The scene starts with the camera switching between 0 and 180 degrees then focuses on Andy packing at a 30 degree angle. Whenever Andy is being depicted before transitioning settings, him or an important object is highlighted and focused on, being placed on the left third line. This abides by the rule of thirds and remains consistent throughout the entire scene. Even in the scenes where Andy is cramped and confined to a narrow passageway, the 180 degree rule is never broken. At the very end of the scene the director breaks the 180 degree rule and superimposes the angle by panning an extra 30 degrees. This was done strategically because the character was “breaking free” of his boundaries that were imposed on him and keeping him in jail. Likewise the director was breaking the boundaries of the 180 degree rule and reflecting the character’s experiences.
Rhythm comes predominately from the drums and slightly from the keyboard.
Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]
The groove is very lively and uplifting, much like a modern “pop” song
LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)
Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]
The drums and keyboard drive this song completely.
Structure/Organization [how is the song built?Order, patterns, etc.]
Opens with the quick drum-beat, kept steady through entire song, keyboards are added, chorus builds up to an impressive falsetto high-note.
Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]
Each chorus consists of chords that build up to a climactic high-note, this stresses tension/release.
LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)
-Height [high and low of frequency]
Generally low frequency, gradually gets higher
-Width [stereo panning left/right]
Keyboard part in the middle pans between left and right speakers
-Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]
More instruments are continually added, adding more layers and making it louder.
LISTENING FRAMEWORK
"Take on Me" by Reel Big Fish
LISTENING PHASE 1 (Rhythm)
Tempo [slow, medium, fast]
The tempo is very quick
Source [where is the rhythm coming from?]
Rhythm comes predominately from the drums and slightly from the guitar.
Groove [describe how the personality of the rhythm]
The groove is very lively and upbeat, but slightly heavy, like a punk-rock song
LISTENING PHASE 2 (Arrangement)
Instrumentation [which instruments drive the song?]
The drums and guitar drive this song completely.
Structure/Organization [how is the song built?Order, patterns, etc.]
Opens with the quick drum-beat, kept steady through entire song, heavily distorted guitar is added, chorus builds up with brass instruments to an impressive falsetto high-note.
Emotional Architecture [Draw how the song build and drop?]
Each chorus consists of chords that build up to a climactic high-note, this stresses tension/release, added harmonies aid this
LISTENING PHASE 3 (Sound Quality)
-Height [high and low of frequency]
Medium frequencies, that quickly become higher ranged.
-Width [stereo panning left/right]
Guitar solo and some other minor instrumentation pans from left and right in middle
-Depth [layers of instruments - via loudness]
More instruments are continually added, adding more layers and making it louder.
For this little project I decided to choose a cover song, and it’s original. The song in question is “Take on Me”, originally performed by A-ha and released in 1985. The cover by Reel Big Fish is a ska implementation was recorded around 1998. Even though they are both the same song they have a lot in contrast as well. The original 80’s version sticks to layering the drums and keyboard in a simple manner, having the harmonies only come in during the “call/answer” section in the chorus. Reel Big Fish however, layers the drums on top of a bass and a distorted guitar, then throws in brass instruments for the harmonic “call/answer” section all while adding their own harmonies to the rest of the song. The added distorted guitar makes the groove a lot heavier than the original, changing it from a “pop” sort of feel to a “punk” kind of feel. Though the drums are the driving force for the rhythm in both songs, they have a few key differences. The first is that the drums in the Reel Big Fish rendition are slightly faster, which assists in giving the groove a heavier feel.
The other difference is that the kick-snare pattern in the Reel Big Fish version is accentuated by a high-hat on the off-beats. This also makes the rhythm feel faster and because the high-hat is open it provides a lasting sound to fill the space between beats. This detracts from the “pop” type feeling in the original piece. I strongly prefer the Reel Big Fish version to the A-ha version of “Take on Me”. My opinion might be a tad biased seeing as how my ska band in high school played the Reel Big Fish version, but aside from that I feel it is livelier. The original is great, but the added layers of the horns and harmonies make the melody stand out a whole lot more. It is a much more “danceable” version of the song (not to say the original was impossible to dance to), though to be fair, the original music video was a whole lot cooler.
