IDM Mailing Archive

In a message dated 30/01/97 12:27:11, you write:

quoted 5 lines I think a backlash against 'cosmic' videos has begun. The video for David

> I think a backlash against 'cosmic' videos has begun. The video for David > Holmes 'my mate pete' and the Howie B videos being excellant examples. > Cosmic is crap because it alienates the viewer. It is not as some ppl have > posted an attempt to express the music, it's more often than not the > 'Artists' attempt to express their equipment.

OK.. Now we all know that any dick with a raytracer can make some MTV rave fodder video, but what exactly are we attacking here? It is the artist's fault, not the tools used or the concepts people are trying to get across. Going 'live action' is just as futile an attempt to innovate as sticking with spinning hoops and spotted dolphins. I would say that it is a lot harder to make an innovative, quality piece of film to go with the music than it is to make the music itself. By innovative, I mean something that really dazzles. I don't get to see much experimental film work, but I could count on one hand the number of works that are really worthy of being used alongside <insert techno artist here>... With all due respect to whoever was involved, I thought the video projections on Aphex's tour were a waste of time for everyone involved, and just served to distract me from the real business going on. I thought the same of Warp's AI video. Don't be tempted to use second-rate visuals, it's probably better to use none at all.. I think Future Sound Of London have created the most interesting computer generated animations yet. Their Lifeforms video is worth buying for one short sequence alone - the sequence featuring floating castles, and a poly-tentacled jellyform, which I thought was stunning. Though they often get carried away and descend into a psychedelic mish-mash where it seems the idea is to have as many clashing hues and shades as there are pixels on the screen, which is more often than not tiring. At the moment, computer animation as far too maximalist.

quoted 3 lines The alienation effect should not be taken lightly. Eventually you will get

> The alienation effect should not be taken lightly. Eventually you will get > sick of watching a 'cosmic' video because it doesn't involve you. Well, it > does if your a sad techie anorak like myself who trainspots them like

,"ooh,

quoted 1 line a lightwave lens flare, look it's the viewpoint humanoid object again,

> a lightwave lens flare, look it's the viewpoint humanoid object again,

grief

quoted 1 line that's a clever use of Real 3D's particle engine.'

> that's a clever use of Real 3D's particle engine.'

I hope I'm interpreting your idea of a 'cosmic' video correctly, but there's nothing wrong with the idea of 'cosmicness' in a film or animation - some (but not very much) IDM or techno music fits this idea perfectly (refer to the snippet concerning The Black Dog at the end of this post..) I just think it is far too difficult, and technically impossible at the moment to create animated visuals that really get an idea across, and don't look like a strung together collection of object paths, 500 polygon computer game baddies and unconvincing, unnatural body movements. But then again, what are we really trying to do here? Listening to (this) music is about exercising your imagination and understanding things in a very abstract way - it's a way of communicating with yourself, bypassing the ego (I'm sorry if this is hard to follow..). Couple music and film and everything is done for you, the abstract idea (which is of course originated wholly in the listener's head) suddenly takes on a very literal, external guise, and it is never as satisfying to do it this way - who wants to do that kind of thing in this day and age? I would say this - The Black Dog achieved far more, with small, simple computer generated pictures on the covers of Bytes and Applied Rhythmic Technology, than any film maker or animator will ever do. They created an atmosphere and a concept where their music, and sketchy, snatched visuals really did combine perfectly in a way I hadn't seen before or have seen since - a sign of genius that will endure. On Now? The Whirling Of Spirits - Balil