4 ms·

Fantasia is incredible. I also still think it's an underutilized art form to have the music drive the picture rather than the other way around (three-minute mus

Fantasia is incredible. I also still think it's an underutilized art form to have the music drive the picture rather than the other way around (three-minute music videos aside). For instance, I've always thought that Mahler's 3rd symphony could make an epic fantasy film - actors, battles, special effects, and no spoken dialogue.

dwiel 11y ago
not necessarily classical, but Koyaanisqatsi is similar to what you are describing.
- darkr 11y ago
  An excellent film. The cinematographer on Koyaanisqatsi (I forget his name) also directed two films called Baraka and more recently Samsara, which are in the same vein if you're into that kind of thing.
  - ihartley 11y ago
    Godfrey Reggio also did Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi, which are similar with different themes.
mortenjorck 11y ago
There are some great contemporary directors in the music video space that are doing amazing narrative work with the format. I'd definitely check out these pieces by Tom Haines (https://vimeo.com/72176166 https://vimeo.com/72176166) and Abteen Bagheri (https://vimeo.com/129684032 https://vimeo.com/129684032).
santaclaus 11y ago
Isn't that basically an opera (or even musical theater)?
- abhorrence 11y ago
  At face value it seems similar, but story telling via music without using words (as in opera or musical theater) tends to result in something vastly different.
  - Retric 11y ago
    Depends, when most people don't understand the language the story can feel very abstract.
- tunesmith 11y ago
  Those have words/lyrics. I'm thinking more like silent films except where the music isn't incidental. Symphonies can sometimes have singing, but the singing wouldn't be done by a character on-screen. There was a scene in Peter Weir's "Fearless" starring Jeff Bridges where a key sequence was silent except for a recording of a Gorecki symphony... beyond that I'm kind of drawing a blank. EDIT: Ballet would be a better example. Except without so much dancing. :-)
  - soylentcola 11y ago
    I know you're talking about specifically word-less music but there are some pretty cool examples where the lyrics are more abstract and animation is connected without being literal. Here's one I love (by a locally-based musician so I'm probably biased): https://vimeo.com/123219861 https://vimeo.com/123219861
    - ihartley 11y ago
      Also check out The Music Scene by Blockhead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhheiPTdZCw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhheiPTdZCw
      - soylentcola 11y ago
        Oh wow, thanks. Sorry for the late reply but just saw your comment when looking at replies to mine.
hammock 11y ago
I sat here for a few minutes thinking I could come up with a bunch of examples and I can't. Ballet? I thought there was a Rite of Spring thing too. The use of music in war is close. A drummer boy beating his drum, driving the shape and movement of a marching army.
leephillips 11y ago
Kubrick does something like this, in parts of his films. Long scenes in Barry Lyndon and 2001 strike me as driven by, or interpretations of, the music. Of course there is a kind of "plot" going on, but these films can be seen as stealth abstract art. Also, in Tarantino the music is often one of the major characters.
- Turing_Machine 11y ago
  The weird thing about 2001 is that Kubrick actually commissioned an original score for the movie. The classical music was just intended to be used as a placeholder until the "real" music was ready. After seeing how well it worked, Kubrick scrapped the original score and kept it.
- firebones 11y ago
  Better explanation: the music drives the interpretation of the editing! The great director creates the raw material which can be assembled in such a way as to fit the music.
- anandr2013 11y ago
  I also really like how Terrence Malick uses sound. Especially Badlands, where the sounds (and lack of it) perfectly conveys a sense of small town ness.
chebucto 11y ago
Interstella 5555, an hour-long anime movie made to accompany Daft Punk's excellent album, 'Discovery', fits the bill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hVFTUFSdIs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hVFTUFSdIs
WalterBright 11y ago
Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Tarkus"

dwiel 11y ago

not necessarily classical, but Koyaanisqatsi is similar to what you are describing.

darkr 11y ago
An excellent film. The cinematographer on Koyaanisqatsi (I forget his name) also directed two films called Baraka and more recently Samsara, which are in the same vein if you're into that kind of thing.
- ihartley 11y ago
  Godfrey Reggio also did Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi, which are similar with different themes.

mortenjorck 11y ago

There are some great contemporary directors in the music video space that are doing amazing narrative work with the format. I'd definitely check out these pieces by Tom Haines (https://vimeo.com/72176166 https://vimeo.com/72176166) and Abteen Bagheri (https://vimeo.com/129684032 https://vimeo.com/129684032).

santaclaus 11y ago

Isn't that basically an opera (or even musical theater)?

abhorrence 11y ago
At face value it seems similar, but story telling via music without using words (as in opera or musical theater) tends to result in something vastly different.
- Retric 11y ago
  Depends, when most people don't understand the language the story can feel very abstract.
tunesmith 11y ago
Those have words/lyrics. I'm thinking more like silent films except where the music isn't incidental. Symphonies can sometimes have singing, but the singing wouldn't be done by a character on-screen. There was a scene in Peter Weir's "Fearless" starring Jeff Bridges where a key sequence was silent except for a recording of a Gorecki symphony... beyond that I'm kind of drawing a blank. EDIT: Ballet would be a better example. Except without so much dancing. :-)
- soylentcola 11y ago
  I know you're talking about specifically word-less music but there are some pretty cool examples where the lyrics are more abstract and animation is connected without being literal. Here's one I love (by a locally-based musician so I'm probably biased): https://vimeo.com/123219861 https://vimeo.com/123219861
  - ihartley 11y ago
    Also check out The Music Scene by Blockhead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhheiPTdZCw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhheiPTdZCw
    - soylentcola 11y ago
      Oh wow, thanks. Sorry for the late reply but just saw your comment when looking at replies to mine.

hammock 11y ago

I sat here for a few minutes thinking I could come up with a bunch of examples and I can't. Ballet? I thought there was a Rite of Spring thing too. The use of music in war is close. A drummer boy beating his drum, driving the shape and movement of a marching army.

leephillips 11y ago

Kubrick does something like this, in parts of his films. Long scenes in Barry Lyndon and 2001 strike me as driven by, or interpretations of, the music. Of course there is a kind of "plot" going on, but these films can be seen as stealth abstract art. Also, in Tarantino the music is often one of the major characters.

Turing_Machine 11y ago
The weird thing about 2001 is that Kubrick actually commissioned an original score for the movie. The classical music was just intended to be used as a placeholder until the "real" music was ready. After seeing how well it worked, Kubrick scrapped the original score and kept it.
firebones 11y ago
Better explanation: the music drives the interpretation of the editing! The great director creates the raw material which can be assembled in such a way as to fit the music.
anandr2013 11y ago
I also really like how Terrence Malick uses sound. Especially Badlands, where the sounds (and lack of it) perfectly conveys a sense of small town ness.

chebucto 11y ago

Interstella 5555, an hour-long anime movie made to accompany Daft Punk's excellent album, 'Discovery', fits the bill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hVFTUFSdIs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hVFTUFSdIs

WalterBright 11y ago

Emerson, Lake & Palmer's "Tarkus"