“Tears of Joy,” Sought and Found, Musically

Today’s posting has nothing to do with me. It’s a series of ingenious videos connecting people and music and their purpose is to inspire the viewer to joy. If anyone can watch all four of these and not shed one tear of joy, you are being judged as a really, really hard case.

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This first one takes place in Barcelona. Nothing more need be said, just click on it —

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBaHPND2QJg

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The next one could use a few comments as it inspiration is derived from some very subtle elements. As any artist/technician in time based art knows, be it in music or film, editing these mediums is very, very tricky. In this video, a variety of Rita Hayworth 1940-50 movie clips are synced to the music of the Bee Gee’s “Stayin Alive,” a song written some 30 or so years after the Hayworth movies were filmed.

Take a casual glance at this video and you call it cute. However, with a more discerning eye, you can see that in some spots, Hayworth’s lips are almost in sync with the words of the music. I had to watch this thing a dozen times to eek out some very subtle but awesome synchronization. As one of my friends commented, whoever did this, had WAY too much time on his/her hands. I’m still glad they did it, though.

Things to look for:

When she is singing in front of a band with the drums in front, she is wearing a bold, black and white gown with a trailer. When the music of Stayin Alive has a cymbal strike, Hayworth flicks the drum’s cymbals with the gown’s extra fabric.

When there is a repeated yell in Stayin Alive, you will find Hayworth yelling on the screen.

When they sing “looking the other way” someone on screen is turning their head

There is a line “You can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man” and when it is sung, the screen has very strident leg movements

When the refrain “ha-ha-ha-ha” is sung, these editors found clips where the movement is nearly perfectly synced to the Bee Gees refrain.

When the words of the song use the word “kick” there is a kick on the screen.

The words of the song mention “somebody help me” and on the screen is a dancer acting out being a drunk sliding down a lamp post.

And at the ending, they don’t simply fade to black, but the dancers exit, stage left.

There are many other synchronizations between the music and the screen but find them for yourself.

The art in this one is not so much in the dancing, or the corny disco song, it IS the editing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=mz3CPzdCDws

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As I abhor commercial television, I put this video in position three as, I hope, the previous two videos will establish some sound credibility for this posting.  This is from the world of commercial TV, I do find it inspiring, and I hope other snobs like me will at least give it a chance. It makes fun of snobs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk&feature=youtu.be

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My friend Patrick McCarthy turned me on to these videos, all but the Rita Hayworth which was forwarded to me by designer Gene Faucher, who got it from his wife, Laura. This last video is a sort of a joyous display by students of Pat’s alma mater, Ohio State University. With thanks to Pat, I include this one. Thanks to Gene as well.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDNOB6TnHSI

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