Friday, January 31, 2020

Trends in Music Supervision for film industry Essay Example for Free

Trends in Music Supervision for film industry Essay Music can be defined as a rare combination of sounds that are able to project specific rhythms and melodies, which have the power to convey a message that words cannot express (Fleser, 2000). Music has the unique power to bring out the true emotions of people and touch their souls. Being such a powerful aspect of human nature and life, people involved in the profession of music have always tried to present it in the best possible manner that will be soothing to every soul who listens to it, as the saying goes that â€Å"Music is food for the soul. † Music is now one of the largest industries of the world which embraces with itself millions of individuals who work in this field. The growing success of the music industry has made people think that making a reputation in this industry just a piece of cake, but indeed making music is the toughest job for an individual. Music has always had the power to influence its listeners, that is why music is now widely used in almost every cultural and performing arts activities. The global film industry also happens to be one of these branches of the performing arts which have made great use of music not only for its promotion but also as a medium in which music can always be utilized to convey the story to the audience in a much more effective manner. Film as a medium is a great platform for conveying different stories and messages to its audiences and when it is incorporated with music than the goal to convey the message becomes much easier. Film music is now considered to be a necessity without which the success of any film can be put into doubts. Body Film music was probably introduced as a means to cover the sounds of projectors which presented the films in the late 1800s and early 1900’s (Passman, 2006). But the question that rises over here is that what allowed the film music to survive? The simple answer is that film music made it easier to convey the message in a much realistic form. Therefore the true introduction of music in the films came from the reason of covering clanking sounds of projectors. Before the addition of color into motion picture music was also a definite part of black and white movies. Even you take a look at movies not just from the West but also from the East than you will notice that music had great influence in movies on both sides of the globe. Introduction of music in films was indeed considered as an innovation, one which later had progressed into vast fields of soundtracks and background scores. In the late 1900’s the cinema industry was going through a crisis as he number of theatres had increased tremendously but the producers found themselves to be short of films. At first music was introduced in the films through a live orchestra or piano that played along the projection of the film but later on in the 1900s theatre goers were introduced to a new technique which included a much more classified form of music through which competent musicians performed along with the orchestra. The regular trend of music accompanying the films was introduced much later and before that the owners of different theaters tried to make the sound of the cinema somewhat close to live theaters. At that time all film projections were accompanied by human voice that is to say that dialogues were spoken live and music was also included as a live orchestra. To omit this non-satisfactory and at times irritating mechanism of sound from the films a lot of experimentations were carried out by converting the sound on disc and synchronizing it. A lot of experiments were carried out in this regard so that a better sound can be achieved. After a lot of failures the experiment proved to be a successful one through Camera phone. The camera phone was a device which merged the sound and pictures at an inexpensive cost which made it easy to be distributed amongst the theater owners. It would right to say that the camera phone was the breakthrough in the field of merging music and sound with motion picture. The camera phone paved way for a lot of other devices which resulted because of various experiments based on the camera phone itself. These experimentations included the phonoscope, picture phone, etc. But all these experimentations were mainly focused on producing a synchronized form of the human sound that before was spoken live in the theater so as such these innovations were not a major breakthrough but they definitely provided the room for improvement and further experimentation. Later a campaign was introduced by producers through which the synchronized disc system was considered outdated and producers encouraged the theater owners to actually include the titles within the film only which sort of decreased the work assigned to the narrator. This step can be witnessed as a gradual change for omitting live narrations completely from the film. Music became an important part of the films when the audience had started demanding music in between inter-titles or other parts of the movie. This led the theater owners to play separate discs which contained music at the time of the presentation of the titles. At that time Vita-phone was also introduced which was an advanced form for the synchronized disc systems but it proved a little more successful because it lead to an innovating idea to project sound within the theater. In the late 1926 the vita-phone was used in a meaning full manner by placing one speaker behind the other, one in the narrative podium and another where the orchestra played. The films produced with Vita-phone at that time led many renowned production companies including Warner’s to give a further thought to disc synchronization and the importance that it holds for the progress of the theater sound and music industry. They even found the vita-phone appropriate to serve as speakers for public addresses. The Vita-phone was a source for the main entry of music into films. Its first use included a major portion of incorporating music in films. Vita-phone also proved to be a source for amplifying whatever sound is passed through it. But like every invention its use also had to come to an end with other inventions. Music in films was deeply felt by the audiences for the first time in a movie called the e Jazz Singer which was introduced in October 1927. The reason for this reaction of the audience was simply the fact that a new kind of sound was presented in front of them, one which was completely different especially from the projected sounds and one which provided them with a refreshing change of sound. In many scenes of some movies the producers tried to develop a relationship between the actors who perform and the amplification system. By 1929 a lot of changes had been improvised in the style of filmmaking especially in the sound and music department. These changes were brought forth by revising a lot of configurations of the loudspeaker. The 1926 music in films found the orchestra to be the only and the main source through which the audience were entertained with some kind of music within the film. But after this a gradual diversion of the film music towards the screen was witnessed. This means that the speakers were placed exactly behind the screen so that it appeared to be completely well coordinated with the scenes it was to play along with. This idea was used by Hollywood a lot in its beginning days. If looked at closely than it might seem to be a completely illogical idea but this technique was brought into practice so that the real source of sound can be hidden and brought along with the attributes of whatever is being played on the screen. The technique of placing the speakers behind the image on the screen was also appreciated as a move to create identification between the sound or music and the picture. But this proved to be a difficult task for technicians. The technicians had to more mobile compared to as before placing the speaker carefully so that perfect correspondence between the sound and picture would be visible to the audience. The year 1933 brought with it the major breakthrough in the American Industry in terms of sound system. The Bell Labs had experimented with the sound stereo and in 1940 a major electronic company demonstrated a four-track-stereo system. This stereo system was adopted by cinema owners in the early 1950’s. The stereo was expected to fulfill the tasks of both the technicians as well as what a sound system should fulfill. That is to say it completely leveled the needs of accuracy and of providing well coordinated sound to the audience. But the surround sound also held its disadvantage. The surround sound system could be used to reinforce only specific visual effects. And it was difficult to coordinate the picture with 3 directional speakers. For this sole reason the major production companies of Hollywood including WarnerBros, Columbia Pictures and even M-G-M. \ If we look at the last forty years than we can witness a lot of progress in terms of stereo system in the movie department. This has only enhanced the performance and importance of music in Movies. But today’s position in movie sounds could never had been reached if Dolby had not introduced its optical stereo in the late 1970’s, which had an outstanding and improved nature in terms of noise reduction. The Dolby speakers were pretty popular. Most production companies tried to use these speakers especially after the success of the super hit fiction Star Wars. Conclusion For the past 40 years we have witnessed a lot of innovations in terms of sounds and music in the film m industry. At first different orchestras were brought into sing for the films but over the gradual period of time we have observed that the pop and rock culture of different individual music industries has paved a way for itself into this field. We now see artists from different music genres and industries singing for movies and their soundtracks. The quality of music has improved and is still improving. This is due to the digital age that we have entered in. But in today’s competitive world the movies demand a lot from the soundtracks. What we can expect in future is a global competition between different industries and what would really set everyone apart is not only their creativity but also their ability to market and promote themselves. No doubt music has contributed immensely in this field and will continue to do so if music composers keep on coming up with heart felt and innovative tunes for each generation especially the generation next. References Book Fleser, J. (2000). The Chord Wheel. UK. JSK Passman, D. S. (2006). All You Need To Know About Music Business. USA.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Impacts Upon Skinclads Business in the Next Five Years Essay -- Busin

Impacts Upon Skinclad's Business in the Next Five Years In order to analyse the operating environment of Skinclad, an audit of the performance of the organisation was executed. This took the form of an environmental scan which assessed the internal and external environment of the company. The findings of this scan will provide an understanding and appreciation of the many factors impacting directly or indirectly upon the company’s operations. The report explores the macro and micro environmental factors which are likely to impact upon Skinclad’s business over the next five years, reviews the internal factors, existing marketing mix and highlights possible problems areas. The Swot analysis lists the main strength of the business, its weakness and likely threats and opportunities the company may face in the future. Finally, the report identifies recommendations and possible options for improving production and the financial viability of Skinclad. MACRO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS PEST ANALYSIS A1 A PEST analysis is an environmental scan of the macro economic factors impacting on the operations of an organisation. It analyses the following factors and its relation to the UK Textile industry: * Political * Economical * Social * Technological The relevance of this analysis is significant in gauging world trends and its consequent role in influencing social, cultural, technological, demographical and economical factors. The analysis notes with interest the current state of the UK Textile industry which has experienced a slump since the late 1990 (Figure 1). The figure shows that total output had declined significantly over the period and production has collapsed by 30%. This may be attributed to the effect of globalisation and a shift to importing clothing from cheaper Asian markets such as Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Many local manufacturers were affected by this move. A case in point was Marks and Spencer who were committed to local producers until the early 2000 when they were forced to source garments from cheaper suppliers outside of the UK to compete with the influx of European retailers. The establishment of the European Union and institution of the Euro dollar has further exacerbated the situation for local producers as a strong UK currency ( £) has made exports more costly to other regions in the Eur... ...shion Shared Values Ø This is not applicable to the case Sustainable Competitive Advantage Ø Has been in existence for over twenty two year Ø Developed an establish network that includes, suppliers, retailers Appendix 4 ========== 8 P’s Product * Jackets and full-length coats in twenty different styles Place * Old dilapidated building in the old textile industry main district Price * Basic assumption that product is high priced since product is high quality Promotion ========= * This information was not provided in the case. However, the need for promotion may be limited as there is a direct link to a retailer who purchase the majority of the product Profit * Profit has been eroded over the years with a net value of  £1 on certain product Physical * Old rented premises in what used to be the hub of the UK textile industry Process * This information was not available from the case People - Not accessible from case Appendix 5 ---------- Ansoff Matrix existing products new products Existing Markets Market Penetration Product Development New Markets Market Development Diversification

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Lucy and Ardi: Beginning of Human Origins Essay

Many people often consider our first milestone in life to be our first step. It is the beginning of many important developments as an individual. It was also the beginning of our development as a species. Dr. Donald Johanson and Dr. Tim White discovered two of the most amazing specimens that would be the stepping-stones to the beginning of evolutionary development. Australopithecus Afarensis (Lucy) and Ardipithecus Ramidus (Ardi) were the first fossils found in Africa that showed signs of early evolutionary development that is connected to Homo sapiens in the evolutionary tree. Lucy and Ardi are important to our evolutionary development because they were the first fossils to show upright walking as their primary locomotion. American paleoanthropologist, Dr. Donald Johanson, led the team that discovered Australopithecus Afarensis in 1974 at Hadar in the Awash Valley in Ethiopia. The discovery of Lucy was very significant, which was because the skeleton showed evidence of a small skull that resembled that of an ape and of bipedal upright walking that is akin to that of humans. Lucy is dated back to about 3. 2 million years ago. Lucy’s species survived for over 900,000 years, which is over four times as long as our own species has been around. A. Afarensis, which are similar to chimpanzees, grew rapidly after birth and reached adulthood earlier than modern day humans. Lucy was about the age of 11-12 years old but the formation of all of her teeth showed that he was fully matured for her species unlike modern day humans were that isn’t reach till later years (Johanson The Quest for Human Origins). This meant Lucy’s species had a shorter period of growing up than modern humans have today. A. Afarensis had both ape-like and human characteristics such as ape-like faces, which is described as flat nosed and sloping lower jaw that juts out underneath the braincase. Also Lucy had a small brain that was about 13 fluid ounces and 400 cubic centimeters, which is about one third the size of a modern human brain. They also had long, strong arms with curves fingers most likely adapted for climbing trees to hide the land animals that would attack them and also picking fruit from up in the trees. They also had small canine teeth that resembled early humans and most importantly had a body that stood on two legs and regularly walked upright. This was one of the most important features of A. afarensis because their adaptations for living both in the trees and on the ground helped them survive for almost a million years as the climate and environment changed (Johanson The Quest for Human Origins). Twenty years after the discovery of Lucy, Dr. Timothy White led a team into Middle Awash area of the Ethiopia where he discovered the first fossils of the second biggest discovery since Lucy. Ardipithecus Ramidus was uncovered in over 100 fossil specimens in the Awash area. At the time of the discovery, the genus Australopithecus was scientifically well established, so White devised the genus name Ardipithecus to distinguish this new genus from Lucy’s species. In 2009, scientists formally announce and published the findings of a partial skeleton nicknamed â€Å"Ardi†. Ardi is estimated to be about 4. 4 millions years old. Tim White and his team found bits and pieces of Ardi’s skeleton, which were heavily damaged due to erosion, and the pressure of geology. Ardi’s skull was flat with loping lower jaw that juts out underneath the braincase similar to Lucy. The pelvis of Ardi after being reconstructed from a crushed specimen, suggested that even though it was not as tall as the apes it showed similarities. Also it showed adaptations that combined tree climbing and bipedal activity. White and his colleagues that worked on Ardi suggested that Ardi was a female that was a bit large. She was about 1. 2 meters tall and about 50 kilos, which was a bit large since that was the size of a male afarensis (Johanson The Quest for Human Origins). Lastly a partial skeleton of Ardi combines human and other primate traits. Ardi moved in the trees using a grasping big toe, yet her pelvis was shorter and broader than an ape’s, indicating that she could walk bipedally. There were many pieces of evidence that proved Australopithecus afarensis to have been walking upright for thousands of years. Dr. Don Johanson brought up human like characteristics in Lucy’s bones that indicated she walked upright. One of Lucy’s most striking characteristics was her knee joint, which indicated that she normally moved by walking upright. Her greater trochanter, however, was clearly derived, being short and human-like rather taller than the femoral head (Lovejoy). Another piece of evidence that proves Lucy walked upright was the formation of her pelvis. Her pelvis and leg bones were almost identical in function to those of modern humans, showing with certainty that these hominids had walked bipedally. The third piece of evidence that made it undoubtedly that Australopithecus afarensis walked upright was the footprints found at Laetoli in northern Tanzania. In 1976, Mary Leakey discovered hominid footprints that was preserved in volcanic ash and unearthed 1978. â€Å"The Laetoli Footprints† and skeletal structure excavated showed clear evidence of bipedalism. Many believe the three individuals who made these footprints belonged to the species Australopithecus afarensis. The footprints demonstrated that Australopithecus afarensis walked upright habitually, as there were no knuckle or hand impressions found near the footprints. The footprints didn’t have the mobile big toe as the apes do; instead, they had an arch, which the typical modern humans have (Leakey 81-86). After the discovery of Ardipithecus Ramidus, Tim White and Owen Lovejoy came up with many pieces of evidence that would place Ardi on the Human Evolutionary Tree. The femur and pelvis of Ardipithecus have characters that indicate both upright bipedal walking and movement in trees. Ardi’s pelvis was more primitive than Lucy’s but still contained characteristics to walk upright bipedally. Researchers say Ardi was a facultative biped (Lovejoy). That means Ardi was able to walk on two legs but only for a short period of time. Donald Johanson said in â€Å"The Quest for Human Origins† that when moving on the ground Ardi would move bipedally, but when in the trees she was quadrupedal. Lastly Ardi had very large divergent great toe, which was probably used to climb trees. Using those feet to grasp on to the branches helped them stay out of the reach of the attackers on the ground and also climb to get fruit in the trees. Lucy and Ardi are two important specimens in history that helped us learn more about the past human origins. There were many differences and similarities between Ardi and Lucy. The main and probably most obvious similarity was the ability to walk upright. This was probably the most important characteristic that connected Homo sapiens, Australopithecus Afarensis and Ardipithecus Ramidus together. Also another similarity was the formation of both pelvises. Lucy’s was more distinctively similar to the modern human but Ardi’s still contained characteristics that made it more human than ape. Something that Ardi and Lucy also had in common was that both walked bipedally on the ground, but when in the trees they were quadrupedal. Being over a million years apart Lucy and Ardi also had some differences. Ardi was more primitive than Lucy in that she looked more like apes and had more characteristics of them. On the other hand Lucy was more developed than Ardi such as having a slightly bigger brain, having more human like anatomy when it came to the bones, and Australopithecus afarensis spent more of their days walking bipedally than in the trees. The discoveries of Australopithecus Afarensis and Ardipithecus Ramidus have changed the way we connect our human origins to the past. Dr. Donald Johanson and Dr. Timothy White have brought to us these wonders that help us understand not exactly where our species come from but where some of our human origins and characteristics started. With the evidence presented, I can agree with the interpretations of Ardi and Lucy because through science and reasoning there isn’t any doubts and anyone can bring up. There may be many subtopic arguments about the theory of evolution but they all end up with the same conclusions that Lucy and Ardi is the first stepping-stone to connect our human origins to the evolutionary tree. After Dr. Donald Johanson and Dr. Tim White discovered the two most amazing specimens that would happen to be the beginning of evolutionary development. Lucy and Ardi are important to our evolutionary development because they were the first fossils to show upright walking as their primary locomotion. After all the evidence that many anthropologist, archeologist, and paleoanthropologist discovered and examined to prove that Lucy and Ardi’s ability to walk upright is clear that they are ancestors in our human evolutionary tree.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Essay about The Enduring Allure of Tragedy - 974 Words

According to Aristotle, the appeal of tragedy, at its foundation, is katharsis: a purgation of the emotions pity and fear (Kennedy and Gioia 1203). Although scholars do not entirely agree on his meaning, it seems Aristotle had observed something that rings true today: that witnessing a person falling from the apex of achievement, to become humbled and utterly ruined, is inexplicably pleasurable. This is seldom more obvious today than in the keen attention paid to politicians embroiled in scandal, or celebrities having public meltdowns. Like the dramatic tragedies throughout the ages, those observing cannot help but become transfixed. When observed in literature or television it is harmless entertainment, often prompting deep†¦show more content†¦Even with the knowledge that he was destined to kill his father and wed his mother, his ignorance of his birth is his undoing. Willy’s ignorance is less tangible: he doesn’t understand what it takes to become succe ssful, nor does seem to have a flexible definition of what success is. His narrow view precludes him from finding work he enjoys, robs him of time with his family, and leave him alienated from his adult children. This leaves him doubly bitter at the end, as he has emerged a failure, and he hasn’t even enjoyed life along the way. While neither man is truly blameless in his troubles, it is difficult to suppress empathy for those who are ruined by ignorance. Neither man could know that he did not know. Likewise, both men are confronted with truths over the course of the story which they failed to internalize. Both are suspicious that something is off, as is evinced by Oedipus asking his parents if he is their child (Sophocles 1226), and Willy first asking Ben, and then the grown Bernard for the secret of how they â€Å"did it† (Miller 1802, 1806). In the case of Oedipus, he was willfully deceived by his adoptive parents, whereas Willy’s wife Linda spends the entirety of their marriage assuring him (and everyone else) that everything is as it should be, even as he slides into dementia. These falsehoods, though well intentioned, are enough to keep the men’s doubts in check, and theyShow MoreRelatedJoseph Conrad s Heart Of Darkness1198 Words   |  5 PagesAlthough Conrad’s purpose is certainly not to perpetuate racism and advocate for an enduring policy of white supremacy, there are racist elements underlying the entirety of the story from a modern per spective. Although he uses loaded language and anecdotal evidence, Achebe certainly makes a valid point that as an inherently dehumanizing and racist novel, Heart of Darkness should no longer be considered an enduring piece of literature. Joseph Conrad depicts the African landscape as a primordial andRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New World1660 Words   |  7 Pagesyou only realize it s a delusion at the end of the road† (â€Å"Quotes about Mirage†). Undeniably, the quest of perpetual happiness bares an ancient path that allures pursuers with the promise of vanished pain. As one follows this trail of faded footsteps, their vision of reality soon becomes blurred by their dreams of prosperity. Thus, this enduring road guides one into the deep waters of oblivion where their mind becomes flooded with the whispers of fantasies. In Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New WorldRead More Mary Shelleys Frankenstein Essay1622 Words   |  7 PagesMary Shelleys Frankenstein Nineteen-year-old Mary Shelley didn’t know when she began it that her â€Å"ghost story† would become an enduring part of classic literature. Frankenstein is an admirable work simply for its captivating plot. To the careful reader, however, Shelley’s tale offers complex insights into human experience. The reader identifies with all of the major characters and is left to heed or ignore the cautions that their situations provide. Shelley uses the second person narrativeRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesaway. It doesn’t do any good to argue. c. Listen ï ¬ rst, and then try to discuss the issue. 11. When I encounter someone who has just experienced a major loss or tragedy, I . . . a. Really don’t know what to do or say. b. Tell the person I feel very sorry and try to provide support. c. Share a time when I experienced a similar loss or tragedy. 12. When someone makes a racist joke or tells a crude story about a m ember of the opposite sex in mixed company, I usually . . . a. Point out that this is inappropriate