MUS 228: Film Music

📺 Watch: How to analyse a film: the complete beginners guide by The Media Insider

1. Follow your Curiosity

• Start with what you know: What movies or TV shows genuinely fascinate you? 
• Ask "Why?" repeatedly: Don't just accept what you see at face value. Dig deeper. Why does this scene make me feel this way? Why is this trope so common?

2. Look for Patterns and Themes

• Recurring motifs: Are there visual or narrative patterns that appear repeatedly in a specific work or across multiple works? This could be anything from color palettes to character archetypes.
• Genre conventions: How does a particular work adhere to or deviate from the conventions of its genre? This can reveal interesting insights about the creators' intentions.
• The evolution of a trend: How has a specific trope, character type, or narrative device changed over time? 

3. Break Down the Elements

• Framing and composition: Even if you don't know the technical terms, pay attention to how characters are positioned within the frame. Are they centered, off-center, close-up, or far away? What does this imply?
  • 📺 Watch: Where Do You Put the Camera? by Every Frame a Painting
• Editing: How are scenes cut together? Does the editing create a sense of tension, pace, or rhythm?
• Color and lighting: What colors are used, and how does the lighting affect the mood?
• Sound Design: What sounds are present? Music, sound effects, or even the lack of sound can drastically change a scene.
• Character arcs: How do characters change and develop throughout the story?
• Plot points: What are the key moments that drive the narrative forward?
• Symbolism: Are there any objects, images, or events that carry symbolic meaning?

4. Audience reception

• Fan theories and online discussions: What are people saying about this media online?
• Cultural impact: How has this media influenced popular culture?

What is Creative Commons?

CC is a set of rules that creators use to share their work. Instead of saying "all rights reserved," they choose how much control they want to keep over their work.

There are different types of Creative Commons licenses:

Most CC-licensed content isn’t free for all uses, only some — so make sure to double-check the terms.

• CC0 (aka CC Zero) enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, with no conditions.
•  BY: credit must be given to the creator.
•  NC: Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted.
   ND: No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.

Remember:

• Check the license: Always make sure you understand the specific terms of the Creative Commons license.
• Give credit: If the license requires attribution, make sure to give credit to the original creator in your video essay.

Read More:

• A Simple Guide to Creative Commons from OSU
• About CC Licenses from Creative Commons

Fair Use: A Quick Guide

Fair use is a legal doctrine that allows you to use copyrighted material without permission under certain circumstances. For students working on projects like video essays and podcasts, it's a valuable tool.  

Key points to remember:

• Purpose: The use must be for educational, nonprofit, or research purposes.  
• Nature of the work: The more creative or original the work, the less likely it is to qualify for fair use.
• Amount used: Only use the portion of the work that's necessary to make your point.
• Effect on the market: Using the material shouldn't significantly harm the market value of the original work.

Example: If you're making a video essay about the Apollo 11 mission, you might use a short clip from the historical footage. This could qualify as fair use because it's for educational purposes, the clip is a small portion of the overall footage, and it's unlikely to affect the value of the original footage.

What wouldn't count is something like background music in a video essay about Apollo 11. While the overall purpose of the video essay might be educational, using background music that doesn't directly contribute to the educational content could be seen as more of an aesthetic choice, which might not fall under fair use. To use background music legally in your video essay, you'll need to use royalty-free/CC-licensed music.

Remember: While fair use can be a helpful tool, it's always best to err on the side of caution. If you're unsure about whether your use qualifies as fair use, it's a good idea to consult with a librarian.

Read More:

• Fair Use research guide from UAlbany
• PennState guide to Fair Use
• "Can I Use Someone Else's Work? Can Someone Else Use Mine?" from the U.S. Copyright Office
• Measuring Fair Use: The Four Factors by Stanford Libraries

We recommend Zoom for capturing video clips, audio clips, or for recording yourself! 

📋 Find step-by-step instructions of how to record video clips via Zoom here.

Some reminders:

• Recording quality depends on your device. The bigger the screen, the better the recording quality. We recommend recording on a computer. If you need to record on a phone or tablet, this process will work, but you may not be satisfied with the quality. 

• Details matter! Follow the instructions carefully. We included steps to keep your video clips cleaner and minimize any need for additional editing other than trimming.

• 🚫 Streaming 🚫 Most streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc.) block screen recording softwares. Talk with Allegra if you need a clip from a streaming service.

• Use the desktop client. Download and install the Zoom Desktop Client if you don’t already have it installed on your computer.

🧑‍💻 Recording yourself? Learn some basic tips on how to improve the quality of your computer webcam recordings by watching this video.

📱 Want to use your phone? Make sure that your phone is fully-charged and that you have enough free space to record. To learn about best practices when recording your video with a smartphone, watch this video.

Want to use a dedicated camera? Knapp EQ has some different options for you! Reserving equipment via R&R is recommended but not required, and making an appointment with Allegra to learn how to film video content is also recommended but not required :)

📹 Video Editing

We generally recommend iMovie for beginners. It's easy to use, there's a lot of online resources, and it has excellent auto-save functions.

🎧 Audio Editing (for Video)

You should be able to just record and edit audio in the video editing program that you choose. All the video editing software listed above has built-in audio recording capabilities.

If your audio needs higher-level editing like background noise removal, here are some programs we suggest: