Animation Degradation

These two images are from the Miyazaki film Totoro. However, the use of light in the two images gives them both drastically different feelings, moods, and meanings. The first image is drenched in sunlight and conveys a mood of joy. The bright actions of the characters is indicative of the surroundings and the lack of shadow represents a lack of mystery among the characters as well. By presenting a setting in such high lighting we are able to feel at ease with the actions which occur in the scene and the emotions of the characters are conveyed better, especially the ecstatic emotions of a scene such as this one, which involves such enthusiastic outbursts of ecstasy. The other image on the other hand is from a very different portion of the movie in which the characters are still discovering the mysteries of the depicted world. The use of shadow in the lighting helps to perpetuate a feeling of mystery and a general sense of unease in the viewers mind. By obscuring the Totoro creature a sense of interest and fear is cultivated in the eye of the one watching the film. the mood is far darker here and the darkness in the middle ground and background is reflective of that fact. The little girl is kept completely in the light in order to make her seem more innocent and vulnerable. The use of light here creates tension. The colors in the two scenes is very important as well. The bright and highly saturated colors in the first image contrast strongly with the dimmed hues of the second. The second image uses many muted colors to convey a sense of unease and worry, whereas the first image uses vibrant colors to express a feeling of joy. The brightness is toned way up in the first image and way down in the second. Both images use very strong hues, but the saturation creates completely different vibes. The lighting and the color really work in tandem here as far as mood goes. By increasing the use of color in the first image and severely underplaying the use of color in the second image, while greatly increasing the contrast of lighting and shadow in the second image while severely underplaying the use of shadow and lighting in the first image, the overall contrast is greatly intensified, as much by what is left out of the images as what is put in.

Burning Ring of Song Comparisons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIBTg7q9oNc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W61l6Y_IGT0

Tempo- Original song: medium

Cover version: fast

Source- Original song: drums

Cover version: drums

Groove- Original song: walking

Cover version: driving

Instrumentation- original song: acoustic guitar and horns

Cover version: electric guitars and bass

Structure- Both verse chorus verse chorus verse chorus

Emotional architecture- original song: starts as a pulsing trance, balloons up to emotional tumult, this cycle repeats three times

Cover version: starts as energetic rhythm, bursts into punky jam, this cycle repeats three times

Balance- Original: Height is low to middle, width is balanced, depth is about five layers

Cover version: height is low to high, width is balanced,  depth is about four layers

  The song "Burning Ring Of Fire" by Johnny Cash, is a classic piece of American culture. Cash was a legendary performer, writer, and figure in our cultural landscape, and this song was one of his trademarks. The cover of the song was done by Social Distortion, a band who tote around much clout in the punk scene. They are a completely different type of cultural icon, admired by angst riddled teens, and frustrated adults alike. Henceforth both the original and cover version of this song say much about the performers who recorded them.

  Johnny Cash's recording is a mid-tempoed classic, which has a pulsing bass line and light drums, while Social Distortion pump up both the tempo and the volume to achieve a nineties rock feel. The intensity of the instrumentation may be far more evident in the cover version, but the emotional architecture of the original is profoundly more pronounced.

   Cash sings with more feeling and a completely different range than the singer of Social distortion. Cash's voice is bass heavy, deep, and smooth, while Social Distortion"s singer is treble heavy, high, and scratchy. The timbre of the original is contained and clear, while the timbre of the cover is distorted and rough.

    Lyrically both songs are the same, but Cash has a slight southern drawl and Social Distortion's singer has a southern California accent.

    The pitch is much lower in the original and the highest pitch is the high note from the horn section, which is still relatively in the middle of the sonic spectrum. The cover has much higher pitch's from the vocals and the guitar's than the original.

      The instrumentation of the original is rooted in folk tradition and contains acoustic guitar, stand up bass, and trumpets. All of these are non-electric and produce clean tones if recorded correctly. Meanwhile, the instrumentation in Social Distortions version consists of electric guitar, electric bass, and a full drum kit. The first two of these are electric instruments, and the guitars produce a distorted tone. The electric bass isn't as deep or resonant, but it does have more sustain and sharper attack, which means it makes a more percussive sound when the strings are plucked. The full drum kit on played in the cover version is much louder and has many more symbols and toms, while the original is a much smaller kit which focuses around a snare drum played with brushes rather than sticks, which makes for a smoother and more roll oriented sound as opposed to a more brash and sharp pounding sound.

       The melody of the two songs is also the same, with any differences being strictly minute artistic contrasts.

     The organization of the two songs is identical.

     Overall the two songs are a great example of how two artists can express the same thing in completely different manors. I prefer the Johnny Cash version because it is cleaner and more emotionally gratifying. It also is a classic which defines a time, a place, and a person, the way the cover simply does not accomplish.