Carrie the Salem Witch and Her Blazing Score

"Musical Score: A written form of a musical composition." (vocabulary.com)

Music is what gives a creator the ability to tell a story without saying a word. Much like dancing or art, it's a form of expression, utilized to explain an emotion or make a statement. In films, music works with shots, angles, and editing to develop tone, whether the tone is dark and minor or light and major.

I must admit that I am still not completely settled with what I wish to include in my opening. I have a few ideas that have nestled into different sections of my emotional heart and logical brain and the two don't appear to be ready to give up either argument quite yet. Until then, I've decided it would be best to find the exact style and tone I aspire to convey.

Maybe it's just because the album art is features a bright red background with a shadow of a girl surrounded by glowing orange flames, but one of the first concepts I jumped to is the tone established by "Carrie: The Musical." While many of the songs feature uptempo bops ("The World According to Chris," "A Night We'll Never Forget") or innocent ballads ("Dreamer In Disguise," "Once You See, "Unsuspecting Hearts"), I hope to combined the anguish established by "Carrie" and "In" with the powerful horror in "The Destruction." Actually, now that I think about it, Carrie could be considered a witch because of her powers. On top of that, she and her mother spend a great deal of time in church. In fact, in the opening number "In," Carrie is teased because of her conservative garments... interesting. While it may sound completely out of place without listening to many of the other songs in the show, "The Destruction" highlights both the female lead's fear, rage, and destruction, all the while making allusions to what has brought her to this point in time with the familiar lyrics and melodies while an ominous chorus creates a demonic rendition of the song "Evening Prayers," in which we are introduced to the church that Carrie attends with beautiful choir harmonies, the demonic imbalance in "The Destruction" alluding to how Carrie is about to destroy any purity or right to go to the church she spent so much time in at the beginning of the show.

In the song "Carrie," the audience get its first true insight into inside of the lead female's head as she describes how awful it feels to be taunted by these people at her school and how she wishes they would leave her alone. There is a specific set of lyrics that come to mind with this song,

"Sometimes their hatred is out of control, God how they hurt me. Mama says suffering is good for the soul, but they hurt me. And if I could, I’d bring them all, Down to their knees! I’d make them sorry forever for teasing Carrie, Carrie, Carrie!"

Within a few sentences, one can understand precisely what Carrie is going through. She feels isolated and confused, unsure whether to place blame on her classmates, "their hatred is out of control," or to find deeper religious meaning behind their treatment, "Mama says suffering is good for the soul." Much like the Puritans, Carrie is searching for a sign, a sign that tells her what her purpose is or if she is experiencing all of this pain for a reason. After that, she posits that "[she'll] bring them all down to their knees," which foreshadows how the story ends. Despite that, she is currently unaware of her abilities. Therefore, one may ponder, how is one girl planning to bring people to their knees? Are these people begging for forgiveness or bowing in respect? Some food for thought.

Upon looking over both the 1976 and 2013 trailer for the movie version of "Carrie," I realized two things: 1) I don't want this to be a horror film as I believe they often don't get a true message across and 2) I have absolutely no idea how I'd be able to produce special effects like the ones shown in either version without extensive planning, wiring, and a proper fishing hook (which I unfortunately do not own). While I could hypothetically borrow these materials from a friend or create a new way to illustrate such effects, these trailers made it certain that I do not hope to make them prominent features in my film opening. If performed improperly they prove silly, ineffective, and unprofessional, something that I aspire to steer clear of with my film.

There are however a series of things from those trailers that I plan to use as inspiration for my film opening. In the 1976 trailer, there is a motif of rapid high pitched strings utilized as stings whenever Carrie showcases her abilities. For instance, at 0:20, Carrie is shown from a close up low angle, alluding to her hidden powers while illuminating what causes the appearance of her abilities, her emotions. After she is called the wrong name, her frustration is evident with the close up angle, her face changing from distraught to complete hurt the shot quickly cutting to an overhead of an ashtray for less than a second before the motif is heard once more and the shot opens to show the tray flipping over in mid, a woman in the left third shocked by the movement but evidently not the focus as the ashtray's transition was closer to the center. This confirms the focus of the movie to be around Carrie's abilities, the reaction of the people around her falling flat in drawing attention regardless of the fact that those in the background are the ones who standby and let this happen. I am not yet certain of how my opening will appear but I assure you that should I elect to highlight the influence of the bystander effect, inspiration will be taken from this piece.

In the beginning of the 2013 trailer, one can hear Carrie's religious mother as she sings a tune, screams heard underneath her gentle voice. This appears between 0:13 and 0:26, the dim shots and lengthiness imparting anxiety. While I don't aspire to do this with my film with the hopes of generating anxiety, I believe illustrating how those who were accused's innocent pleas were often ignored or unheard, Carrie's desperate screams contrasting with her mother's lovely tune to highlight both how she is viewed as "demonic" (like those who were convicted) as well as how those who didn't fit in with the system established by the Puritans, symbolized by Carrie's mother in this comparison, were locked away in order to preserve the appearance they hoped to keep up.

One of the things I aspire to highlight with my film is the fact that there were no instruments in Puritan society. When researching information for my previous post I quoted this PBS article but neglected to share this piece of information,

"Their church services were simple. The organ and all musical instruments were forbidden. Puritans sang pslams a cappella."

Yeah. So, should I elect to start by highlighting a witch, expect a symphony under their voice and with every line they state, those against them with little to nothing and no underscoring for their lines.

With the guidance of some of my personal favorite composers, Pasek and Paul, Alan Menken, Drew Gasparini, Ryan Scott Oliver, and more, I aspire to find the beauty in the songs they've created that highlight chaos and madness (Mr. Gasparini & Scott Oliver, I'm looking at you) and develop my own distinct sound with their guidance. In my upcoming blog posts I'll be sharing some of my first scoring drafts, so stay tuned!

• Carrie (Molly Ranson) from "Carrie"
• Circus (Lindsay Mendez) from "I Could Use a Drink"
• Dreamer In Disguise (Derek Klena) from "Carrie"
• The Ballad of Sara Berry from "35mm: A Musical Exhibition"

S. (2016, September 19). Carrie (1976) - Official Trailer (HD). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuO26oJQLVs

J. (2013, April 04). Carrie - Official Trailer #1 (HD) Chloe Moretz (2013). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdoVioPv0fs

Carrie Lyrics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://www.themusicallyrics.com/c/251-carrie-off-broadway-musical-lyrics/1892-carrie-lyrics.html

Carrie: The Musical Premiere Cast Recording. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://www.amazon.com/Carrie-Musical-Premiere-Cast-Recording/dp/B008VTRJQ0

God In America. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/people/puritans.html

INTERPRETI. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://www.antoniogenna.net/doppiaggio/film/carrie.htm

Musical score - Dictionary Definition. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/musical%20score

Pauly, S. (2014, June 12). WTF: Carrie (2013). Retrieved March 11, 2018, from https://123wtf.me/2014/01/26/wtf-carrie-2013/

What a Witch

The Salem Witch Trials is a part of history I've always been incredibly fascinated by. Perhaps that's why when I was talking with my sister about my project and she mentioned that as one of the concepts to look into, I felt like my personal Cinderella's Mother ("Into the Woods" reference!) came to smack my face to say, "Amanda Ribnick, this is perfect [time period] for you."

The Salem Witch Trials began during the spring of 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts. The people in this village were Puritan, meaning that they believed that the Catholic practices of the Church of England were not complete, but that their religion could purify them. Puritans had rigid structure in their lives, their religion based on the concepts expressed by Calvinism, a branch of Christian theology that believes in the "doctrines of predestination and of the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation," according to Wikipedia's page on John Calvin, the creator himself. These people lived their itching with spiritual anxiety, considered constantly "searching for signs of God's favor or anger," according to this PBS article.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of "The Scarlet Letter," highlights what life was like during this time period by illustrating how American Puritans lived their lives. Much like in this fictional novel, the Puritans were majors gossips, known for having constant disagreements. As I had the pleasure of analyzing this novel for my AP English Language class last year, I'm fortunate enough to have a basic understanding of the Puritan community and how they react to people who don't conform with their ideals, how they isolate and ostracize those who have made what they perceive to be mistakes. With this knowledge, I can gain insight into how their community functioned as utilize this knowledge in the creation of my film opening and the characters and relationships that I choose to present.

As I was reading through Wikipedia's page on the Trials themselves, I came across a link for the timeline of the events! According to the page, this event began in January of 1692 when cousins Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Parris began experiencing what seemed to be invisible torture, the two complaining of pricks and pinches with no visual evidence. More girls soon joined them in these fits, the first question of whether they were caused by witchcraft appearing in February after a local doctor suggested it. It was then that John Indian, the husband of Tituba, was told to make a "witch cake," a recipe told of in English folklore that is made of the possessed's urine and rye meal and then fed to a dog in the hopes of learning who the witch was. At the end of this month, Elizabeth Parris accused Tituba, her father's slave, as a witch. After that, Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good were accused, and the craziness of these accusations grew like wildfire. Throughout my research I have read a myriad of different explanations for how the next few months developed. The timeline posits that Tituba confesses herself as a tormentor and Good and Osbourne as her accomplices. However, I found this upon reading over Tituba's page on Wikipedia, 

"[Tituba] was also the first to confess to witchcraft in Salem Village. Initially denying her involvement in witchcraft, Tituba later confessed to making a "witchcake"... When questioned later, she added that she knew about occult techniques from her mistress in Barbados, who taught her how to ward herself from evil powers and how to reveal the cause of witchcraft. Since such knowledge was not meant for harm, Tituba again asserted to Parris she was not a witch, but admitted she had participated in an occult ritual when she made the witchcake in an attempt to help Elizabeth Parris." 

Then, I decided to look into the links that were present at the end of that paragraph to see if I could confirm anything. The first link was for a book produced by the New York Press, but unfortunately it costs $89 to read, so I figured that wouldn't work. I ran into similar issues with the other citations, all of them being from novels that required money that I just don't have.

Okay, wait. I might have gotten a little ahead of myself. At the top of Tituba's page I somehow managed to neglected this,

"However, she became a pivotal figure in the witch trials when she confessed to witchcraft while also making claims that both Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne participated in said witchcraft."

Nice one, Amanda.

But hey, I found the confirmation I was looking for! Back to our glorious timeline. As other young ladies began to show these symptoms (Ann Putnam Jr., etc.), more people are accused an imprisoned. Nobody seems safe from these accusations anymore, four-year-old Dorothy Good arrested towards the end of March, John Proctor in the beginning of April, and a former minister of Salem, George Burroughs at the end of April. On June 10, Bridget Bishop is the first to be hanged at Gallows Hall. Over the course of these trials, 19 are hanged. Despite that, a few died in prison as well, one of these people being Sarah Osbourne. The entire affair ends in May of 1963, but despite that many have lost their lives as well as any trust or companionship that could have grown in this community, the toll of the trials ruining any faith they could place in one another on account of the constant accusations and anxious tensions.

While I could spend hours (literally) analyzing the effects this situation had on each individual recorded to take part in the Salem Witch Trials, I'll keep it simple. This Puritan community's value of structure and belief that they are always on trial was multiplied exponentially by the accusations made during this time period, cutting all basic ties of trust, friendship, and drive to be morally righteous. When I say "drive to be morally righteous," I am referring to how there is a high possibility that people became selfish, looking out for themselves in order to avoid conviction. Because they have become selfish, they are thereby rebelling against the religion that they aim to follow so perfectly, thereby causing more tension internally amid the quick heart beats many in their ears at all times.

Thanks for tuning in to this blog post!

• At the Ballet from "A Chorus Line"
• Rent from "Rent"
• In from "Carrie"

Baker, E. W. (2016). The Salem Witch Trials. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.324

DeMaiolo, J. F., & Hawthorne, N. (1996). The Scarlet Letter. New York: Applause.

God In America. (n.d.). Retrieved March 09, 2018, from http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/people/puritans.html

John Calvin. (2018, March 06). Retrieved March 09, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin

Puritans. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritans.

Salem witch trials. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_witch_trials.

Salem Witch Trials Webquest. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2018, from https://sites.google.com/site/witchtrialswebquest/

The Puritan Divorce Allows Escape From the Chain of Matrimony. (n.d.). doi:10.1075/ps.5.3.02chi.audio.2f

The Scarlet Letter. (n.d.). Retrieved March 09, 2018, from https://classicalconversationsbooks.com/products/1s030

Timeline of the Salem witch trials. (2018, March 06). Retrieved March 10, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Salem_witch_trials

Tituba. (2018, February 18). Retrieved March 10, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tituba

A Million Dreams for the Film I'm Gonna Make

Ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between, I present to you the true beginning of my journey.

IT'S CASE STUDY TIME, READER!

Before we take this huge dive together I should inform you that between this posting and my last one, I've come to settle for a sub-genre. When I first considered presenting a musical with a sub-genre of historical drama/romance, the idea terrified me. I was worried by the idea of finding an appropriate setting, should I have elected to have worked in an era such as the 1950s. On top of that, as an individual only beginning to understand music theory, the concept of emulating another style mortified me. Then it hit me.

Didn't "The Greatest Showman" present modern, contemporary music in their movie? According to the great Wikipedia, P. T. Barnum, the main character of this movie, lived from 1810 to 1891. I assure you that this time period did not contain the same pop/theatre music that is heard throughout the film. Despite that, the film had great success, racking up $113 million within its first five weekends in theaters, the profit almost doubling from $8.8 to $15 million during its first week according to this article by The Atlantic. 

Furthermore, outside of the world of film, the Broadway musical hit "Hamilton," which begins in the later 1770s, features rap and hip-hop in its storytelling. The musical follows the character of Alexander Hamilton, one of American's Founding Fathers, and his life's journey. Despite the fact that the music style doesn't align with the time period, this musical is told sung through these beats because the creator, Tony and Grammy Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, believed it was the best way to tell it, quoted in the New York Times for stating,

"That is part and parcel with the hip-hop narrative: writing your way out of your circumstances, writing the future you want to see for yourself. This is a guy who wrote at 14, ‘I wish there was a war.’ It doesn’t get more hip-hop than that."

While I recognize that this has little to do with film, I felt that it was absolutely necessary to include because it has helped me select this genre for my film. While I've yet to settle on my time period (look out for my next post!), knowing that I could still hypothetically uses my personal style in my music put me at ease. Should you, dear reader, wish to hear his brilliant tracks (although honestly, I would be slightly surprised if you hadn't at least heard about this phenomenal hit), I recommend clicking this link here for some preview tracks. If you have Apple Music you can listen to them in full!

Anyways, back to the beauty and genius that is "The Greatest Showman." When I watched this movie in theaters the day it came out, what really got me hooked was the opening sequence. While there is no current way to access this clip because the motion picture rights have yet to be released, here's a list I have compiled of shots from various trailers that I recall being present in this movie's glorious opening:

From 0:05 to 0:12, 1:10 to 1:12, 1:20 to 1:27, 1:33 to 1:35, and 2:16 to 2:19 in the trailer here.
From 1:22 to 1:26 and 1:53 to 1:55 in the trailer here.

The movie opens with P.T. Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman, in a long shot, his entire body illuminated by back lights, Jackman only in shadows as he starts to sing. From what I can recall, Jackman is highlighted by red of his jacket and the yellow-white lights of the stage in his area, the actor standing directly behind the bleachers. Through the opening, the camera plays to the mystery of this shadowed figure but remaining at a distance, Jackman executing a dance sequence that moves slowly and swiftly, the moments with a lack of movement leading to anticipation just like his circus aims to do: control the anticipation in order to retain the intrigue. There are a series of close ups and mid shots as well, though the camera tends to remain in the mid and long shot area in order to capture Jackman's dancing. When the song begins to transition from Jackman's lower register into his upper, the camera follows him into the area where he and the cast are filmed as they dance, the images changing every few seconds to illustrate how much there is to see, the ensemble in bright costumes and the area lit overhead like a stage would be, areas around unlit and dark, isolating the group in brightness in order to foreshadow how they will stand alone as a group of outcasts (spoiler alert!), but be a topic of conversation everywhere.

I feel it necessary to mention that while the opening track present on the released album is a full length of 5:02, the opening of the film utilized a cut section of this and faded out the instruments and chorus while the lead character of P.T. Barnum was steadily repeating the lyrics "It's everything you ever want, It's everything you ever need, And it's here right in front of you, This is where you want to be," (which occurs around 3:16 of the original track!). At the end of this clip, the camera is spinning around Jackman as the spotlight on him fades, the ensemble and stage disappearing as the dismal set is slowly revealed. As the lights fade in around him, blue tones emphasizing the contrasts to the red jacket that fades away along with his vision, the excitement in his face fades away, Jackman singing the lyrics once more as if he were humming to himself.

If that's not an incredible musical movie opening, I don't know what is.

I must however note that much of this majesty was enhanced by the brilliant work of Pasek and Paul, the composers of "The Greatest Showman's" score. If you're interested in hearing some of their work in this production or others, (Dogfight, Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land), I would recommend starting your search here.

Some new editions to your library of Amanda tunes:

• The Greatest Show from "The Greatest Showman"
• Alexander Hamilton from "Hamilton"
• A Million Dreams from "The Greatest Showman"

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (2017) | Full Movie Trailer in Full HD | 1080p. (2017, December 29). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zOeiLhcgPo

Benj Pasek on Apple Music. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/benj-pasek/311464527

Hamilton (musical). (2018, March 03). Retrieved March 05, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_(musical)

Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) by Various Artists on Apple Music. (2015, September 25). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/hamilton-original-broadway-cast-recording/1129446206

Sims, D. (2018, January 22). The Astonishing Success of The Greatest Showman. Retrieved March 05, 2018, from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/01/the-astonishing-success-of-the-greatest-showman/551081/

The Greatest Showman. (2018, March 04). Retrieved March 05, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Showman

Weinert-Kendt, R. (2015, February 05). Lin-Manuel Miranda and Others From Hamilton Talk History. Retrieved March 07, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/theater/lin-manuel-miranda-and-others-from-hamilton-talk-history.html

Weinert-Kendt, R. (2015, February 05). Lin-Manuel Miranda and Others From Hamilton Talk History. Retrieved March 07, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/theater/lin-manuel-miranda-and-others-from-hamilton-talk-history.html

Zac Efron and Zendaya reveal the one thing Hugh Jackmans bad at. (2017, December 21). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/new-movies/zac-efron-and-zendaya-reveal-the-one-thing-hugh-jackmans-bad-at/news-story/1ba42318c6e2c3fb705714aacbb5ff53

The Sub-Genre Search Begins

Oh gosh. Here we go. The hard part.

The search for a sub-genre.

Many acclaimed musical movies are historical romances, "Grease," "Hair," and "West Side Story" to name a few. The idea of creating a movie in a set time period is highly alluring as I've always enjoyed pieces that whisk one off to the past in order to highlight how it has (or has failed to) impact our present. While I'm certain could manage to find appropriate costumes, the biggest difficulty with this would be recreating the sound and style found during those time periods. Nobody could watch "The Sound of Music" if the songs were replaced with today's modern synths with a serious look on their face. Also, as an avid fan of contemporary musical theatre composers composers such as Kerrigan and Lowdermilk, Drew Gasparini, and Ryan Scott Oliver, I imagine it would be much easier for me to create a contemporary piece.

The film opening for Rent is a clip I have analyzed extensively for the soul purpose of this project. The musical originated on Broadway and much of the original cast was used in the film version. As a theatre gal who happens to currently be in a production of this powerful show, I remember the surprise I felt when the film opened with the iconic song "Seasons of Love" in contrast to the musical's opening song "Rent." After further analysis of the shots and angles, I realized that the simplicity of the set, predominantly straight forward shots, and the lines created by the opening image of the characters lit by individual spotlights, the back light only illuminating their shadows were done to present the characters as individuals who are all equal. Even the selection of using small white font that depicts the names of the cast promises a honest, open story. Despite the characters' diverse personalities, the selection of this song for the opening of the film suggests that this story focuses on the importance of love and the idea that though we may not be perfect, we are all equally imperfect. 

Another genre that I might dive into would be what this filmsite page describes as a "backstage musical." The first image that came to mind when I came across this idea was that of Sharpay Evans from the infamous "High School Musical," the perky, clever blonde scrawling her name in huge letters on her high school's sign up sheet for the school play. As someone who has been auditioning not only for her teachers and classmates throughout the years but now for musical theatre colleges, I am well acquainted with the lengthy, stressful, and wonderful process know as audition season. As I have also aided in casting (I've choreographed four shows throughout my high school career and my theatre director often cross checked her list of dancers with me), I'm familar with both ends of this tense process. While there are many movies that cover the audition process inside high school and out in the real world ("Funny Girl," "La La Land"), there are none I can recall that touch on the stress of getting into a college when you are competing with thousands of other theatre hopefuls for six college spots.

My life is going fine. Bags under my eyes? Nah, that's just the lighting. Heh...

The last sub-genre that I'd really love to dive into would be fantasy. While it's obvious I have a high appreciation for Disney movies, one of my favorites to sing around my house would be "Enchanted," and that's not just because I love Idina Menzel! The whimsical fairytale combines animation with reality, the lead character of Giselle, played by Amy Adams, being tossed out of her story and into the real world by her power hungry mother-in-law.
Through the course of the tale, Giselle develops from a sweet maiden into a strong warrior, her environment and circumstance (I don't want to spoil the exact situation if you haven't watched the movie. If you're looking for a movie that will make you happy, I highly recommend it!) molding her into a powerful female character. While I have yet to decide anything of my plot, my movie will definitely include a strong female character, that is certain.

Here's a quick chart I've organized that compares some of the pros and cons of each option. Hopefully I'll have settled on a sure decision with my upcoming posts!

Finally, some new melodies should you be searching for some:

• Some Girls (Isaac Powell) from "Once on this Island"
• It's On from "Camp Rock"
• No Turning Back Now (Jeremy Jordan) from "I Could Use a Drink"

7. (n.d.). 11 Things We Need in the Enchanted Sequel. Retrieved March 04, 2018, from http://www.zimbio.com/Beyond the Box Office/articles/EnYJAE1A-97/11 Things Need Enchanted Sequel

Access. (n.d.). Retrieved March 04, 2018, from https://d23.com/favorite-disney-weddings/

Ashley tisdale gifs. (n.d.). Retrieved March 04, 2018, from https://wifflegif.com/tags/16628-ashley-tisdale-gifs?page=12

Film Sub-Genres Types (and Hybrids). (n.d.). Retrieved March 04, 2018, from http://www.filmsite.org/subgenres2.html

T. (2008, October 20). RENT The Movie Part 1 - HQ. Retrieved March 04, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIPIwK3PjfU

"Okay So We're Doing This..."

As my title's quote from Hamilton would suggest, I have come to a decision of what I plan to create with this project. Ladies and gentleman, a drumroll, please.

I AM PRODUCING A MUSICAL MOVIE.

WOOP!

With the recent success of movies such as "The Greatest Showman" and "La La Land", both coincidentally written by the same duo who won the Tony's for Best Original Score and Best Musical in 2017, Pasek and Paul, it's not difficult to be inspired by the impactful combination of music and acting. As an individual who grew up singing along with movies like "Wizard of Oz", "Hairspray", and, of course, all of the Disney cartoons (you really should've heard my 6-year-old rendition of Part of Your World, I promise it was truly something), I believe these movies shaped me as an individual. They are what remind me that even when everything around you is a disaster, you can still create something beautiful out of it.

For citation purposes, I felt it pertinent to note that
this image is a screenshot taken from the video cited
at the end of this posting.

For instance, in "La La Land", the lead character Mia Dolan, played by Emma Stone, sings the song "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" when she is asked to tell a story at an casting call. Regardless of the fact that Mia is a stressed and failing actress, she manages to take a small moment and turn it into a stunning one, the select emphasis and emotion behind Pasek and Paul's lyrics transforming her away from her reality, her environment fading to black, Mia highlighted by dim key lighting. The darkness surrounding her highlights her internal turmoil and how alone she feels, the dimness of her own light representative of her weakening spirit and drive. Despite this, she proceeds to tell a moving story, suggesting that even as one feels like they are losing hope, art will provide an avenue for expression.

Yeah. Art is beautiful.

Now, onto film openings. The first image that pops into my mind is that of Tracy Turnblad grabbing a container of Ultra Clutch in the 2007 version of "Hairspray", directed by Adam Shankman. The uptempo rhythm and joy portrayed by Nikki Blonsky's Tracy instantly establish the fun aura this movie intends to impart. Because I intend to open my film with a light, happy tone, I plan to utilize this opening as one of my major sources of inspiration. The bright colors and consistent movement within the shots, whether its on behalf of the camera or Blonsky herself is what makes the film so entertaining, the film appropriate both for children and adults. One of the things I liked the most in the opening sequence is the series of close ups that appear before the title of the movie (occurs around 0:09-0:23 in the linked video!). The short clips follow the pulse established by the drums, one of the most prominent parts of the opening song, "Good Morning Baltimore". The addition of the brass to the bells and drums, the melody steadily climbing in pitch, suggests the excitement and anticipation that Tracy feels, establishing her as young, innocent, and adorable.

While I've yet to settle on an exact plot and sub-genre, I refuse to be discouraged. I recognize that there may be challenges concerning budget and equipment, but as I happen to have a microphone and a music programing system, I believe that I will find a way to achieve my goal. OOF IM EXCITED.

Here's a little diddle that I came up with when thinking about how I want my opening to come across. Whether I will use this in my final draft or not I have absolutely no idea. Nevertheless, this is what I currently plan to base my opening on:

 

Also, I figured out how to fix the image quality! The link here should help you out if you ever face similar issues, reader. 

Some tunes for today:

• Fight Song (Rachel Platten)
• Never from "Darling"
• Supercut (Lorde)

14 Nov 2014 Feb 2016Web CodingBlogger. (2016, February 16). How to fix blurry images on Blogger • XOmisse. Retrieved March 03, 2018, from https://xomisse.com/blog/how-to-fix-blurry-images-on-blogger/

Hairspray (2007 film). (2018, March 03). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairspray_(2007_film)

R. (2008, February 17). Hairspray - Good Morning Baltimore (Movie Version). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1chTQ58a1Q

Hetrick, A. (2017, June 11). The Complete List of 2017 Tony Winners: Dear Evan Hansen and Hello, Dolly! Lead the Pack. Retrieved March 03, 2018, from http://www.playbill.com/article/the-complete-list-of-2017-tony-winners-dear-evan-hansen-and-hello-dolly-lead-the-pack

La La Land (film). (2018, March 03). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_La_Land_(film)

La La Land - Audition/"The Fools Who Dream" (2016) HD. (2017, April 14). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrgXegJiTq4

The Greatest Showman. (2018, March 02). Retrieved March 03, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Showman

WHI | Get lost in what you love. (2018, February 21). Famous Movie Gifs : theBERRY on We Heart It. Retrieved March 03, 2018, from https://weheartit.com/entry/24680748

Excited Gibberish From a 5'2" Girl

And thus it begins, the journey I've been preparing for all year. I'll be honest with you, I have no sure plan for what's to come in the approaching weeks. I've had many ideas pop into my head at various points in time but looking back at them now makes them appear lame and unimpressive. I fear that I won't be satisfied with any product I create because I'm so easily inspired by new ideas, I just hope that whatever I settle on will become something I can be proud of.

Hi! My name is Amanda and I'm a musical theatre girl. I love the arts and I aspire to incorporate them into this final project in order to tell a story that truly says something. I hope to release little bubbles of self inter-scattered with my film opening. Similar to how my taste in music is filled with variety, the movie concepts that have nestled into my noggin span many genres. While I've yet to settle on one finite story, looking at my list of ideas I know that I plan to include some of my own music in my film opening. I do not claim to be a brilliant composer, I'm just a girl who appreciates music enough to thrust herself into two music theory classes during her senior year of high school. My grandfather was a composer so I guess the desire to create runs in the family. I must admit that I love putting together melodies and hearing instruments fit together in my head. Whether I end up creating the stings or underscoring for this project, I cannot WAIT to get started!

The genres I'm currently looking into consist of drama, romantic comedy, fantasy, and musical. While the last two sound extremely difficult and terrifying, I know that I would love to dive into them more than anything. With passion behind my work I am certain that I would find a way to make it work! Anyways, until I have a set concept I'll keep my ideas a secret. Gotta keep you interested, right?

Here's a draft schedule for the upcoming weeks! Organization is key in a project like this one and if there's one thing I don't want happening, its falling behind because I failed to realize how much work this project actually entails. As you can see, my dates are always around Sunday at the end of the week. This is because I don't want to create any false expectations for the exact posting dates, just know that my posts will be present by the end of that date!

I apologize for the slight blurriness! I have yet to figure out how to
combat this problem but I aspire to do so in the coming weeks!

I'm super excited to be starting this journey and I hope y'all stick around for the long haul!
Until then, here are some tune recommendations for today:

• A Van, A Desert, And Sky (Ben Fankhauser) from "Miles & Me"
• Out of My Head (Axel Mansoor)
• In My Dreams (Christy Altomare) from "Anastasia"