In Other News: I have revived my dead tumblelog or tumbleblog or tumblog or however the heck you spell it, at non-plus.tumblr.com, and it will be trying to fulfil what Sigma+ promised but failed to do. I don’t think I’m allowed to use the word “fulfil” that way.
Stop-motion seems to be getting more and more popular lately. Or is it just that I’m viewing more videos nowadays?
Present an idea which promotes HP Workstations ability to bring to life anything the creative mind can conceive.
I will admit that I have only the foggiest idea of what DirectX does. I know you use it in games, and I know that the higher the version number, the better the results. But in my games I never really could tell the difference, mostly because I don’t play graphics-intensive games. (I tried turning on DX10 graphics in DDO, but couldn’t tell there was a difference). Still, the video is pretty nifty.
Characterized by intense activity, confusion, or haste: "There was nothing feverish or hectic about his vigor"(Erik Erikson).
Medicine Of, relating to, or being a fever that fluctuates during the day, as in tuberculosis or septicemia.
Consumptive; feverish.
Flushed.
Memory doodle. Yeah her skirt is too long and she looks adolescent.
Usage
It’s been a dead hectic half-year for me, and it promises to get even more hectic as September (coursework due, O-levels, EOYs) draw near. ARGH! Also, 2009 seems to be a rather angry year. I’ve had several angry outbursts in the past two weeks alone (most of them, thankfully, contained).
I remember reading something about anger problems. It’s supposed to manifest itself in this way sometimes. Ah.
I was going to suggest “anger management” when they asked what to add to the PCCG syllabus, but…well, yeah.
I just finished my Lang Arts portfolio. At long last. Good riddance to that thing! Ugh.
Recognize this? No? Hum the notes? It’s what I’ve coined the “Hopeful” theme from the start of Track 15 (End Credits) from the Star Trek soundtrack. Track from Star Trek. Hmm. That sounds like something Yun would say.
Edit: I’ve just realized that “Hopeful” is actually the original Star Trek theme from TOS (I think).
I wish I had one of those direct MIDI input keyboards so I could play it out instead of having to click here click there and fumble my way through MuseScore (a free scoring program – while the UI looks basic at first glance, BEWARE! It’ll trip you up if you’re not careful).
Basically what I’m trying to do is arrange the first minute or so of End Credits, which is Hopeful plus a bit of Star Trek (theme) near the back. Then it fades out and it tricks you and comes back with drums! After that the second part of the song begins, which is when the scrolling credits on black appear.
Hopefully I’ll be able to get all the accompaniment in! Especially when Star Trek comes back in after the second repetition of Hopeful…
Watched Star Trek at The Cathay with Chels, Pam, Claire and Elsa today yesterday on Monday.
Hehe Spock. Funny. So is Scotty! And Bones. And young!Chekov is adorable.
I sat through it with Pam and Elsa in the hopes of there being stuff after the credits. Alas, no such luck. Check out MovieStinger, this site that can help you avoid what we foolishly did (if you’re the type of person who only stays because there’s extra things at the end). Personally I like staying to watch the credits. Nice music, name-spotting, showing all the people who worked behind the camera some due respect and appreciation.
And I guess there might be some spoilers here and there, so I’m keeping the rest of the post behind the jump. It’s very messy, so I’ve bolded what key points I might have to say.
Listening to each track and writing down impressions and adjectives. Stress relief from LA portfolio.
Firefox crashed, bringing my 400 words worth of additional comments with it. Damn.
1. Star Trek
I like the intro – grand, breathtaking. The layering builds up the anticipation. I hear the everything smashing into each frenetic kind of ending quite a lot in soundtracks though.
2. Nailin’ the Kelvin
Woah! Action from the very beginning. Lots of repetition, which works well for chaotic theme(s) I guess. The main theme slowly fades out. Kind of poignant…it’s like seeing the Kelvin die all over again.
3. Labor of Love
Actually I don’t have much to say about this track. It sounds quite normal, with the horn or whatever that is giving it a kind of massive, heavy feel (not sure which part of the movie this is, but I think it’s the bit when we first see the Enterprise, which explains the ‘massiveness’ then)
4. Hella Bar Talk
Ah, the main theme again, this time with more pronounced accompaniment. Excitement builds up with what sounds like small hand-beaten drums (I have got to start learning instrument names again), but nothing overly special.
5. Enterprising Young Men
Tension from the pizzicato (?) in the front. Rolling drums, theme in all its glory…and then a slight variation of the theme. There’s something constantly floating in the background that I can’t quite identify… 66 high1 66 high1 6 3 in solfege. It doesn’t quite sound like Nero’s theme.
6. Nero Sighted
Dun dun dun! No, really, that’s what’s in the accompaniment. Discordance happens. It’s a bad guy track, so that’s quite expected. First major introduction of Nero’s theme.
What I like is the little touch of what sounds like metallic things being hit in the background – it alludes to how the Narada is actually a mining vessel.
7. Nice to Meld You
What sounds to me like the “Bad Guy/Mysterious” theme (I may be wrong – just venturing wild guesses here) is very prominent in this track. I think this is perhaps the coolest, as in “damn that was wicked” track in the entire album. It sounds really otherworldly, prolly cause of the dissonance.
8. Run and Shoot Offense
This is very obviously an action scene track. Then again, almost all of Star Trek is action scenes so that doesn’t explain much. Once again, we have layering in the intro. And then it resets itself and the layering begins again.
9. Does it Still McFly
I like the pulsating of the harp. It’s got this very…I don’t know – something like “the status light next to the controls pulsated gently” feel. It’s a good interlude before the action starts back up again, built up by I think every section of the orchestra. Then it just falters with this dying-breath kind of low note and ends.
10. Nero Death Experience
Cue apocalyptic chorus. At least this one is a bit more original. Instead of just chanting fake Latin or Romulan or whatever it is, the choir supports the orchestral music (as in the chorus and orchestra are integrated, instead of a layer of apocalyptic chanting plus a layer of orchestra) at points.
Why does every single vaguely dramatic event have to be scored together with an apocalyptic chorus nowadays? It’s kind of annoying. Next thing you know we’ll have fake Latin chanting and rousing strings in the background every time any character moves his/her/its arms.
11. Nero Fiddles, Narada Burns
The beginning continues nicely from the previous track. A bit of Star Trek theme, then some freaky-sounding, atonal clashing stuff. Overall sounds quite dramatic.
12. Back from Black
It’s filler, but it’s great-sounding filler.
13. That New Car Smell
I love how the erhu, instead of the overused solo violin, plays the Vulcan/Spock theme. Slow, sad-sounding, reflective. We have the pulsating harp again, but it’s far more serene this time, and sounds more like ripples on water instead of flashing lights. It’s all very Vulcan and up till this point, until a gentler Star Trek theme enters (builds up very gradually thanks to the brass and woodwind sections). It’s majestic, but it fades away quickly, before coming back for a few seconds (there are quite a lot of rousing/calm contrasts in the last third). Also, cute woodwind accents near the end.
Overall, this is the sentimental track in an otherwise action-packed album.
14. To Boldly Go
Well, I think this is just filler again…it’s linked with Track 15, by the way. This is played in the background when Leonard Nimoy does the “to boldly go where no man one has gone before” voiceover.
15. End Credits
I wrote so much about this track! Almost all of my 400 words went here. Now I’ll have to salvage what I can from the murky depths of my mind.
I enjoyed the opening of this track! It’s the original Star Trek theme, by the way. So happy and full of promise, changing to a minor briefly, before going back. It’s almost like the whole “good guys win in the end” trope has been summarized in 60 seconds of music, but in a good way. The song then switches back to the “Star Trek” theme.
I think the only thing I didn’t particularly like was how the music was split up with obvious breaks and pauses. Perhaps it was because the styles wouldn’t match that well (especially from the above to Spock’s theme, below).
Next, Spock’s theme comes back in. The erhu plays for about 30 seconds backed by the other strings, before being replaced by the usual orchestral strings. His theme sounds bolder, more heroic.
The ending half-minute or so sounds like it came directly out of The Next Generation’s introduction sequence. The xylophone(?) at the start reminds me of stars twinkling. I like it.
Favorite Themes: “Star Trek”, Spock’s theme.
I think out of all the themes, “Star Trek” sounds the most majestic and embodies the idea of adventure as well as the entire movie best (naturally – it’s the title theme…). Unlike the opening of “End Credits”, it’s not ridiculously happy and naive, but it manages to carry off the same hopeful vibe brilliantly.
Of course, it’s pretty much impossible not to hear this theme. It crops up everywhere – literally! - in the soundtrack. s the main focus, in the background, scattered notes here and there…the list goes on. Though, to give the composer credit, it appears in lots of different variations, so you don’t get too bored with the theme.
Spock’s theme…well, it’s Spock. At any rate, the erhu makes it stand out, and after a while you wish there was more of it to offer some respite to the wham-bam action of the rest of the soundtrack.
Favorite Tracks: 5. Enterprising Young Men, 13-15. That New Car Smell, To Boldly Go, End Credits
Sims 2 doesn’t crash my graphics card anymore, which is great news! Or maybe not, if you look at it from a productivity standpoint.
Played for about half an hour today, with one of the default families.
Chastity, The Guy and The Other Guy
I can’t remember any of their names other than the lead female, Chastity. But anyway the lead male is The Guy (in suit) and The Other Guy is a random visitor.
Hehe, interesting video, though I think these pop up fairly often…someone grabs an ulu OS and pretends it’s the latest version of Windows/Mac OS, or they take Windows-something and say it’s an experimental OS and would you buy it? However, they’re just fun to watch for the heck of it, especially the latter kind. It’s amazing how much people hate Windows.
Log of highly amusing – to me at least – conversation I just had with Marshy. It involves dreaming.
(PM 9:08) Marsha:
i havne’t told you my very nice dream i had last night (PM 9:09) me: oh
what
about aragorn
(PM 9:09) Marsha: omg YEAH
there was this evil guy monster
(PM 9:09) me: OMFG
REALLY
OMGOMFOMGALJKFDJKL
hahahhaa
ok continue (PM 9:09) Marsha: he was going to eat up this little girl who represented christmas (PM 9:09) me: o___x (PM 9:09) Marsha: then suddenly the scene changed (PM 9:09) me: and aragorn kills the monster (PM 9:09) Marsha: and i dreamt that aragorn came charging in and killed him! (PM 9:10) me: omg (PM 9:10) Marsha: then all the while you raise me up was playing
heheheheheheh (PM 9:10) me: what’s you raise me up
oh that emo song? (PM 9:10)Marsha: yep (PM 9:11) me: and then what heppn
*happen (PM 9:11) Marsha: then i woke up (PM 9:12) Marsha: (8 (PM 9:13) me: oh
which aragorn was it
viggo mortensen aragorn
or your-mind’s-eye-aragorn (PM 9:14) Marsha: huh? (PM 9:14) me: like (PM 9:14) Marsha: the aragorn in the movies! (PM 9:14) me: e.g.
oh
sheesh
ok (PM 9:14) Marsha: why sheesh? (PM 9:14) me: no because i was going to explain
anyway (PM 9:14) me: how did he fight (PM 9:14) Marsha: hahaha
he just came charging in with his torch and sword (PM 9:15) Marsha: and swayed about and killed him! (PM 9:16) me: oh you mean like
nazgul on weathertop
then foom foom foom
monster on fire (PM 9:16) Marsha: hahah yeah (PM 9:16) me: then stab (PM 9:16) Marsha: harh!
(unrelated content)
(PM 9:16) me: was there legolas, hobbits or faramir (PM 9:17) Marsha: not at all
haha (PM 9:17) me: ): (PM 9:18) me: so just aragorn christmas and monster (PM 9:18) Marsha: hahah yeah
you can dream of legolas tonight (PM 9:21) me: :V
i hope
but i’ve never ever dreamt about fictional people before (PM 9:21) me: not even if i’m fangirling (PM 9:22) Marsha: HAHA
oops
(PM 9:22) me: huh (PM 9:22) Marsha: i’m not THAT obsessed!
(PM 9:22) me: as what
(PM 9:22) Marsha: as as as
maniacs (PM 9:23) me: hmmm like who (PM 9:23) Marsha: o_o (PM 9:23) Marsha: ummmmmm
like (censored to prevent unnecessary deaths)and her people!
Went to Sugi’s house yesterday for a LoTR marathon, which we sadly did not quite get to complete.
Her set is a cool Extended Edition boxset that comes in a wooden case. And being EE it has (apart from extra scenes) what it calls “Appendices”, which are basically extra things like behind-the-scenes interviews, mini-documentaries and things like that. I borrowed all 6 (each DVD comes with two of them) of these discs from her and watched a bit of the first one yesterday.
Part of the Hobbiton set.
The Appendices have cool stuff like pre-viz animatics and galleries of storyboards and stuff. Of the bits I watched last night there was even some footage of Alan Lee/John Howe sketching concepts for Hobbiton on location.
Alan Lee (at least I think it is) sketching.
Some of the designs – like costume designs or concept art – I’ve seen before in The Art of… books. I’ve read The Art of FoTR and TTT but have yet to find RoTK at any library. Our school library only has FoTR, and I’ve found a couple of copies of TTT at Queenstown library, but searching the NLB’s database I can’t find much.
Says Sugi:
krysjez: Legolas is gay!
Marshy and me: WTH? We thought you fangirled him!
krysjez: *shrug*
krysjez also dislikes Legolas’ lines, apparently, because they sound silly or something. But I love them, probably because I adore archaic English lol.
But I like archaic English! (sort of.) Can you imagine their lines sounding like they were taken straight out of a badfic? I know, my brain just splinched too. And I do fangirl* him.
Also copied from Sugi is a favorite-scenes thing. No <!–more–> because I’m lazy. But I don’t think it’s going to be very long because I haven’t really watched them that many times. I think 3 times for the first two and one-and-a-half (didn’t get to complete yesterday) for the last.
FoTR:
Gandalf rides to Isengard.
Gwaihir rescuing Gandalf scene.
Rivendell panorama(s). It’s so pretty and the thought that half of them are matte paintings/minis makes me feel utterly inadequate.
Merry and Pippin throw rocks at the water at the gates of Moria.
Dwarrowdelf hall intro.
“We cannot escape”.
Entering Lothlorien, from the running thing onwards to pans of Caras Galadhon.
Legolas thinks of Galadriel’s gift. (insert fangirl*)
Boromir dies ):
TTT:
“Riders of Rohan! What news of the Mark?”
Orc pile (after the attack by the Riders of Rohan) and discovery of Hobbit tracks.
Treebeard’s introduction – the blink.
“Little orcs!”
“Your words are poison.” (she should totally have slapped Grima D: )
“I don’t usually hold to foreign food, but this elvish stuff, it’s not bad.”
Gollum and Sam arguing about the rabbits.
Legolas argues with Aragorn.
Archery!
Shieldboarding! (well, not really.)
Aragorn and Gimli leap onto the causeway.
270-degree-horseflip! (I can’t remember which one it was from, actually.)
Samwise the Brave.
RotK:
“Welcome, my Lords… to Isengard!”
Drinking game
“Game over.” ♥
From the ashes a fire shall be woken/ a light from the shadows shall spring/ renewed shall be Blade that was broken/ The crownless again shall be King.
Gandalf and Pip riding through Minas Tirith.
“In fact, it’s better if you don’t speak at all, Peregrin Took.”
“All shall fade…”
The lighting of the beacons. It was like the Great Wall or something, only infinitely cooler. Music was awesome too.
Rohirrim arrival and charge.
“By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand and fight, Men of the West!”
Peter Jackson the pirate.
“What about side by side with a friend?” – it’s a bit lame, but kinda cute.
Frodo reunites with the rest of the Fellowship.
I didn’t like anything after that except Bilbo asking after his old ring, because it was like 30 minutes of tearful goodbyes. I know, I’m totally insensitive :V
*Can I graduate from fangirl now? I want to be a fan.
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