Artists from all fields (music, movies, painting, literature, etc.) have used the desert as the backdrop for a piece of their work at one time or another. The desert provides such a stark, barren, but still beautiful, setting that one cannot blame an artist for choosing this as an element of their creative work. 

    Here are five music videos that use the desert as a backdrop (if not completely, then partially).

Kevin B.

Every once in a while a musician comes along and takes a song, and for whatever reason, changes it a little, transforming it, breathing new life into it, adding charm or what have you... whatever. Just listen and see for yourself.

So you may have seen them. But I posted em just in case you didn't or forgot. Now, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody on its own is a unique and brilliant song. There is something to be said about a piece of work that inspires others to experiment with it. As well, so too is there something to be said about those who can get into the music like the two musicians above.

And if you can pry yourself away from looping the above, give the all boy choir below some air time. Their rendition is an entertaining one.

- Josh

There are times when music can be very helpful in your creative projects.

In the past, I have used different soundtracks to help me focus on the feeling of a story scene. It has also helped me expand on story detail when I let my imagination work with a song I feel suits one of my ideas.

I have used and would recommend the soundtrack from the video game Bioshock. As well, of recent, I have been inspired by Esmerine's "La Lechuza" album.

The album is otherwise mostly instrumental and has some great tracks ( like a more upbeat "Trampolin")

What tracks have inspired you?  

- Josh

I once heard an argument against the use of a music score in a movie scene because it “told the viewer how to feel”.

The right melody at the right time can denote the arrival of an antagonist or accent a devastating tragedy, but it can do more than that...

It can suggest how to react when it is otherwise ambiguous, it can even stimulate though as to the intentions of a character or the meaning of an event when a haunting score is the last of the movie or T.V. experience to fade to black.

Music can have the power to move us, both emotionally and physically. A special song alone can bring a tear to our eye, while another might incite anger. Sometimes music can trigger the recall of memories. Physically, a beat can get you tapping your feet, bobbing your head and dancing. If you need to hit the gym, you might blast some tunes to get you pumped.

In health care, music can be used for relaxation. There is Music Therapy, as well as music used to help with guided imagery. It is said that children should listen to music. That also, people might benefit from picking up and learning an instrument to stimulate the brain.

Music is such a powerful thing. It can be incredibly personal and have far greater depth and many more uses than described here. With such potential for inspiration, it can make for an excellent tool to be used when creating.

At times when I write, I escape into the solitude of a private room. No distractions. Just writing. In some cases even the lowest amount of music, no matter how sweet, can keep me from getting into my work.

But other times, when I may be thinking about story plot, imagining a scene or even sometimes while writing, the right music has helped get those creative juices flowing.

Make sure to write “Music” down as a tool for creating in whatever it is you do. It’s worth experimenting with. Try it if you experience a block. Be sure to add diversity. Explore tunes you’ve never heard before. There is no telling what might come out when you let music pass through you.

-Josh

Well isn't it a great day in Resident Evil (RE) News. Turns out that not only has Resident Evil 6 been announced, but it is also accompanied by a lengthy 3:22 min trailer and a release date of November 20th/2012 (So we can play it before the world ends!). Enough talk. Click play and see what Capcom has in store for us.

Zombies! Leon: "This is Raccoon City all over again"... and I don't mind one bit. The First bit of the trailer pumps up the horror element, with the creepy backdrop music, the shadows in the tunnel at 0:59, and the bloated monstrosity at 1:22. The action feel introduced in RE 4 is there but I'm inclined to think (and damn excited about it) that they are going to emphasize the "horror" in survival horror in this one. But that's not to say that fans of the more action oriented RE 5 will be at a loss because things look more like the fifth instalment in the second half of the trailer. Looks like Chris Redfield at 1:33, and then some new faces thereafter.

Overall, the game looks like it could be massive. Could it be a perfect mix of new and old? This game is certainly something to watch out for.

-Josh

The new Resident Evil: Retribution trailer is up. There are some familiar faces here, some large bio-weapons, Ada Wong... and the music from Tron: Legacy?

It is a given that the Resident Evil movies have taken liberties in adapting storyline and content from the much loved video games to the big screen.  As much as it burns some hard core fans, to the movie series' credit, they have been able to produce four sequels to their first feature. From the looks of it, Resident Evil: Retribution will probably please the fan base the movie series has amassed. While some may groan at the inclusion of  "Las Plagas" in the latest series entry, it might be interesting to see where they take it.

Resident Evil is a series that debuted in 1996 as a survival horror video game. Since then, it has seen expansion across game platforms, into books and into a movie series.

- Josh

In case you haven’t heard, the big announcement coming out of CES (Consumer electronics Show) for Bond fans is that you can expect 22 Bond movies in Blu ray format within a shiny 50th anniversary collector’s package.  Right now, the amazon.com price is 199.99$ (Jan 11th/2012). The trailer for the collection is below.

Add to that the excitement in awaiting the new Bond entry: “Skyfall” and it looks like Bond’s heading into 2012 pretty strong.   

More information can be found by visiting MGM's site at:
http://www.mgm.com/

and the official james bond 007 website at:
http://www.007.com/bond-50-on-blu-ray/

If you find the idea of watching a movie where the camera angle doesn’t change every 3 seconds to be refreshing, then it might be worth exploring other movies that incorporate the “long take”. The extreme is where the entire movie is a single take, such as in my last post about “Silent House”... and there are others, like the acclaimed “Russian Ark”. But there are also more limited good “long take” examples, like in Alfred Hitchcock’s “rope or a more recent Dunkirk scene in “Atonement”.

WARNING - The next one does show horses being shot.

Sweeping and at times imaginative camera movement as well as intriguing and atmospheric landscapes make these rarities (especially by today’s standards), something to look into.  

And if you’re all about the atmosphere and long shots (...and long movies), be sure to check out Bela Tarr’s work (like "Werckmeister Harmonies"). 

- Josh

Here’s a horror flick that boasts 88 mins of continuous footage. It’s a remake of “La Casa Muda” which was in turn, supposedly inspired by true events and was also presented as one single take!

It certainly looks like there’s focus on building tension, which I am all for, but the question is, can Elisabeth Olsen’s acting hold up in this “real time” full length feature? Take a look.

I gotta say, I was hoping for straight supernatural, but it looks more like they’re gonna go with the dad gone crazy or possessed type thing.... which is a shame, cause we’ve definitely seen that done before. Still, it does have some promise. Here’s hoping dad doesn’t poke his head through that post hammer holed wall announcing, “Heeeerre’s Johny”.

- Josh