Thursday
31Aug
Cape May Pelicans Feeding
By 
Michael Longfellow on Thu, August 31
Michael Longfellow on Thu, August 31
A few days back, while researching story topics at Cape May Point on a windy, shimmering silver clouded day, I noticed a group of Pelicans circling around and around for the better part of 20 minutes. They'd drop into the ocean, scoop up mouthfuls of yummy fish and repeat the cycle over and over. It was a fascinating and continuous spectacle that surprised me with its duration so I decided record it before it stopped, with the old barely digital video camera in my bag. I captured as best I could but with no tripod, high winds beating down, and a clunky camera, the footage came out mediocre at best. (video clip to follow)
The audio of the captured footage was nothing but rumbling high winds. Basically it was unusable. I decided to tinker with creating a custom music track instead. In my head it would add production value, but more to the point it would give me an opportunity to ramp up on some fancy pants new music editing software I've been dying to learn.
What surprised me was how incredibly different the clip feels with different background music. Sounds obvious? Sure, but it was startling to feel the mood change happen so instantly, merely by swapping in a new soundtrack. The short clip now feels ominous, dark and hinting at evil, with the Pelicans take on a predatory black shadows of death quality. I exaggerate a little, but only for effect.
Admittedly, I'm a rank amateur regarding music and sound production, but even so, I'm amazed at the net kinesthetic switching that results. How many times is our impression of something, our feeling about it's goodness or badness strongly influenced (manipulated) by the bias and skill of a slick editor and producer with an agenda. Think about that the next time the latest crop of political ads hit the air waves.
A final thought: what are the visual and audio touch points that define the Cape May brand? That create the Cape May mood and feel in the eyes, ears, minds and hearts of the visitor? Are there any at all? And if there aren't, what would be the sound and visual qualities that would best communicate the promise of all this town has to offer its visitors and locals alike?
The audio of the captured footage was nothing but rumbling high winds. Basically it was unusable. I decided to tinker with creating a custom music track instead. In my head it would add production value, but more to the point it would give me an opportunity to ramp up on some fancy pants new music editing software I've been dying to learn.
What surprised me was how incredibly different the clip feels with different background music. Sounds obvious? Sure, but it was startling to feel the mood change happen so instantly, merely by swapping in a new soundtrack. The short clip now feels ominous, dark and hinting at evil, with the Pelicans take on a predatory black shadows of death quality. I exaggerate a little, but only for effect.
Admittedly, I'm a rank amateur regarding music and sound production, but even so, I'm amazed at the net kinesthetic switching that results. How many times is our impression of something, our feeling about it's goodness or badness strongly influenced (manipulated) by the bias and skill of a slick editor and producer with an agenda. Think about that the next time the latest crop of political ads hit the air waves.
A final thought: what are the visual and audio touch points that define the Cape May brand? That create the Cape May mood and feel in the eyes, ears, minds and hearts of the visitor? Are there any at all? And if there aren't, what would be the sound and visual qualities that would best communicate the promise of all this town has to offer its visitors and locals alike?
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