Do you try to match the words to the show?

[tdew Profile Private message]

More and more I find that I'm using instrumental music for shows because it's jarring to me if the words in a song don't fit with the subject of the show. When watching other shows I often find that I'm distracted from the theme by the words of a song. Anyone else?

[trulytango Profile Private message]

I agree with you absolutely ... it is so much easier to work with (or listen/watch shows that have instrumentals! I for one, can't help linking the words to the pictures onscreen - especially if it's a song I know. However, when you do shows for someone else, and they have chosen the music, it can be difficult I recently had a memorial project to do - and the whole thing had to be set to a range of ABBA tracks, complete with their rather overpowering lyrics... I almost lost the will to live

Hang in there!

Iris

[DickK Profile Private messageWebsite]

I think the ONLY lyrics I've ever allowed in a show were in a 30-second clip of "happy birthday". Yeah, lots of folks would completely disagree with that because they've got a favorite song they want used. Okay, but then the pictures are secondary to the music -- I guess that's okay but not what I want to do.
Dick

[Oldguy Profile Private message]

I agree, but occasionally I do intentionally use words of a
song or a portion of a song, usually for a humourus
situation.

Forrest

[Robert Barnett]

I like instrumentals anyways so voice songs don't do a lot for me. I think using a love song at the start of a valentines show and then moving to slow romantic instrumentals for the rest makes for a better show than all vocal music.

I also find that I do sound effects or soundtracks. For example when I last went to the Oakland Zoo (San Francisco Bay Area) I recorded some dumb video with my camera. I chucked the video, but kept the sound from it. It gave me the ambient sounds I wanted for a Oakland Zoo slideshow and best of all it was from the Oakland Zoo. It had people, animals and so on. It was far more perfect than any music or instrumental music I could have used. Made you feel more like you were there.

I do this now all over the place. My soundtracks. I can reuse them too or even pull certain sounds out if I need too.

Robert

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Most of us are probably in total agreement on using instrumentals and the reasons for doing so. However, there are a number of love songs that fit really well for weddings and a few songs that work well for children. Bottom line: It's tough to make a rule about what does or doesn't work. Somebody's always breaking the rule and then rightfully saying, "So there!"

Barbara

[momsquad Profile Private message]

Well, I guess I'm one of those that uses both vocal and instrumental music equally. But then I'm a music lover and my husband is an over-the-top music lover, so finding that "right" song is part of the challenge. I completely agree, if the lyrics do not fit the pics, then it is a major distraction. Also, I just can't use lyrics when I'm creating a show that has text - waaaay to distracting then! But when you find that perfect song that fits the mood of the images, while pacing the movement of the pictures to the pace of the music . . . well then the lyrics simply give vocal enhancement to the pictures.

That's my two cents,
momsquad

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Your two cents make good sense.

By the way, where did your online name come from? Every time I see it, I wonder if it's Mom Squad or Mom's Quad. I'm dying to know.

Barbara

[momsquad Profile Private message]

Hi Barbara,
Actually, momsquad comes from my early days of show designing (2004) when I started by making shows for my older kids sports teams, homecoming, prom, etc. Needless to say I was very involved with the "Mom Squad" group that followed and supported the various activities at the school. Together we designed a movie poster for one of the teams and tagged it with momsquad productions, the rest is history. HA!

I guess the rest comes from the old dog in me that preached so hard to her kids to NEVER use their real name online, that I didn't either by example. However, now that I've been a part of this group for several years, I guess a real name wouldn't hurt. . .

Respectfully,
Kim

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Glad to meet you, Kim!

Barbara

[Bart_B Profile Private message]

Being the one who always loves to stir the pot.........I think it's just easier to use instrumental music, not necessarily better. The trick with vocals is finding them that absolutely support the photography and the story. A favorite song does not usually do either. So using an instrumental becomes easier as you don't have those darn words getting in the way!! However, when you can find that perfect vocal that does support the photos and the story, something magical can happen! My personal observations watching a lot of shows are that the right combination of vocals, photos and story have created some of the most powerful and moving scenes I've seen. So I personally think both have there place and the trick is in knowing what to use when and where!

But that's just me.......

Bart

[HunnyB Profile Private message]

I use both. Just depends on the type show. Sometime for the grandkids, they like hearing their type of kid songs.
Disney, etc......

And sometime the clients tell me what they want in their show - and it is ALWAYS with lyrics.

But ---- I PREFER instrumental.

[kabeeo Profile Private message]

I actually prefer to use vocals because when you can find the right song I find that it makes more of a mental connection in that either the viewer has more of a connection to the song or the words can make it much more emotional for the show. My problem is that I do three or four big shows a year for the same groups and I hate to re-use songs. So I tend to run out of songs pretty quickly. This year for example I spent about three days running through YouTube trying to find a good song for the ending of my fourth grader's class show until I found a great song. It's not easy.

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

As per Bart's words, I just watched a show where the vocals used were an integral part of it. It was one of those "So there!" moments I spoke about above. Yes, a song with vocals must be picked with care and incorporated with care, but when it's done as I saw it done in this instance, it's pure perfection. And no, it's not up to me to tell you who did it.

Barbara

[weldr Profile Private message]

I shared this show with Barbra, she thought it was a good example of words fitting the song. It's a bit over 2 minutes, nothing objectionable except pictures of me. Thanks, Don http://www.photodex.com/share/weldr/bkdg8mg4