Drums Downtown IV

The animation incorporates many of my tools that were developed from MEL scripting and visual sound mapping strategies. A more detailed and technical explanation of this MEL scripting process is available here.

The main focus was on percussive attacks, some pattern detection/recognition, and interpretation of the musical style. The primary 3D objects in the piece included a pentagon and particle trails that often resembled a double strand helix. The helix particle trails provided a good illustration of the two percussionists performance and the interplay that existed between them. Cymbal hits were often represented by a particle shockwave which proved to be very symbolic and appropriate for the sound and physical shape of a cymbal.

The construction of the animation was divided up into five different sections.

The first section is a Copland-inspired fanfare with large bombastic hits and long moments of silence. The cymbals were visualized as a large oval shockwave that expanded and contracted to synchronize with the percussive hits. The other beats were illustrated by large glowing illuminations that emanated from beneath a large planetary sphere of clouds. The overall effect I was trying to achieve was similar to how one might view lighting bolts as they lit up the clouds from a view point above the clouds. The cloud shader in the opening section was used to present a large vast space similar to the grand or majestic images that are often associated with Copland's works.

The second section immediately starts with the double helix particle trails that wind upward. This was combined with pentagon animations that represented higher-pitched percussive hits.

Camera movements remained steady unless there was a drastic change in the percussive timbre. When the timbre became more sparse, the camera zoomed out to capture a better view of the overall structure. When the percussive pulse returned, the camera followed as well. This visual theme was reiterated in the fourth section when the same percussive pattern is repeated. The steady camera flow upwards helps to reiterate this percussive pulse.

The third section was more of a development or exploratory section and so I used a single particle trail that would start and stop to the drum beats to illustrate this section. The cymbal related shockwaves were introduced in this section. Unique shapes made by the particle trails constantly led the viewer into new spaces.

The forth section was very similar to the second with the exception of some elaborations. The visuals were enhanced to reflect these elaborations and percussive developments. For example, there were two moments when the pulse of the piece came to a pause, and there were some additional accented notes that necessitated some variations in the particle helix.

The fifth section picks up the pace of the piece ever so slightly and it became a visual culmination of many other segments in the piece. Some previous visual structures are reused with a slight twist to help accentuate recurring patterns in the piece. To illustrate the grand feeling of the end, I combined five of the double helix particle trails to form a large pentagon. This helped visually unify the entire piece since the pentagon was instrumental in portraying many of the patterns through the piece. Uniting five helixes gave a definitive ending point, and it provided a visual anticipation for the end.