The Last Waltz

Recently, I have become enamored with films centered on music. Some of these films, such as A Hard Day’s Night and Tommy, attempt to accentuate the narrative of particular songs and albums. Other, such as The Song Remains the Same and Woodstock, document some of the most famous concerts in music history. Regardless of the approach, these films help to bring out the human elements of the musicians. Although there are many great music films, none of them achieve the quality of the 1976 film The Last Waltz.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, The Last Waltz documents The Band’s farewell concert. Throughout their concert, The Band is joined by is joined by some of the greatest musicians of all time, such as Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, and Neil Young. In addition to the live performances, The Last Waltz contains interviews with members of the band reflecting on their career. In particular, the film focuses on The Band’s singer-songwriter Robbie Robertson and his decision to stop touring.

Overall, Martin Scorsese did a perfect job capturing the mood of the concert. In order to accomplish this, Scorsese implemented a variety of lighting techniques. From Joni Mitchell’s silhouette as she sings backstage to the blue light that shines down on Levon Helm during his performance of “Ophelia,” the lighting reflect the atmosphere of the performances. Not only did this film capture the escence of The Band, but it helped capture the feel of an entire generation of music. In the end, Martin Scorsese was able to create a masterpiece whose influence can be seen in every concert documentary that has been produced since.  

One Shot Music Videos

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of the "one shot story," which seemed a little foreign to me when we first started talking about it in class. Thinking about it more, I realized that I actually had seen many one shot stories in my lifetime, through the form of music videos.

I had to question why an musician would choose to debut their own piece of art through the form of a one shot music video. They seemed, by nature, to be much more difficult than being able to utilize different cuts to get the message across to the audience. Later, I realized that there are actually many benefits of the one shot music video.

One benefit is that it has the potential to be cheaper and easier to make while still being engaging. Bob Dylan famously did this through his music video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues," in which he stands in an alley way and holds up signs for each of his lyrics as his song plays. Though it is pretty simple, the video is actually very interesting to watch, and forces the audience to think about the lyrics and meaning of the song. Watch it here:
http://www.contactmusic.com/video/bob-dylan-subterranean-homesick-blues

Another case for the one shot music video is that it allows quite the opposite- an extravagant display of lighting, effects, and action, all planned out until the last second, as with LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends"

...Or a meticulously choreographed dance routine, like in Feist's "1234."

I realize now that one shot music videos not only give the filmmaker lots of creative freedom, but perhaps even allows the content of the video and song to resonate with the audience more, as each movement is clearly methodically planned and coordinated.