Monday, August 3, 2015

The Making of ...

"Hotel Serengeti 2100" was a novel exercise because I didn't play any of the music or shoot any of the video.

(Ed:  how does that make it original?)

Roll with it.

Update:  it's not completely true to say I did not 'play' anything as the voice is really me even if highly modified.  The regulars know I can play the instruments and shoot the video but for this one that was not my choice.  Plus I have Tobey the Dog but no lions here.


The music is mine as I made the song but the technique was one of using loops and samples.  There's all sorts of editorial spew to be thrown on that approach but we can get straight past that to all that matters:  you like how it sounds or you don't.

The reviews on a roll are Yevette liked the song but not the vocal, Cat liked the song but not the video, I was surprised I liked the song and for me the video made it complete.


There are some legal matters with the video as I got it the GOP way ...

(Ed:  you stole it?)

Yup.

We think it's probably ok as the photographer is properly credited and we doubt he would be offended because the videos are not at all the same and I did not modify the appearance of any of his work.  The video was sliced as I needed for timing but nothing else was done to it.  In my view, altering its appearance would make it seem I try to call it my own.

If there's a take-down order for the video, that's fair enough.  It's not likely, tho.


There's a segment which tries to show a view of what the Serengeti would look like if it were built up like Dubai, my idea of the most horrendously ostentatious, pointless and offensive architectural and sociological horror on the planet.  The picture was modified slightly to add TRUMP as a sign on one of the secondary hotels.

The reason was character assassination and that comes through the following:

- it associates Trump with a crime he did not commit (i.e. killing Cecil)

- it accuses Trump of a crime he will commit ... but did not commit yet (i.e. turning the Serengeti into a golf course)


There are some regrets to the edit as the last part shows a good many lions taking it easy but, as cats will, their first thought is to take a nap.  It almost looks like they all drop out as if in a gas attack in the James Bond movie, "Goldfinger."  I was thinking it looked relaxed and charming but after it was online I thought, fark, what if some kid sees that and thinks they croaked.

So that's why I don't look at them too much after they're finished as I'll always see more things I could have done.

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