The bees are dying. In droves. We know this already, but how many of us take the time to imagine the agricultural impact this may have in 5, 10, 20 years? Imagination is key here, I think. How else can we predict what tragedy may occur before it actually does? (Other than hopping a plane over to China, where it already has).
I first read the book "Fruitless Fall" by Rowan Jacobsen, which turned out to be so intensely depressing that I had to stop half-way through and read straight through the Dalai Lama's "The Art of Happiness" before I could continue. What really disturbs me about the situation is that it is so symptomatic of how we're messing with nature in general. Humans blatantly use the natural resources of the highly delicate ecosystems around us in ways that disrupt that balance. And they are willfully ignorant about the effects their everyday lives have which contribute to these problems.
I'm going to avoid commenting too much on the scientific side of this issue, because others have and will, and it's not where I feel my interests and talents are best used. I'll just talk about the artistic value of this documentary, specifically concerning the sound-track.
This is "More Than Honey", a Swiss film directed by Marcus Imhoof, which examines the complexities of the lives of bees, and the factors contributing to their demise.
In the style of a Werner Herzog film, there was very little exposition or narration, and instead of any straight-forward storyline, or even detailed scientific analyses, the film seems to dabble in the contrasting lives of three beekeepers, focusing mainly on the detrimental effects of industrialization in the industry.
Although there is a compelling violin melody in the introduction, which reappears from time to time in a very subtle, subdued manner throughout, the overall score was incredibly sparse. I suppose that since the subject manner is very appealing to me anyway, the lack didn't stand out to me too much; I was already wrapped up in the story. And to a certain extent, it enhanced the bleakness of the prospect of a world without bees, so for artistic purposes, perhaps it was the most appropriate.
Hypothetically speaking, if I were to score the film, the first thing that comes to mind is a string quartet, especially focusing on the cello timbre. I also would have used less of a wide-interval based melody, instead going for a concentrated, cell structure, with wind-chimes and wood-based rhythmic instruments, played with soft mallets. I think that a full orchestra wouldn't work well; chamber is best, with few instruments; but more variety, and more screen time, obviously. Also, I'd want a transformation from a minor and diminished-based atonal set of themes in the beginning to a major-ish (with lots of perfect 5ths open in harmony), more lush set of themes as the movie moves towards hopeful in the end. To revisit the cell idea, I guess this means using a cell based primarily on minor 3rds in the beginning, and expanding the same thematic ideas to the major 3rds towards the end. Furthermore, in order not to downplay the impact of the change from despair to hope, I wouldn't blend them; there would be a long silent section in the final 3rd, and then the major themes would swell in, probably with a louder dynamic, less rhythm and more sustained notes and suspensions.
For future reference, I intend to do more of this sort of review for now, and eventually I'll begin recording my own compositions and posting them here.
Cheers,
-G
http://buy.morethanhoneyfilm.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment