Storytelling in Audio vs Video Mediums

Thoughts

I just watched the video This kids movie is About Existentialism (Surf’s Up) by The Fiction Addiction about the existentialist themes that run through the movie Surfs Up. It shocked me how interrelated the topics being discussed in the video were to what I have been wrestling with for the past couple years. It also made me want to study Existentialism. However, what it really made me think is that I would love to do something like that film did for others. Give them possible answers to life’s questions and a new perspective or way of thinking. I want to use stories as a means to convey a life lesson or message about being human. This comes with a problem however. It would not be too difficult to do this in my video works. Most of the ones I am thinking of are long-term projects and not just a 2-3 minute experience. Explaining and conveying a theme in those kind of works is made easier by the time you spend with the characters, environment, and story itself. However, what I can make now is music, and I find it pretty difficult to try and convey these kinds of ideas in music. An album maybe, where each song has its own part of the story. But to me music is not the medium to learn lessons or experience stories, it feels inefficient. You only have so long before the listeners ear will begin to wane. There are songs that I would say convey a theme or message such as I Prevail - Bow Down (Audio) - YouTube or a lot of [[Porter Robinson]]‘s music like Porter Robinson - Shelter, but these don’t quite hit the mark of lesson or understanding something about humanity. To me, music conveys a feeling, not a story. It is the feeling of music that gives it use to people. Without feeling, music is just notes played in order. There is a reason that each musical key represents a particular emotion and why people can experience visceral physical reactions from a piece of music. It is also why music without lyrics or words can still feel a certain way or elicit an emotional response. In conclusion, I don’t think I can convey story through my music, or at least it should not be my main goal when writing. I think it should be the feeling I am chasing. I can convey story or message through my visual mediums, and it is there where I can chase my stories.