Courtney takes the case home and goes up to his room. He puts it on the table while he gets on with his homework.
Later that night, he opens the catches and lifts the lid. That night things change forever; his whole world looks and sounds different. Courtney hears music in everything. His journey begins.
The Case
The case opens to reveal a saxophone. As Courtney picks it up and blows his first note, his imagination takes him on a fantastic animated journey over city rooftops.
This night time sequence presents opportunities for pupils to explore links between music and animation. The partnership between animation and music is closer than that between other motion picture forms.
Because animators have more precise control over images and sounds, they are able to synchronise these to within a fraction of a second. Mood and patterns in music may be reflected in the way animators manipulate settings and movement of characters.
For instance, recurring visual patterns may mirror repeated musical phrases. If the animation is developed around music already recorded, it is said to be pre-synchronous . Animators may prefer this, as it assists pacing action.
Actions and events occur relative to the time scale of the music
- Listen to the complete track
- Identify ways in which music is used to enhance visual images
- Listen to, and explore studio tracks case 2 / case3 / case4
Identify the mood of the music, and suggest how this is achieved, Go on to compose music to accompany the video sequence in Courtney’s bedroom - Decide whether the Jazz Daze animation is pre-or post-synchronous. Give reasons
- Discuss how the fast-moving visual elements in the night time sequence work together with the music
Watch the video - Nightime - Compose and perform original music to the (muted) sequence
- Explore animation/music links in other Jazz Daze episodes e.g. Confusion, The Rabbit