For my video editing project, I turned Fight Club into a tragic romance entitled Love and Sorrow. Originally, I was going to try and turn this movie into a romantic comedy, but because the coloring and lighting is so dark in Fight Club, I had trouble finding scenes that I could make more whimsical and lively. Therefore, I decided a tragic romance would be a better fit.
I started off showing my main character, Jack (Edward Norton), as a depressed, lost man. I used typography to explain what was happening, and how he was missing something in is life. After a series of these clips, I showed him falling in love with Tyler (Brad Pitt) through random clips of hugging, smiling, and having fun together. However, a tragic romance needs to have a tragic ending. I transitioned the smiling scenes back into scenes with audio of arguing and more shots of Jack looking depressed. I then ended with the title and a good quote from the movie to keep the possible ending of the movie open.
Even though I switched from a romantic comedy to a tragic romance, I still had trouble finding clips that looked happy enough to show that the two male characters were in love. As many know, this movie involves a lot of fighting, blood, destruction, and darkness. How could I get enough happy clips to make at least some of my film look lovey-dovey? I then had my “AH HA” moment when I remembered an article we read in class in the very beginning of the semester by Chuck Klosterman. He wrote about how people think things are funnier when fake laughter is put into the clip. If laughter could make people think something is funny, why can’t music make people think something is happy?
Therefore, when I was compiling the happy clips in my video, I tried to look for music that seemed more upbeat so that it could contrast with the darker lighting and color in the actual shots. I did not want to make it too cheesy, so I refrained from something like “Wake me up (Before you Go Go)” or “Walking on Sunshine,” and went with an inspirational type of rap song. I think it fits well, and it makes the happy clips look happier.
I think my biggest problem with this project was making the audio transition smoothly. It is hard to make a completely depressing song mix well with an upbeat rap song. Overall, however, I think the audio fulfilled its purpose, just like Klosterman’s laughter, the music helped move the story along and helped the audience understand what they were supposed to be feeling. All in all, I am proud of my project.
COMM 2302 (Spring 2013) 