This is What We
Did in Our Class
My Precious: A Reflection Mashup
Jackclyn Ngo
Jackclyn Ngo describes the
composition of her mashup.
Transcript
[0:00]
Hello everyone!
For this screencast, I would like to discuss my mash-up assignment.
When we started the mash-up assignment, I went in knowing three things:
1: I love Lord of the Rings,
[00:12]
[Image: IMDb page for Lord of the
Rings, the Two Towers]
2: I really like Juno,
[00:16]
[Image: IMDb page for Juno]
and 3: that editing movies brings me great joy.
[00:19]
[Image: FinalCut Express window on computer screen]
So what you see here is the timeline for what used to be the entirety
of Juno the film. These
breaks are a result of me butchering the film to take pieces out and
paste them elsewhere.
When I was starting, I scoured YouTube for a while to find a trailer to
mash its sounds to the visual elements of Juno. I settled on this one for The Two Towers (which happens to be
my favorite film).
[00:44]
[Image: Trailer, "The Lord of the
Rings: The Two Towers - Official Teaser Trailer (2002)" clip]
After ripping the sound file from the trailer, I got to work to see
what would happen with the mashup.
[00:50]
[Sound: on Two Towers trailer, Galadriel, "There is a union now between
the Two Towers..."]
[01:00]
[Image: FinalCut Express on computer screen]
What you see here is the finished timeline for the first draft of my
mashup, which is the same one I posted on the website. I incidentally
posted twice.
[01:10]
[Video: class website with class comments, words on the page
highlighted as the narration reads.]
According to feedback from classmates and the professor, there were
parts where the visuals could match better with the sound. Someone said
the "mashing was disrupted by the speaking characters" and someone else
remarked that "the sound doesn't really line up." So I took note of
these points. And people didn't really like my ending at all. They said
it "creeped them out." Which is understandable. This is my ending as I
had it before.
[01:35]
[Image: clip from mashup. Juno and Bleeker singing "I don't see what
anyone can see in anyone else. . . ." Image of Frodo fills the screen.
". . . but you."]
Frodo maybe is a little bit creepy there.
An example of where the sound didn't work is here where Bleeker is
speaking (you see him moving but he doesn't say anything) and in the
ultrasound scene, where they're clearly talking and is nobody is heard.
[02:03]
Taking this into account, I made some changes that made the trailer
seem more like a real movie trailer. For instance, I added an MPAA
warning at the very beginning and I also added some text to the body of
the trailer.
[02:16]
The text I have here builds up to a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "For
everything you have missed, you have gained something else. And for
everything you gain, you lose something else." I hoped for the effect
of incorporating an enigmatic quote into a movie trailer, but also
appreciated the applicability it has to both films. Frodo gains,
misses, and loses in his journey as the Ringbearer saving Middle Earth
just as much as Juno does in her journey to bear a child and understand
love and family.
[02:44]
For the mismatched sound clips, where Bleaker is talking I inched it
forward a few split seconds and found a part where he's not speaking.
His mouth opens at the end but we don't know if he forms a word. And
the ultrasound scene I replaced with a scene in the living room where
the parents are staring at each other. No talking. And I made some
changes at the very end as well.
[03:10]
These are some examples of the detailed edits and touchups I made in
this project. Our class has been one of much revision and discovery to
find the right edition of a piece that will effectively reach
audiences. If you watch the full version of my mash-up, you will see I
drew a parallel between Gollum of Lord
of
the
Rings and Victoria, the obsessive adopting mother in Juno.
[03:30]
[Gollum's voice: "They stolen my precious and we wants it!" Image:
Victoria moving her hands.]
This was a surprise discovery. . . .
[Image: cartoon bear with "Surprise!" over the top]
. . . and characteristic of the surprises I have encountered throughout
this course.
Thank you for your time and for the opportunity to perform.
[Image: "Thank You" arrow drawn on concrete ground]