Film Writing

I had the good fortune of living in London from the ages of 10 to 16. Six years is barely long enough to discover all the sides of this amazing city. But below I've picked out several different views of London and set them to music. Hopefully these songs will bring out the varied moods and facets of one of the most diverse and interesting cities in the world.

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The London Underground is a microcosm of the city. Everyone, from bankers to buskers, congregates in this dirty and frantic web of tunnels connecting the city above. This tube stop, serene and beautiful in its utilitarian design, is instantly transformed into a mob scene. Frantic commuters rush to catch the next train in a trance of oblivious self-interest.

I chose this song, Discotheque, by U2, because of the way it perfectly echoes the edgy, impersonal, and electric spirit of the London Underground. The song begins with a soft and slow guitar riff, mimicing a train rumbling through the tunnels approaching a platform. The riff slowly gets louder and faster as the train races to a stop at the station. The vocals come in as the train doors slide open. They too are quickly screaming as the mob of passengers act out of blind self interest, jostling and climbing over eachother to be the first out of the door and to their final destinations. The vocals are like these passengers--largely without feeling and emotion, yet possesing a driving, rhythmic quality as the trains come and go, hurling the above scene from chaos to calm every few minutes. The heavy drum beat echoes the frantic pulse of these tunnels far below the city. Once in middle school a group came to preform at our assembly. They brought massive PVC pipes that were all filled with different amounts of water and created amazing music by pounding on different sections of the pipe. The opening bars of this song, though done on a guitar, sound remarkably similar, which is interesting given the sounds of the tube here were recreated by pounding on PVC tubes. 

Selected Lyrics:

You can push
But you can't direct it
Circulate, regulate, oh no
You cannot connect it

These lyrics really reflect the reality of London. Everyone pushes in their own direction and is trying to conquer the big city in their own way. But no one can direct the constant flow of events and people in the city. The entire city is connected in a web of tube lines and bus lines and winding streets but no one can truly connect. You can't connect with other people because everyone is pushing so hard in their personal direct and you can't connect all the events that go on every second because there are too many--the variety is mind blowing.

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This photograph was taken from the top of the London Eye, a huge ferris wheel on the banks of the Thames river in central London. The large tower on the banks of the river is Westminster, seen also in a later photograph. The fog covering the city in this image is typical of English weather. The colors in this photograph are incredibly striking and the man in the pod seems to command the yellow dawn to wash over the brooding city below with a sweep of his arm.

When I saw this photograph, Cathedral, by Crosby, Stills, and Nash immediately came to mind. First, the entire song is about a man exploring Winchester Cathedral; Westminster Cathedral is pictured in this photograph. He is flying high through the air, which is similar to the aerial vantage point from which this image was shot. The song is composed of two distinct parts. The first is comprised of soft piano playing and a soothing, probing voice. After this first part, the voice becomes frantic and terrified sounding, though the tone remains ominous. The ominous quality fits very well with the fog that covers London in the photograph. The sad but peaceful first part echoes the absolute silence and awe one feels at the top of the London Eye. The frantic pace of the second part begins by saying "open up the gates... and let me out of here," which parallels the feelings of claustrophobia and of being overwhelmed one can feel inside these "pods" of the London Eye.

Selected Lyrics:

I'm flying in Winchester cathedral
Sunlight pouring through the break of day...

And my head didn't know just who I was
And I went spinning back in time.
And I am high upon the altar
High upon the altar, high.

I think that if one listens to this song and reflects on the photograph at the same time, the photograph takes on another dimension of significance and meaning. High up in the air, looking out over Westminster Cathedral, the people on the London eye see the sunlight pouring over the horizon. But up here, in this misty liminal space between the ground and sky, reality and otherworldly, we are prompted to examine the world below and the space that we inhabit in that system. "My head" no longer knows "just who I was." We are prompted to go "spinning back in time," reexamining past actions that are now a part of our identity. We find ourselves on the alter of self examination, suddenly having to answer to a higher being or even just to ourselves.

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In this famous image, a man jumps over a large puddle in a London street. In the background we see iconic London taxis and a cobblestone street.  The geometric lines of the photograph, created by the edges of the puddle, the architecture of the buildings behind, the cobblestones, and the lamppost contribute to a severe and traditional composition. However, the ridged line of the puddle on the left side and the framing provided by leafy trees combine with the image of the blithesome man leaping over a puddle to temper the severity of the surrounding geometry.

I chose the song Tempted by the Fruit of Another, by the band Squeeze, to represent the above image. The lyrics struck me as very fitting for the image. The overall tone of this song seems to be upbeat and sunny. This is achieved by the steady snare drum in the background and the keyboard chords augmented by simple guitar parts composed mainly of power and major chords. However, a deeper sense of longing and sorrow on the part of the singer can be detected on closer inspection throughout the song.

Selected Lyrics:

I said to my reflection
Let's get out of this place

In the opening lines, the lyrics read, "I said to my reflection, let's get out of this place." The man leaping over the puddle in the picture looks as if he is leaping for the sky, almost as if he is trying to take flight. We see his reflection clearly beneath him.  If one listens carefully to the lyrics however, there are traces of hurt and longing in the singer's words-- the man, like the one in the image, is attempting to take off after a bout of "rain" in his life.

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Pictured above is an iconic London telephone box. Though not used too much anymore with the advent of cell phones, they remain a staple on London streets. Behind the telephone box we see a classic double decker bus. What is most interesting to me about central London in particular is the complementary architectural and design styles. The original styling of the telephone boxes and buses (new telephone box and bus designs have since debuted) seem at harmony with the lavish 17th, 18th, and 19th century architecture built in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed the homes of an estimated 70,000 of London's 80,000 inhabitants.

I chose The Riverboat Song by the British Band Ocean Colour Scene for the above image for two reasons. First, this is one of my favorite British bands, and second, the interesting use of black and white highlighted with red in the photograph immediately brought the band's name to mind along with the lyrics in The Riverboat Song. "I see double," is the first line. In the photograph we see two objects highlighted in red: a bus and a telephone box. They are styled very similarly and are both London icons. Another line reads "where the river runs red," and red, like in this picture, is the focus of the song as far as colors are concerned. The guitar's steady, repeating riff conveys the rush of city life.

Selected Lyrics:

I see double up ahead
where the riverboat swayed beneath the sun
is where the river runs red
Like a King who stalks the wings and shoots a dove
and frees an eagle instead

Though the meaning of the words themselves have little to do with the above scene, the lyrics typifiy London and its iconic telephone boxes. The confused and pounding lyrics "Like a King who stalks the wing and shoots a dove and frees an eagle instead" echo the constant movement of the big city in the way that the vocalist rushes on, not taking any breaths or pauses between the words. This song typifies the energy and edginess that I think of when I envision London.

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This photograph struck me as extremely odd, yet very interesting. A woman plays the piano as she looks out over the Big Ben clock tower and Westminster, iconic London landmarks. Westminster is particularly significant in that it is one of the few buildings in London that survived the aforementioned Great Fire in 1666. The dress of the woman typifies the romantic notions many have of London. Though I see how London can be seen as romantic, to me, the city is incredibly vibrant and electrifying. Yet it can also be strangely isolated for many.

Selected Lyrics:

She's alone.

I'm alone.

Now I know it.

I chose Brick by Ben Folds Five for this photograph. This song and picture seem to also reflect the idea that one can be alone in such a huge city-- each person is so self absorbed and worried about privacy and security in a dangerous city that human interaction is often kept at a minimum among strangers. This woman sits, looking ridiculous and out of place, playing the piano in the middle of what would usually be a bustling London street in the shadow of Big Ben. The piano used in this song, of course, reflects the piano in the image. The woman in the songs is "not fine," as this woman seems crazy. Yet there is a certain calm and order in this photograph. Ben Folds' calm yet emotional voice underlines that aspect. His profession of love at the end of the song also highlights the romantic qualities of the image.

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The couple above is typical of the colorful characters to be found in London. Judging by the "scooters" in the picture, this is a vintage photograph. Nevertheless, motorbikes or scooters remain a popular mode of transport and it is not uncommon to see both hipsters tooling around and financial district executives riding scooters to work in full suits each morning. Over 16,000 motorbikes are ridden in London each day, and the use of motorbikes has increased 40% in the past 10 years in the city.

Selected Lyrics:

I saw you
With a ticket stub in your hand
Under the light

For the above scene, I chose The Golgi Apparatus, by Phish. The interplay between the main vocalist, a man, and a chorus of women, in the beginning of the song echoes the interplay between the young man and woman in this photograph. Both the lyrics and guitar parts are light and fun for the most part, reflecting the playful and sunny tone of the photograph. Here, the woman looks at the young man fondly and somewhat longingly. The lyrics "I saw you," remind me of the attentiveness of the girl's stare above. This song by Phish, though overall upbeat, encompasses many levels of energy as the instrumentals fade in and out and the vocals switch from flitting and light to darker and lower at points. This is emblematic of the relationship between the objects in the above photograph-- the roller coaster of emotions between a young couple, the danger and thrill of motorcycles, and the endless, wonderful boredom of long summer days.

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This is an aerial view of London at night. The overwhelming beauty and immensity of the city is really brought to bear by this photograph. Here you can see the winding and haphazard nature of London's streets. This is because, unlike New York, whose roads were planned to fall in an orderly grid pattern, London's streets were paved over old cattle trails that had been used for centuries to bring animals to market from the country as the town grew.

Selected Lyrics:

We believe in a beautiful world,

Yea we do, yea we do

I used the song Don't Panic by Coldplay for this photograph. Don't Panic is a perfect introduction to this image. Don't panic at the immensity of London, it implores us, because "we live in a beautiful world." The electric guitar riffs and ethereal vocals give one the feeling of flying over London, as if it's an out of body experience. The haunting voice of the lead singer is a perfect backdrop for such an awe inspiring image. The simple guitar part here stands in contrast to the interlacing streets of the metropolis.

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This vintage photograph is one of an old English street sweeper. In typical British fashion, even the street sweeper has an elegant uniform. He is standing in front of a cabaret club. Street sweepers are still a very common sight on London's streets, much more so than in America. Now, of course, large machines resembling Zambonis aid in this task in place of the street carts and brooms of old.

Selected Lyrics:

I miss the feeling of feeling

I see the pain but I can't feel it;

I am like the old tin man

I chose Tin Many, by the Avett Brothers, for this photograph because of the way in which the song embodies, to me, what seems to be the feeling of the man in the photograph. The man looks forlorn, and the image makes me recall depression-era photography showing lawyers now sweeping the streets of dust bowl cities. This man seems, in his pain and current destitution, to retain an air of past glory and nobility. His eyes are empty and forlorn. "I miss the feeling of feeling," the song reads, "I see pain but I can't feel it; I am like the old tin man." The simple instrumentals and folk quality of the song help to isolate the meaning of the lyrics and focus the listener's attention on the emotion in the vocals.