Animusic: I Love This Computer Generated Musical Video Adventure!

What's so good about this musical DVD?
I almost cannot explain how passionate I am about the Animusic video. Maybe it is because it brings me back to the rock concerts I attended in the 70s and 80s, in my youth. Much of the music has a heavy beat, with lots of guitar and drum action, reminiscent, of say, Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd. Nothing extremely hard, just great music and beat, easy on the ears. However, it's not just that. And, in fact, it's not just rock. Some of the music is more "easy-listening". One piece has a slightly Latin beat. And one extraordinary piece, which focuses on a harp, which I will describe later, is somber, tranquil and reflective, like mood music for meditation or prayer.

Maybe it's the visuals. I simply can't imagine anyone watching this DVD and not appreciating the unique special effects and stunning visual presentation of this computer-generated concert. Dozens of colorful drums that are played by gears and conveyor belts in a huge factory. Wind instruments played by an organ-like arrangement of pipes that spit out steam which each note. Gourgeous chimes and gongs. Cellos and violins. Hundreds of wide-mouth pipes that spurt out ball-bearings. The ball-bearings stream through the air, creating a beautiful arc, then hitting a series of strings, with timing that is perfectly synchronized with the plunk-plunk-plunk of the music. Electric towers that emit a lacy cloud of smoke. Dozens of huge speakers lining a wall, amidst electronic sound analyzers. While you are watching this, you will no doubt wonder, "How did they make this?"

Discovering Animusic, its sounds and visuals:
My husband and I first discovered Animusic by accident when switching channels while watching television recently. There it was, on the public television channel. My husband and I, at once, both yelled out "WOW! What is THIS?" Our eyes were being treated to unique images of computer generated musical instruments that appeared to be playing themselves or operated by mechanical arms, fingers, or bows. Drumsticks were busy tapping the drums, in a very realistic fashion. Except that there was no human being holding the drumsticks. Various stringed instruments personified their players. For example, a guitar moved and gyrated like a guitar player, and had attached arms and hands that played the notes. Pipes spit out steam. Balls were spit out of pipes, like a stream of projectiles, and hit various hammers and pipes, to create delightful tunes and sounds. All of these delightful images were accompanied perfectly by wonderful original tunes, music that ranged in genre from rock to tranquil notes, to more of a jazzy tune.

The various instruments were arranged in creative settings, and arrangements, which were at once fairly real, yet a complete fantasy. In one song, the music accompanied numerous gears grinding in some sort of giant factory. Another piece, the most tranquil, revealed a gorgeous harp, standing up in a pool of gently rippling water. The notes of the harp were strummed by two swarming "guitar pics" that moved like fish in water. Meanwhile, below the harp was set of chimes, whose metallic pieces shimmered just above the water. Pipes on top of the harp spit out steam to simulate wind instruments. And two tall stringed instruments were attached to the side of the harp, and played the cello/bass-like notes. I plan to listen to this particular song, and enjoy the water images in the future, whenever I need some calming therapy. A few pieces were accompanied by colorful lasers which blasted out wonderful, electric sounds while pouring light up to the computer generated sky. The was fog and dramatic lighting. The overall effect was similar to watching a rock concert. The scenes looked quite real, and I had to keep reminding myself that this was computer generated. It certainly didn't appear to be a cartoon.

The action:
These various person-less "orchestras" and "bands" were shot at various cameras angles, adding drama. There was usually so much action going on, with all the various instruments playing, lasers and camera angles, that I felt my heart pounding as I watched. At one point, the camera followed some instrument components as they ran along a motorized track. It made me feel like I was on a roller coaster, and actually made me a bit dizzy and queasy, when we reached the sudden drop. Various groupings of instruments would move around, or exit the scene, and return again, in dramatic fashion, as those instruments were needed or not, for various musical passages.

Enjoying the DVD at home:
The very next day, I ordered my own Special Edition DVD from the Animusic website. The DVD included numerous additional features, such as a conversation with the director about how the various songs were created. There was also a sneak preview of their upcoming new DVD/video, which is expected to be released in the fall of 2005. The DVD ran for 75 minutes, and I found myself sad when it was over. While watching the DVD, I felt like I was on a wonderful musical adventure. Great escapism. I first watched the DVD after a long day at work. I really needed that!

I recently had a chance to play the Animusic DVD for a small gathering at my home. The group included a child, a teenage boy and my father,a senior citizen. Each person sat and watched the DVD, and enjoyed the music, and visuals, in utter fascination and enjoyment. The comments I heard as the DVD played, included "This is awesome", and "It looks so realistic". It struck me as one of the few musical videos that would appeal to any age group. The video is completely G-rated. I haven't had the chance to play it for any pre-schoolers yet, but I bet even those young ones would love it. I am still a bit shocked that even my usually jaded, eye-rolling 13 year old had to admit that the animated music was "cool".

One can't help but be amazed that such realistic images can be computer generated. The sets look so real, not like a cartoon.

In fact, this would be a fun video to play at a party, or a gathering of friends. I think it will put everyone in a great mood! Especially after a nice meal, maybe some wine....It is also a wonderful music video for couples to enjoy together.

How did they do that?
According to the public television program, the various songs on the video took an average of three years to produce, from start to finish. In some cases, the directors wrote the music first, then created animated instruments that appeared to generate those sounds in an authentic manner. In other cases, the instruments and sets were invented first, and the music was not added until much later.

The website
The Animusic website contains a couple of brief sample videos for viewing, which is helpful to give you an idea of what the DVD or video contains. However, the sample videos are a bit blurry and have a small screen size, at least on my computer, so I don't think you can really get a true idea of the visuals. Still, it does give you some sense of the video and music.

I believe this video would be enjoyable to almost anyone, unless you really hated rock music. It would particularly appeal to rock fans, fans of rock concerts, and fans of computerized special effects. Terrific entertainment. After first viewing the Animusic DVD, one of my first thoughts was that I was eager to share my discovery with friends and relatives. With that in mind, I took advantage of the discount the website offers if you purchase more than one DVD. I bought "5 for the price of 4", for around 60 dollars total (with free shipping). I will give away the extras as gifts. My husband and I are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their next video.

The music itself is fantasic, and I find myself humming various melodies, and hearing the music in my head. In fact, they sell the music CD on the website, along with the videotapes and DVDs.

If you would like more information, check out the website, www.Animusic.com