Huh this is random. ok
For me you can either mute it or not mute it. I usually prefer you don't mute, but I know not everyone has the same tastes as I do. For that reason I never pick anything "abrasive" (i.e. metal, dubstep) because those are so bound to taste.
But if you're doing anything related to videography that isn't just a POV, music is the framework for any video. I simply
cannot start a video without music picked already. Sounds retarded and hipster but it's true. Oftentimes music influences the design of an entire coaster.
Tour De France is an example. I created the entire coaster just so I could create that first 10 seconds. From there I actually changed songs (the first 10 seconds is "Tour De France Etape 2" while the rest is "Tour De France" [and yes, they are extremely different]), and I kind-of regret changing songs because it was a last-minute thing and I think Etape 2 would have been more widely accepted. The regular song that goes through the video is 80's krautrock techno-pop whatever you call it and I can see why people wouldn't like it.
But like I said, it's the framework completely. I spend lots of time contemplating, sampling, and picking out music for my videos. Most of the time I pick a song that fits the layout like Express 90, where the curves and inversions are reflected
directly in the music (watch the POV part and see for yourself). Some work perfectly (
Express 90,
Super-Schleifen Bahn,
Retro) - they contain too many black spots (they are older videos of mine) but I love the cut-up styles. Other times I wish I went with my other options (
Schizophrenia I was sorta satisfied with, but because it was a "majorly themed" project I wished I picked a less dance-y track in place of an orchestral and/or eerie electronic). I had 5 different songs I was debating on using for this ride, stretching from Phillip Glass' "Metamorphosis (Parts 4 & 5)" (minimalist pianist I like) to Wolfgang Gartner's "Fire Power" (electro house).
From there you see how the music directly affects your style, presentation, and tied "feels". Take my Il Pitone Video Experiment for example.
In the first half I used a percussive cut-up song and the clips match the feel. The shots are hard, raw (unrefined, jagged), and contain no real transitions. I also used a lot shots like the looping shot at
0:52 and the corkscrew shot at
1:43 where the same shot is used but it gets clipped and sampled around to get a cut-up rhythmic feel.
Fast forward to
3:02, and by just changing the music, I design a completely different set of clips. The light fills and permeates, the speed is slowed, the camera is following "loosely" (Target view + pan smoothing + stabilization + active camera) but elegantly.
--------------------
If you're not asleep yet, watch this
entire video with music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xslMbAYNrf0
... and then see how music can impact the video.
0:50 (gonna stop permalinking now it's getting annoying) was a shot that I specifically saved for that part of the song. Because the chords drop into this sappy sort of deep part and the sun was peaking out, it was the optimal place for it. Another spot is
1:47 to the end. Notice in the station with the sun rays filing through, the camera is moving up. This is because the chords are raised up from the earlier part and it's uplifting. The shot immediately after (
1:53) moves down because the music begins decending midway through. The very last shot is particularly interesting. It blurs very early in the clip despite it actually being really cool to look at unblurred. Why? Because the notes were being more fissured and dissonant, and as the notes "spread" and clashed, I blurred to match.
If it's Nicki Minaj or something loud and annoying, or if you just plain don't like it I can understand. But always give it a try because it is the backbone of everything. You can oftentimes tell when videos were "videos first, music tacked on later", because the music is disconnected and irrelevant. But that is never the case for any of my videos.
oscar do i get free slappin points for this post cause its really long