“Cross Country Running: Extreme” shows us the contrast between the bores of running track and the excitement of running cross country. The two sports are often grouped together, even seen as the same thing by those unfamiliar with them, but are really quite different. The fact that both sports involve running might just be the only similarity.
From the runner’s facial expressions, form, and lack of enthusiasm at the beginning of the video, we can easily gather that he is quite bored with the monotonous routine of running in circles on the track. The background music parallels this idea: slow and mellow, without much excitement. From the title of the video, we can already predict that the scene will not stay this way; there will likely be a shift in atmosphere and style.
Sure enough, there is a sudden and blunt change in the presentation of the video. We see the obvious flash across the screen: “this sucks!” As the music changes to a much more upbeat tune, the runner’s face lights up with the idea of going far beyond the constrictions of the track. We can infer that we will now see a more lively scene, and are proved correct when the runner begins jumping barriers and running enthusiastically through the woods.
The artist uses the drastic change in background to show the contrast between track and cross country. He uses elements such as lighting, music and setting differences to emphasis the point. The way the runner is presented is also vital to the success of this video: his body movements, facial expressions and motivation. Had the music stayed the same and the character not shown such change in enthusiasm, the clip would be ineffective. With the artist’s use of these elements, by the end of the video we can see the contrast between these two sports.
No comments:
Post a Comment