Music for 18 Musicians

Composer: Steve Reich

Directed by Michael Langan & Terah Maher this film depicts a chorus of women that are borne from the movements of a single dancer in this dreamlike pas de trente-deux. In the tradition of Marey and McLaren, Michael Langan and Terah Maher combine music, dance, and image multiplication to create a film that enhances our perception of motion. “Choros” delivers a visually mesmerizing narrative in three movements, following a dancer’s (Maher) experience of discovery, euphoria, and rebirth through this surreal phenomenon.

String Quartet No. 3, Adagio

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

Music videos, such as this one can also be very effective entries. Creative lighting, slow motion, wardrobe and dark imagery all work together with the music to create an experience that would be ideal for a concert environment. This video is credited to The Nightingale Quartet.

Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium

Composer: Camille Saint-Saens

This is a very creative experimental short film for its effective colors, temporal variation and alignment to the musical score. Here, the creator has taken footage that is relatively simple, and edited it to make a powerful short movie with a clear overarching message.

Rodeo: Hoedown

Composer: Aaron Copland

Beautiful stop-motion animations like this one are most welcome for submission. This one is particularly strong for its use of the paper from the musical score, as well as visualizations drawn from the composer’s ballet, Rodeo. This film was created by Eleanor Stewart.

Jazz Suite No. 2: Waltz II

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich

The is an excellent film for its creative use black and white and wordless narrative. However, only a full-length version of this film that utilizes the entire musical score would be eligible for entry. Credits: Actors, François-Jérôme Delesalle Milliou, Gabrielle d’Andrimont, Cadreur MOVi: Elliott Carrasco, Opérateur MOVi: Brice Tholozan et Ardien Rubio, Pointeur: Vincent Weiler

La Campanella

Composer: Franz Liszt

This beautiful, illustrated animation is set to Liszt’s ‘La Campanella’. The illustration work is thanks to Graham Pilling (ArmyOfCats) and the animation was undertaken by Ashley Dean (broken pixel). Animations such as this one are eligible for entry.