[HN Gopher] Gifaanisqatsi: A Random Koyaanisqatsi Generator
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       Gifaanisqatsi: A Random Koyaanisqatsi Generator
        
       Author : indigodaddy
       Score  : 200 points
       Date   : 2022-11-25 22:37 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.monkeon.co.uk)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.monkeon.co.uk)
        
       | planetsprite wrote:
       | One interesting next step to the idea is to indicate a continuity
       | of meaning via the edits. For example, for each randomly selected
       | gif, have the next gif share at least one tag. This allows each
       | vaguely connected gif to create a randomly generated narrative by
       | their connected meaning.
        
         | carewell wrote:
         | This will likely lead to some unexpected detrimental paths like
         | endless videos of cats. But I like the general idea of
         | continuity!
         | 
         | Without any storytelling this generator becomes boring very
         | fast.
        
           | Zagill wrote:
           | Maybe keep track of the last _n_ tags used and only select
           | gifs based on tags not in that list?
        
             | carewell wrote:
             | It should be possible to be even more prescriptive. E.g.
             | write a "screenplay" (or even let GPT3 generate it) --
             | basically just a progression of tags -- and then pick
             | random videos that match that.
        
         | browningstreet wrote:
         | www.radioparadise.com does this with song titles
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | superbatfish wrote:
       | The Koyaanisqatsi cinematographer went on to become a director
       | himself, and made the movie "Baraka" in the same style. IMHO,
       | it's even better.
        
         | john-tells-all wrote:
         | I _adore_ Koya and Baraka. I agree Baraka is easier to get
         | into: it 's more "human" and soft and animal, vs Koya being
         | bombastic and somewhat frightening. (Which is the point: Koya
         | means "life out of balance")
         | 
         | They're both required!
        
         | carewell wrote:
         | To me Baraka always felt like a ripoff, despite its wonderful
         | cinematography.
        
           | kls0e wrote:
           | If you enjoy adapted koyaanisqatsi ripoffs, try
           | https://tita.lol :-)
        
         | WatchDog wrote:
         | Samsara is probably my second favourite after koyaanisqatsi,
         | would highly recommend checking that out too.
        
           | the_cat_kittles wrote:
           | Absolutely love samsara, Lisa Gerrard did the score which i
           | think is very very cool
        
       | Jedd wrote:
       | Powaqqatsi holds a special place in my heart - it's the only film
       | that has ever put me to sleep in a theatre.
       | 
       | The style of this reminds me of Infinite Adam Curtis, a generated
       | series of video clips overlaid with random punchy / pithy
       | comments in (very loosely) his style.
       | 
       | https://www.tomscott.com/infinite-adam-curtis/
        
         | elevaet wrote:
         | I'm a big fan of Adam Curtis' movies, and this is awesome for
         | taking the piss, love it haha! I'd like to think he'd find it
         | funny too.
        
       | waltbosz wrote:
       | I once took an MP4 of Koyaanisqatsi and reversed the whole video
       | sequence. It was quite a joy to watch the film backwards.
       | 
       | I also experimented with time lapse videography after watching
       | the film. I am surprised by what does and doesn't work as a time
       | lapse.
       | 
       | Also, Phillip Glass is the cousin of Ira Glass from the radio
       | program This American Life.
        
       | aaa_aaa wrote:
       | Commodore 64 game Delta uses this music, very good.
        
       | kf wrote:
       | Nice. For Philip Glass fans, his third opera Akhenaten gets my
       | strongest possible recommendations, it's visually spectacular at
       | the level of Einstein on the Beach but musically accessible and
       | vaguely pleasant while certainly not being bland. The
       | Metropolitan Opera (NYC) is streaming it on a free trial along
       | with much of the rest of their best recent work. I've learned a
       | lot of people have a conception of opera as a woman singing in a
       | particular style and don't actually realize how visually
       | spectacular the best modern opera has become.
       | 
       | https://www.metopera.org/season/on-demand/opera/?upc=8100042...
        
         | mwlp wrote:
         | Awesome! Wasn't aware this recording existed. I became a Glass
         | fan after watching Leviathan (2014) featuring Akhenaten.
        
       | Cockbrand wrote:
       | As someone who's been familiar with Monkeon's work for about 20
       | years via https://b3ta.com/, I wonder about the size of the
       | intersection between people on HN and b3tans.
        
         | bagpuss wrote:
         | Cal Henderson was a co-founder of b3ta!
        
           | Cockbrand wrote:
           | Took me a while to figure out how that's relevant - I thought
           | "yes, I know, but he's not monkeon, so?" :)
           | 
           | A little research shows that he's also co-founder of Slack,
           | which I hadn't been aware of.
        
       | donatj wrote:
       | My wife and I recently went to see a showing of Koyaanisqatsi at
       | a local art theater in Minneapolis. My wife fell asleep; she was
       | snoring and completely unrousable despite my best efforts and
       | minor embarrassment.
       | 
       | After the movie she said she really enjoyed what she had seen but
       | found the Philip Glass soundtrack entirely too soothing.
        
         | vanderZwan wrote:
         | From what I understand falling asleep in response to getting
         | comfortable is simply a sign of sleep shortage, so I wouldn't
         | hold that against your wife
        
           | webwielder2 wrote:
           | Especially if she was "completely unrousable." Sounds like
           | something y'all need to address.
        
             | vanderZwan wrote:
             | The good news is that they've already established that
             | Philip Glass apparently is a good sleeping aid for her!
        
       | cainxinth wrote:
       | That was hilarious and amazing!
        
       | petercooper wrote:
       | Koyaanisqatsi is my favorite movie by a mile, so obviously I love
       | this. Koy is interesting because it's not simply a movie painting
       | a certain picture (which an experiment like this can't do), but
       | because it's a _format_ too (which this experiment focuses on).
       | 
       | The third in the trilogy of Qatsi movies, Naqoyqatsi, while the
       | least well known is probably the closest fit for this experiment
       | since it's almost entirely stock footage laid over the
       | (orchestral - in contrast to Koy) soundtrack. For example:
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgM46I-ZryM
        
         | dtgriscom wrote:
        
           | cycrutchfield wrote:
           | Philistine.
        
           | bouvin wrote:
           | I adore Philip Glass, and it was through Koyaanisqatsi that I
           | discovered him back when the movie was released.
           | 
           | I have been fortunate enough to see PG & the PG ensemble
           | perform Music in 12 Parts (I heard the piece twice that day:
           | once traveling to the concert hall, and once live) as well as
           | attend an evening of piano works by him performed by him and
           | a series of other pianists. On my bucket list is seeing
           | Einstein on the Beach live - easily my favourite opera.
           | 
           | I have been collecting his music since the early nineties,
           | and much prefer his earlier works - his later symphonies,
           | etc, while fine, do not, to my ear, retain the stark beauty
           | of his younger days.
        
           | tjr225 wrote:
        
           | andrei_says_ wrote:
           | The minimalism is precisely why I like him.
        
             | indigodaddy wrote:
             | Perhaps he's an acquired taste. Although I fell for Glass
             | immediately as an adult. As soon as I heard a few notes I
             | was drawn to the music.
        
               | bb88 wrote:
               | I think the Tales From the Loop soundtrack is easy to get
               | into. Yes there is repetition, but there's also motion as
               | the phrases change to convey different ideas.
        
               | indigodaddy wrote:
               | Yes, I enjoyed the music in that series. VERY reminiscent
               | of Truman soundtrack, but of course, he borrows and does
               | variations upon his own earlier works all the time.
               | Truman is very reminiscent of Mishima imo also.
        
               | andrei_says_ wrote:
               | I discovered him through the soundtrack for the American
               | remake of Breathless with Richard Gere. His music makes
               | the film.
               | 
               | I recently listened of Philip Glass: Piano Works
               | performed by Vikingur Olafsson and that left me
               | speechless.
               | 
               | Softer, more dynamic, more soulful, less mechanical.
               | 
               | Highly recommended.
               | 
               | https://open.spotify.com/track/5q7DgKLBQ54FXKAfGxNMGs?si=
               | zwt...
        
               | FpUser wrote:
               | Exactly my experience as well
        
               | mlinksva wrote:
               | From pretty much the first time I'd heard/heard of Glass
               | (conceivably Koyannisqatsi) I found him kind of boring,
               | and didn't listen carefully, except for the Kronos
               | Quartet performs Philip Glass album, because I love KQ.
               | Apparently dismissing Glass is a thing
               | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tizP7IFyWig
               | 
               | Anyway, after many years I've listened carefully and love
               | it all. I hope to experience (and will gladly fly to) a
               | live performance of Einstein on the Beach someday. Like
               | the infinitely more sophisticated person in the linked
               | video, I was wrong about Glass.
        
               | justincormack wrote:
               | I managed to see Einstein on the Beach in London a while
               | back, recommended! It is performed maybe once a decade or
               | something somewhere...
        
               | indigodaddy wrote:
               | Pretty much same for me. Listened very
               | casually/cursorily/briefly in my late teens, tried a few
               | times again in my 20s and 30s, and found it kind of
               | boring and unexceptional.
               | 
               | Then in my early 40s I dug in a bit and really started
               | actually listening and exploring. And oh man what a wide
               | universe of musical discovery burst forth for me after
               | that. And I couldn't believe that I didn't put in a
               | little effort earlier..
        
           | DonHopkins wrote:
           | I wish Phillip Glass and Don Martin collaborated on an A
           | Cappella album.
           | 
           | https://www.madcoversite.com/dmd-alphabetical.html
           | 
           | "DIKKA-DIKKA DIKKA-DAK DIKDIKDIK DAKKA DAKKA DIKKA DIKKA
           | DIKKA DAGAK DAK DIKKADAK DIKKA DIKKA DAKDAKDAK DAKKA DAKKA
           | DEEP DABWAK DOOTBWEET DAKKITYDAK OONT GIKKADIK DIK DOKKA DAK
           | DEEP"
           | 
           | -Casey Working Laboriously On The Computer
           | 
           | "GLISH GLUTCH ARRAGGH YAK BLAM BLAM AWK GAROOF GAROOF
           | WEEOOOEEEOOO BLOOM BLOOM BLAM BLAM YAGGAK WHAP WHAP ROWR
           | GROWR RIP MANGLE GURGLE GLUK"
           | 
           | -Domestic Mayhem and Carnage Involving a Small Child, His
           | Mother, a Dog and a Police Officer
        
           | thewebcount wrote:
           | Yeah, I really do not like Philip Glass's music, but I
           | actually love the soundtrack to this movie. I heard it one
           | day on the radio (local classical station was playing it) a
           | few years after the movie came out and didn't know what it
           | was. I was really surprised it was by him. But the rest of
           | his stuff just doesn't work for me at all.
        
             | indigodaddy wrote:
             | Funnily, Koyaanisqatsi ranks on the lower end for me for
             | Glass works (no pun intended). I'm a huge Glass fan(atic
             | perhaps), and much prefer stuff like Truman Sleeps,
             | Mishima, Jane soundtrack, Glassworks, Symphony #4 Heroes
             | (Glass/Bowie/Eno), Mad Rush, etc etc. His music composed
             | specifically for the piano is gorgeous.
             | 
             | Amy Dickson's saxophone interpretations of his violin
             | concertos are absolutely riveting, example:
             | https://youtu.be/ZdUWPA_AX6o
        
               | carewell wrote:
               | It's interesting that there are two fan groups of Glass'
               | music with almost no overlap. Qatsi trilogy is also on
               | the lower end for me, but my favorite pieces are his more
               | experimental works like Einstein on the Beach. Most of
               | his Hollywood soundtracks are way more conventional.
        
               | Zababa wrote:
               | The soundtrack from Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters is
               | absolutely incredible, just like the movie as a whole.
               | I've been looking for a way to get prints of some parts
               | of the movie, the last blu ray from Criterion has a small
               | booklet with a few pictures from the sets, but they're
               | very small.
        
               | carewell wrote:
               | AI upscaling works incredibly well in my experience.
        
               | Zababa wrote:
               | Is there any in particular that you would recommend? I'll
               | admit that I have a negative prior for AI upscaling, as
               | I've seen a few cases in I think iPhone pictures where
               | the AI added things that weren't there. Ideally I'd like
               | to find the original pictures of the sets, as either they
               | will be digital, or can be digitized without losing
               | anything, but it looks like it would require a trip to
               | the USA at the E. Young Research Library, and I'm not
               | even sure I would be allowed to take copies.
        
         | indigodaddy wrote:
         | For anyone interested, Koyaanisqatsi is on sale on iTunes for
         | $5, and the bundle with Powaqqatsi is $10. Highly recommend for
         | anyone who's never seen it-- it's definitely an experience.
         | Also if it ever goes to 4K, iTunes will upgrade it.
         | 
         | https://www.reddit.com/r/iTunesMovieDeals/comments/z4f5qt/ko...
        
           | alpaca128 wrote:
           | > Also if it ever goes to 4K, iTunes will upgrade it.
           | 
           | And if, as Sony elegantly put it, license term "evolving"
           | happens[0], iTunes will remove it and you won't ever have
           | access to movies you bought.
           | 
           | At this point I don't trust anyone to keep digital purchases.
           | It's either on my harddrive and backup DRM free or I don't
           | actually own it.
           | 
           | [0] https://www.howtogeek.com/817070/your-digital-movies-
           | will-no...
        
             | 411111111111111 wrote:
             | > _It 's either on my harddrive and backup DRM free or I
             | don't actually own it._
             | 
             | It's quiet confusing that some people don't understand
             | that, considering that's literally the name of it: digital
             | rights management.
             | 
             | You only ever get a temporary permission to play a media
             | with DRM. It's literally the reason for it's inception.
        
               | alpaca128 wrote:
               | I don't care about the legalese, if the button says
               | "purchase" and not "rent" then I'm going to treat it that
               | way. If you buy a car the manufacturer can't just
               | randomly come and take your keys because their license
               | for the car's paint ran out. And they'd also not get away
               | with it by giving it a fancy "rights management" name and
               | hiding it in some agreement.
               | 
               | Additionally lobbies pushed our government to create
               | what's basically a tax on all digital storage media
               | that's included in the price, based on the assumption
               | that companies lose out on money when I copy music from
               | my PC to my music player etc. Which by the way is my
               | right by law, but they decided I have to pay for that
               | right. No, the most I'm going to do with that DRM license
               | agreement is to wipe my ass with it.
        
               | 411111111111111 wrote:
               | > _If you buy a car the manufacturer can 't just randomly
               | come and take your keys because their license for the
               | car's paint ran out._
               | 
               | Not yet, at least not for that reason.
               | 
               | That business model is currently being established
               | however and the ability to remotely disable the car at
               | the discretion of the seller/manufacturer has already
               | been added on a lot of cars, especially electric ones
               | like Tesla etc
        
             | [deleted]
        
           | [deleted]
        
         | FeistySkink wrote:
         | I haven't watched the first one since forever. Any specific
         | version you would recommend? I imagine the modern versions are
         | going to be cropped one way or the other. Is that the case?
        
           | carewell wrote:
           | Criterion's 2012 Blu-ray release is probably the best
           | available. It's a restored and remastered version that was
           | made with the involvement of the original crew.
        
             | classichasclass wrote:
             | Seconded. Bought the Criterion box set, never regretted it.
             | Looks fabulous in the home theatre.
        
           | hypertele-Xii wrote:
           | IRE
        
             | carewell wrote:
             | For some reason Reggio opted against releasing this version
             | commercially years later with Criterion, so not sure it's
             | what he would recommend himself.
        
         | JoeDaDude wrote:
         | To those who complain about Koyaanisqatsi being dated, remember
         | this film was made before such a thing as music videos existed.
         | You might even say it was one of the first, the other being
         | Disney's Fantasia.
        
           | tohnjitor wrote:
           | Music videos existed before Koyaanisqatsi.
        
         | carewell wrote:
         | That was also my first thought - Naqoyqatsi would have been a
         | better fit.
        
         | StillLrning123 wrote:
         | Koyaanisqatsi and Sunless by Chris Marker are movies I come
         | back to and rediscover over and over.
         | 
         | Sunless can be watched on you tube:
         | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdusEgrbhgA
        
           | poulpy123 wrote:
           | Chris Marker made my favourite movie: la Jetee (on youtube
           | with english subtitles here
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU99W-ZrIHQ). It was the
           | inspiration of the movie 12 Monkeys
        
           | iamdbtoo wrote:
           | Ron Fricke's other works, namely Baraka, are also worth a
           | watch.
           | 
           | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103767/
        
           | gala8y wrote:
           | Thank you for mentioning Sunless. Absolutely interesting and
           | very personal, I would say.
        
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