Water from the sky

[altivo]

It grew dark and the heavens opened. Two inches of rain in about 30 or 40 minutes I think it was. Flash flood warnings. I drove home on roads with water lapping at the edges. But by the time I got home, there were only small puddles.

Warp is measured and tied, ready to go on the loom. The treadles are chained up. This is the most complex single weave I've ever done in the 20 years I've been weaving. But it's going to be interesting and not that hard I think. Just gotta keep track of that dance step on ten treadles.

Finished the spinners' newsletter and put it up. Then instead of putting warp on the loom, I sat with Gary and watched Prince of Egypt because he wanted to. It's a pretty film with some powerful fine artwork and music, even if the religious message doesn't much inspire me. The human message is fine in any case.

I keep hearing thunder in the distance. May be more rain before morning.

Comments

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Gad 10 treadles?? What happens if you press the wrong one?


*chases after the mice in the barn*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Nothing terrible, you just get a mistake in the finished pattern. This has 269 warp threads, and each finished towel will have about 575 weft threads. The colored pattern is created by using two colors of weft (two shuttles) alternately and a treadle sequence that does almost feel like some kind of step dancing: 1-3-2-3-1-4-2-4-1-6-2-6-1-6-2-6... The ones and twos are white thread, the threes and up are colored.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

And you said it looks pretty easy?? o.O

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Not hard, no. I just have to take my shoes off so I don't put one hoof on two treadles at once.

[calydor.livejournal.com]

I haven't yet seen Prince of Egypt, though it's on my shelf (OMG yes, I have a legal copy! I always buy DVDs when I see those I like at 8 dollars or less) but IIRC, it's about Moses leading the slaves out of Egypt, isn't it? Hard to tell that story without the religious aspect, since ... well ... that's what it was about.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Watch it. The religious thing is very light handed. It's all about love and loyalty and romance, with a lot of comedy thrown in. The artwork is fantastic, especially the parting of the Red Sea at the climax. The animals (horses, camels, sheep, dogs) are marvelously rich even though none ever speaks, and the backdrop scenery is both lush and severe, as a desert setting should be.

[heavens-steed.livejournal.com]

I actually didn't care for how the animators and artists rendered the horses in the film. Their movement was good but their faces were too blocky and their bodies a bit too big and their legs too thin :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Examined out of context, I'd agree with you that much of the art in Prince of Egypt is rather peculiar. But when you consider that it draws so heavily on Egyptian wall murals, then it makes sense. The horses at the beginning are like the people, and like tomb paintings: flat, almost two dimensional, yet they move naturally. After Moses runs away into the desert and meets first the Midianites and then Yahweh, everything becomes three dimensional. It's rather subtle, but I noticed it quite definitely in this viewing.

[felder.livejournal.com]

Ah, I like the Prince of Egypt. good soundtrack, nicely animated. cute chunky horsies at the start. and Patrick Stewart!!! what more do you need? ;)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yep. I've never heard a Hans Zimmer soundtrack I didn't like. The animation is top notch, and you get not only Patrick Stewart, but Val Kilmer as well. I've had a secret affection for Kilmer ever since he played Mad Martigan in Willow.

[felder.livejournal.com]

Wow! yet another reason I like you ;)

I have crap loads of Hans Zimmer soundtracks. I adore his work! all started back when I watch Black Rain and moved from there.

I do have to confess that I can listen to the Spirit soundtrack till the cows come home. *blushes*

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The Spirit soundtrack is really, really well done. Well, I'm not a big fan of Bryan Adams' voice, but still, Zimmer's orchestration and composition is just fantastic. He picked up the western idioms very well. If you had never seen the movie and had no idea what it was about, you would STILL know it was a western. And yet, all the themes and melodies are original.

I'm often more interested in the musical track of a film than I am in the acting or plot. Music is that important to me. Tracks that are made up of a mix of popular music, rock, jazz, whatever, turn me right off. Tracks that are composed originals for the specific film are often amazing. It seems that most people only remember or pay attention to the songs, but it's the background music that gets my attention.

[heavens-steed.livejournal.com]

I agree with you strongly, for the most part. I love a good composed soundtrack. A good score is essential for a good film. Music is very important. I love the work of John Williams, Howard Shore, Hans Zimmer, and others. Howard Shore is a complete genius for the score he made for The Lord of the Rings films. That is by far the best composed film score I have ever heard.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I like John Williams too. I have to admit that I was so disappointed in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films that the music didn't make much of an impression on me. The first film was decent, the other two gutted the story and took it off in completely the wrong direction for me.

[heavens-steed.livejournal.com]

Yes, Hans Zimmer is an excellent composer. I have a lot of his work as well.

[heavens-steed.livejournal.com]

I wish it would rain here. The high was over 100 degrees, a new record high today and will possible be that that way tomorrow as well.

I love The Prince of Egypt. That is a wonderful film. The music is excellent as well as the beautiful animation and the voice cast. My favorite aspect of it is the closeness between Moses and God. I love that interaction, especially how they did the burning bush scene. Unlike you I find the religious/spiritual message the -most- inspiring part, but like that comes as any surprise to you. :P

[altivo.livejournal.com]

No, of course that doesn't surprise me. It's a measure of quality in the film's artistic production that you can feel comfortable with that and yet I'm not completely put off by it. ;D