© James Day

David Byrne, one of my artistic heroes, has written a thorough and realistic piece about the changing music industry.

What is called the music business today, however, is not the business of producing music. At some point it became the business of selling CDs in plastic cases, and that business will soon be over. But that’s not bad news for music, and it’s certainly not bad news for musicians. Indeed, with all the ways to reach an audience, there have never been more opportunities for artists.

The web is changing things for artists and creators of all kinds. We can all glean some insight from Byrne’s article.

UPDATE 1/9/08: Byrne gets and posts responses to feedback his article.

UPDATE 2/15/08: Byrne’s Addendum to recent Wired Article (Part II)

Speaking of David Bryne, The Knee Plays has recently been released on CD for the first time. It’s nothing short of inspiring and a wonderful listen. Check out this video of “The Sound of Business” from The Knee Plays being performed live:

In a post titled “The Long Take” on his DAILY FILM DOSE blog, Alan Bacchus writes about the greatest long tracking shots in cinema. Clips for the most of the shots are included, as well.

In a director’s cinematic bag of tricks the long tracking shot is the boldest way of making a statement. It’s the flashiest and most attention-grabbing egotistical way of flexing one’s muscle. In most cases it’s a narcissistic maneuver, “look-at-me” filming technique, but rare ones, the best ones, serve to reflect and further the story in a way that can’t be reflected with traditional editing.

Flexing one’s muscle indeed. It’s not an easy thing to do.

The difficulty arises when the camera is forced to move which complicates the logistics ie. Focus changes, lighting changes and hiding production equipment.

My favorite long take is the final scene of Michelangelo Antonioni’s The Passenger. It’s one of those “difficult” takes in that the camera goes out of a room through the window bars, into the courtyard, and back into the room from which it came to reveal the ending.

When I saw The Passenger during its theatrical re-release in 2005 I was haunted by and in awe of that final scene for days after. It’s a masterful piece of filmmaking and an inspiration to a visual artist like myself.