My Tori Amos "Bouncing Off Clouds" music video

I am honored to have the privilege of producing a music video of "Bouncing Off Clouds." The song is by the one and only Tori Amos--one of my absolute favorite singer/songwriters of all time. In 2007, the song and green screen Quicktime video file were released to the internet for fans to create a video for the song which would compete in a contest. These files provide a good selection of Tori's performance footage. The footage followed her 9th studio album, American Doll Posse The contest ended that October, but I still happen to have the Quicktime files saved to a back-up hard drive and I'm all set to produce. The main technology I will be working with is using chroma-key to key out the green screen behind Tori. I am currently working with Final Cut Pro and running some rough-cuts. I've actually had the privilege of seeing Tori play this song live. It's quite a breathtaking experience as I am a big fan.



The main focus I want to bring across in this video is not only the idea, but the meaning of "cloud." Using thoughts from studying media, I have found it inspiring to take the lyrics to a semiotical level. The most obvious would be to feature a cloud at it's most literal level. It seems as if everyone's thought process goes right to that image. My focus here is to play with that image. I want to get into the deeper sense of "cloud" and what a cloud can represent. As a fan, I know for a fact that Tori uses this word not only across this song, but in many other lyrics. Compositions such as "Cloud on My Tongue" from Under The Pink (1994) as well as "Your Cloud" from Scarlet's Walk lead me to believe that "cloud" has a significant meaning to Tori not only as a songwriter, but as a woman and mother. It's also intriguing to see how these cloud songs (or shall I say "song clouds?") have changed with Tori over the years.

Cloud on my Tongue (Under the Pink, 1994)

"Got a cloud sleeping on my tongue he goes then it goes and kiss the violets as
they’re waking up leave me with your Borneo leave me the way I was before."

Your Cloud (Scarlet's Walk, 2001)

"If the rain has to separate from itself does it say 'pick out your cloud?"

Bouncing Off Clouds (American Doll Posse, 2007)

"Bouncing off of Clouds we were. Is there a love Lost and Found?
Make it easy Make this easy. It’s not as heavy as it seems"

It's interesting to see what actual contestants from the previous contest did with the visuals. I'm not quite sure if I can compete with the winner of the contest, but it is not my aim to compete. My aim is to create something virtually amazing--something that captures the literal and metaphorical meanings behind the lyrics and audio. For example, I would love to incorporate visuals that communicate the feeling of heaviness as Tori sings "make it easy it's not as heavy as it seems." One lyric that stands out among others is "Is there a love lost and found?" Listening to the ADP album as a whole various times, I have attempted breaking these lyrics into pieces. The whole idea of love lost and then found is beyond romantic. I am breaking the song down into intro, verse, chorus, and bridge:

Intro:
Bouncing off of Clouds we were
Is there a love Lost and Found
Make it easy
Make this easy
It's not as heavy as it seems
Wrapped in metal
Wrapped in ivy
Paint it in mint ice cream

Chorus:
We could be Bouncing off the top of this Cloud
I'll put on my silver
We could be Bouncing off the top of this Cloud

Verse:
Failure to respond but
I did. but did you listen?

Chorus:
Bouncing off the top of this Cloud
I'll put on my silver
About what you said, has it come to this?
I'll put on my silver
Bouncing off the top of this Cloud

Bridge:
Well you can stare all day at the sky
But that won't bring her back
That won't bring her back
You say you're waiting on fate
But I think fate is now
I think fate is now
Waiting on us
Make it easy
Easy easy
We could make this easy
Easy love easy
We could make this easy
Make this easy
It's not as heavy as it seems
Wrapped in metal
Wrapped in ivy
Blue umbrellas now smiling

Chorus:
We could be Bouncing off the top of this Cloud
I'll put on my silver
About what you said, has it come to this?
I'll put on my silver
Bouncing off the top of this Cloud
I'll put on my silver
About what you said, has it come to this?
I'll put on my silver
Bouncing off the top of this Cloud

Outro:
Bouncing off of clouds we were...

I would like to work with the central theme of one being able to find themselves even after tough times or relationships. I feel that the emotional context of the song really speaks to us. Sometimes you just need to "make it easy" and carelessly bounce through the clouds of life. Once love is lost, we begin to find ourselves again. We find ourselves "bouncing off clouds" in search of ourselves. Love aims to be found again.