Into the light of the dark black night...

Well I’m glad after four stalled weeks I finally got that post done at the perfect time, eh?

( SPN - 5.06 & 5.07 PROMO - So that answered some questions, but guess what? Now I just have more...[semi-thinky thoughts] )

So I noticed way back in S3, Kripke's habit for completely giving away the finale in mid-season episodes. It was true for Scarecrow and Hunted. Remained true for Malleus Maleficarum. And for Heaven & Hell. So...

( 5.21 - 'Two Minutes to Midnight' Insta Reaction/Meta )
[ETA: original icon was 'winchester road']

Why is it whenever I take on a project it grows to MASSIVE proportions? *facepalm* For the record, this was originally three different posts, which unfortunately made no sense when separated. So, anyone that gets through this, I question your sanity in addition to mine. This post, btw, is the reason why my episode thoughts have been nonexistent since 5.13. It's been, well...complicated.

When I first put together my red & blue meta last fall, there were only eight episodes of the season to look at, and therefore much of those conclusions were based on admittedly wild conjecture. But those of you following along since might have noticed a visual story that has begun to accompany these colors, right in line with the textual story itself. Examining the broad strokes of this visual story throughout the season can give us an indication not only where the story has been, but also where it is headed. On the advent of the show's 100th episode and Season Five finale, I thought it'd be an interesting exercise to see where these big episodes might be taking us. (Yes, I am going to craft finale spec out of colors, just bare with me!)

Despite my constant parring, this post is very lengthy and image heavy, bringing together ideas from my first color symbolism post, and applying it to episodes 5.11 to 5.17, first in terms of red & blue, secondly in terms of the conflict of green, thirdly in terms of how this comes together in 5.17, and finally what this means for the future episodes. Are you EXHAUSTED YET? It sounds more complicated than it is, since it's really just one big Ode to SPN Cinematography in S5. And I promise bunches of pretty caps to get you through it. :)

HAPPY 100th, EVERYONE!



Note: I have not been spoiled for the remaining episodes, and in fact have not even seen the 100th episode promo. The conclusions contained within this post are purely derived from what aired episodes have given so far. So please, no spoilers in the comments.

( META PICSPAM: 'Tracking The Visual Story through Color' - The Saga of Red & Blue in SPN S5 continues... )

Halfway through 'Dark Side of the Moon', a sudden green wretch was thrown into the red and blue party, a color usage so grotesque and seemingly out of nowhere, I couldn't stop thinking about it.



( META PICSPAM: 'Where'd All This Green Come From?': Zachariah and his toxic green interference... )

( Which all comes together the latest episode, 5.17, '99 Problems'... )

So that is where we're left with, going into the 100th episode tonight, and into the next five episodes leading to what's supposed to be by all accounts, an EPIC finale. So, now...

( 'WHERE IS THIS GOING?': Red points the way )

If you made it to the end of that? You deserve a cookie. And a raise. Here's a pillow, go and lie down.

For television, the cinematographic work on Supernatural has been quite consistently precise and meaningful over the years. But in the case of such an important episode of the series as 'The End', the lighting and shot composition work (done by Serge Ladouceur with this week’s director, Steve Boyum) held an especially prominent position. While naturally easy to discount, the work here was essential to the success of the episode while also lending a richer meaning to the text itself. Since I had some extra time this week, I couldn’t help but highlight a few moments that left me absolutely delighted to see. ;)






( 'There is a Reason to Hope': The Cinematographic Use of Lighting & Shot Composition in SPN 5.04 [PICSPAM & META] )

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Also, a quick INSTA!FIC-REC! This takes a stab at two scenes missing from 5.04 and ties them together so masterfully it's immediately personal canon for me:

FIC: No Love Greater Than This [Dean, Sam, Lucifer, spoilers up to 5.04]
( Just a bit of commentary, but I'm cutting because I'm nice... )

And, a HAPPY WINCHESTER DAY to all! Otherwise known as the TV Day that Broke the TV Viewers Backs. I'm actually kinda hoping this show won't break my brain quite so horribly the next couple weeks and I'll have some time to watch and talk about some other shows soon. We got our hope, now where's that fun apocalypse, Kripke?

You wouldn't believe it, but I really wasn't planning on doing anything nearly as extensive as last year's S3 score post. But then something happened. The score ROCKED ITS LITTLE HEART OUT. And I just couldn't help myself. I made deep cuts. Deep DEEP cuts! And still this thing is a BEAST. 22 episodes. 164 clips. 160 minutes. 90 mb/zip. It's possible I need to be committed.

But seeing as how this season's conventional soundtrack is practically nonexistent due to unfortunate lack of mullet rock (*SHAKES FIST AT BUDGET*), I just couldn't NOT do this. If you loved this season like I did, and are itchin' for a season soundtrack to love and adore it anytime you want, this score compilation is the perfect way to relive the best moments of the whole season, from epically badass angels to Sam’s turmoils and Dean’s fears, all in under three hours. And so, in celebration of our wonderfully tragic show's return tomorrow, I give to you:


SUPERNATURAL SEASON FOUR SCORE POST
All scoring of Supernatural composed by Christopher Lennertz and Jay Gruska



When I first began diving into this series score three years ago, I had no idea what the interest might be for it, and to say I've been surprised by the level of excitement for these scores around fandom would be a gross understatement. I've been overjoyed in seeing just how many of you have enjoyed these scores and posts. So it gives me great excitement to present scores for this past season, a season in which the scoring not only improved by leaps and bounds but has also proved under further analysis to be absolutely exceptional television score. There is so much I want to point out, but only so much space to do it in, so I’ll try to keep it short. But this season’s score was extra busy this year, and I can't make this post without giving at least some of it its well-deserved praise.

For those of you who are just here for the downloads, feel free to skip below...

( ANALYSIS AND CRITICISM )

I've divided the season's cues into two 90 MB zip files that each contain 82 MP3 files. That's 164 MP3s in all with a run time of 160 minutes.

Considering the size, I'd suggest using the rating's system in iTunes in order to rank the cues and keep track of your favorites, since they can get easily lost in the shuffle. I found it incredibly useful in sorting through all of these.

Some other features that should be helpful:
- All music has been volume boosted to go with season’s soundtrack. You can further adjust it to your liking using iTunes. Right click Get Info. Click Options tab. Use Volume Adjustment.
- All music is automatically labeled for iTunes with Artist and Album for easy access.
- All non-dialogues are marked with [#]. When you want to just hear instrumentals, simply enter # into your itunes search.

You’ll notice there’s less [#] than last season. To be honest, most of the nicest melodies and most interesting timbre changes this season were on dialogue-ridden moments. Another reason to keep track of your favorites with the iTunes ratings.

The cues are listed below in the order that they appear in each episode. Most cues' origins should be easily discernible by title or dialogue, but if there's any your curious about, feel free to ask! I hope you all enjoy!

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( SCORE CUES FROM EPISODES 401-411 )

FULL ZIP FILE OF EPISODES 401-411
(Secondary DL link HERE)

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( SCORE CUES FROM EPISODES 412-422 )

FULL ZIP OF EPISODES 412-422
(Secondary DL Link HERE)

NOTE: My copy of 4.21 had the worst audio quality and I had some difficulties with the audio from a DVD rip. Better versions of the first five can be found HERE if they annoy you too horribly. I'm working on getting a good 'Trust Me' and 'Sam's Defiance', but my computer has decided to be evil, so it may be a while. Unless anyone might be able to point me to a better avi copy, in which case I'd love you forever!
ETA (09/10/09): Thanks to ilostmyshoe0782 who scored me a DVD Rip copy, here are the last two good 4x21s: Trust Me | Sam's Defiance (Dean Theme). For those of you just getting here, all seven of these good copies are now in the second full zip, so you don't have to worry about anything else!

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OTHER SPN SCORE POSTS:
- BIG DAMN SPN S3 Score Post [Downloads]
- Dean's Family Dedication Theme [Downloads]
- Season Two's Scoring Overview Meta
- Big Damn SPN S1 Score Post [IDs and Downloads]
- List of Episodes for Each SPN Composer
- SPN's Musical Motifs
- SPN Composer Interviews
- SPN Pilot: Comparing The Pre-Aired Score to Aired Version's

I wasn’t going to even touch S3. Not beyond the Dean Theme. I never did get S2’s Score Post finished. [Mostly due to getting half the season cut and then loosing it all when my HD died on me, of course.] But I admit, I like having an audio recap of a season of my favorite tv shows. It becomes convenient, instead of taking out the time to rewatch a season of television, I can turn on the playlist while doing work or studying and just smile silently, remembering all the little moments in space of my own head. And thanks to Kripke and his small budget which was spent on things like purple smoke instead of important things like mullet rock, we didn’t have much of a conventional soundtrack this year.

So that’s what I say in response to the fact that I SORTA went alittle overboard with the score clips this time around. When I can’t even with all good of conscience say they really deserved it. For Season One, I had 78 score clips clocking in at 1.5 hours for twenty-two episodes. For Season Three, I have 100 score clips clocking in at 1.5 hours for sixteen episodes. FOR SHAME. But on the bright side, you guys get to reap the benefits of my OCD-ness. So, to help get everyone through the last month of this excruciating summer hiatus before our horribly tragic show comes back to us, I give you:


SUPERNATURAL SEASON THREE SCORE POST
All scoring of Supernatural composed by Christopher Lennertz and Jay Gruska



I'd like to preface this with a bout of criticism on this season's score. I warn you, I'm a harsh critic, but ultimately, I criticize because I love. Of course, what follows is only my opinion, and as my music knowledge is only about as deep as a mediocre piano player and one class of film music gets me, hardly worth a sack of potatoes, but I'm going to say my piece anyway. For those of you who are just here for the downloads, feel free to skip below, this is going to be a long one....

( ANALYSIS AND CRITICISM )

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Despite all of my criticism, I still have to say, I had an absolute BALL putting this all together. I might not have always had the kindest of words for a good part of this season, but it really gave us a lot of moments that just make me grin like a stupid idiot in retrospect. And seeing what a dousy we’re in for this coming season, I think they’ll be moments we’ll all be holding onto for a long time.

I've divided the season into two 50 MB zip files of 50 mp3s which run about 45 minutes each. All mp3s have been volume boosted to match the levels of normal songs, so they can be added to playlists with the season's soundtrack. [Because "To Save Dean" just isn't the same when it's not breaking into BTO. Just like "What I Have Done" isn't the same when it's not breaking into "Crazy Circles" and "A Quiet Moment" isn't the same without breaking into "I Shall Not Be Moved"] Again, they were simply ripped from avi copies, therefore, they are not clean versions. They all include sound affects, many are dialogue-ridden as well. Those without major dialogue are denoted by the [#].

I included the vidding recaps of the premiere and finale ('cause they're just fun!), along with the "3.05 Recap" that has a piece of score that I just personally ADORE, even though I am about 99.99% sure it's actually Robert Rodriquez's score from Once Upon A Time In Mexico. I'm also about 99.99% sure that the Ghostfacers' "Power Walk" from 3.13 is not score either, but I haven't heard anyone ID it yet, so I clipped it anyway. And yes, i really did copy the five second Retro Presentation diddy from 3.08, it really just brings me that much joy.

The cues are listed below in the order that they appear in each episode. Most cues' origins should be easily discernible by title or dialogue, but if there's any your curious about, feel free to ask! I hope you all enjoy!

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( SCORE CUES FROM EPISODES 301-307 )

FULL ZIP FILE OF EPISODES 301-307
(Secondary DL link HERE)

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( SCORE CUES FROM EPISODES 308-316 )

FULL ZIP OF EPISODES 308-316
(Secondary DL Link HERE)

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OTHER SPN SCORE POSTS:
- Dean's Family Dedication Theme [Downloads]
- Season Two's Scoring Overview Meta
- Big Damn SPN S1 Score Post [IDs and Downloads]
- List of Episodes for Each SPN Composer
- SPN's Musical Motifs
- SPN Composer Interviews
- SPN Pilot: Comparing The Pre-Aired Score to Aired Version's

Background on Motifs:

Just as literature can possess reoccurring themes called 'motifs', so can strains of music within a score of a film or television show. The tradition of the use of motifs in film score is actually an old idea which was derived from the German composers who coined the phrase, leitmotif ('leading motif') and made the practice popular. While the precise term, 'leitmotif' was first to explain the work of von Weber (1786-1826), it was Wagner (1813-1888) who is most commonly associated with popularizing their usage. His operas, which early film composers would later look to for inspiration, made liberal use of these leitmotifs, and consequently became a large part of scoring film and television.

The most common use of a musical motif ties a particular melody to a character, which is repeated in reference to that character. More complex motifs which reference feelings or ideas can also occur. They function quite interestingly on a subconscious level for the viewer to recall the visual or visuals previously associated with melody.

Motifs on Supernatural:

Because Supernatural has two composers, it is hard to keep up a truly consistent motif usage. Individually, each have introduced and used their own motifs for certain characters or ideas. It's debatable whether Gruska and Lennertz have been consciously willing to use the others motif for a specific instance a scene might relate to.

It's hard to purely quantify what the meaning of a repeated melody on the show might be. Sometimes, it means nothing. Composers on television recycle bits of score all the time. But sometimes a melody will be reused, and has a direct connection with its first use. These are the motifs I've listed below. Motifs were named purely based on the common thread that all its instances contained.

Derivatives of a theme are also commonly used in film score, where a motif is taken and manipulated in a meaningful way. For instance, flattening out the notes of a melody can illustrate metaphorically the loss of the idea that that melody previously represented.

Different forms of a theme through the use of different timbres can also be meaningful. Trumpets can be victory. Woodwinds can be warmth and safety. Violins can be the voice of a specific character.

All of this is of course hinged on the word 'can'. We can't actually know whether or not the meaning is there intentionally. These notes below are simply sketches of what was presented. Infer or not as you wish. (But really, that's half the motif fun!)

LENNERTZ MOTIFS

The YED's Theme: (the beginning of 'And So It Begins')
___________________________________________________________________
                                                  -
                                        =                   =
-                                -
      =              =          
           |     -          |                  |
____________________________________________________________________

- 1.01 - Starts as Mary gets out of bed to check on Sammy
- 1.14 - Heard again as Max tells Sam his mother died in his nursery
- 4.03 - Heard as the YED brags to Dean about his endgame
- 4.06 - Heard as Dean's hallucination of Sam as he reveals his yellow eyes
- 4.06 - Heard as Dean's hallucination of Lilith reminds Dean how he remembers Hell

Silly Brothers Theme:
___________________________________________________________________
                                         -                 -
  -         -           -          -----             -----
                              -                 -
-   - -   -    - -    -   - -    -           --   -            - -
        |          |                       |                 | 
____________________________________________________________________
- 1.01 - Electric guitar piece heard first as Dean and Sam get out of the Impala and impersonate U.S. Marshalls.
         - Heard again after they run into the REAL U.S. Marshalls a couple minutes later.   
         - One bar of this piece is heard in the later bridge scene after Sam tells Dean he "smells like a toilet"*
- 1.08 - Heard as Dean convinces Sam to squat in the model house for the night *
- 1.14 - Heard at the end of the episode as Dean cracks his Vegas joke* 
- 1.17 - Heard as a response to Sam's prank of salsa-fying Dean's radio*
         - Heard as Dean slips pepper in Sam's pants while he takes a shower* 
         - Heard again as Dean realizes his hand is stuck to the beer bottle and Sam celebrates in victory
- 2.06 - Heard towards the end after Dean drives in with the cement truck
- 4.06 - Heard as Dean is confronted by the ferocious dog that's been chasing him
- 4.08 - Heard as Sam realizes who the "ghost" in the girl's locker room was

*[thanks to stargatemouse for these finds]

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GRUSKA MOTIFS

Sam and John's Theme:
__________________________________________________________
                        -
                            -              -
-          -                    -              -
   -        -                       -              -
                -                       -              -
              
        -           -
         |            |           |           |
__________________________________________________________

- 1.04 - Heard at the end as Sam and Dean listen to John's new cell message
- 1.08 - A wavering, unsettled derivative heard as Sam tells Dean he wants to find John
- 1.20 - Heard as John tells Sam this was never the life he wanted for him
- 4.07 - Heard as Sam finishes ganking Samhain and notices Dean from afar
- 4.12 - Heard at the end of the episode as Sam makes his decision and opens up the car door to join Ruby

Dean's Family Dedication Theme:
_________________________________________________
                                     
                                        -   
        -                           -       -
    -      -       -            -              -
-              -            -
                      -  |
__________________________________________________

- 1.22 - Heard through Dean's "Things I'm willing to do" speech inside the cabin
- 2.01 - Episode Theme (small strains are heard throughout the episode)
               - The pure form heard as John sits by Dean's bedside while Dean yells at him to do something
               - A distorted form heard as Tessa is revealed as the reaper and tries to convince Dean to let go
               - A piano and flute version heard as John's "You did that" speech to Dean
               - A higher octave flute w/ backed orch. version heard as Sam finds John dead
- 2.09 - An acoustic version heard throughout Dean's "I'm tired" speech
- 2.11 - Same acoustic version heard as Dean watches Drunk!Sam go to sleep after he made Dean swear to kill him if he goes dangerous.  
- 2.20 - Flattened form heard when Dean realizes Sam and him don't get along in Wishverse*
- 2.21 - A brass form of the full theme heard as Sam dies in Dean's arms 
- 3.08 - A messily disguised derivative heard as Little!Sam gives Young!Dean his Christmas present
- 3.16 - The full theme heard as Dean tells Sam they cannot keep making the same mistakes over again
- 4.13 - A underdeveloped variation of the theme heard as teenage Dean announces he's a hero
- 4.15 - The full theme heard as makes his Dean confession to Tessa
- 4.15 - An eerily sharpened derivative heard as Dean critizes Alistair for his choice of murder tools
- 4.21 - The full theme heard as Sam defiantly walks out the door against Dean's protests

*Score by Lennertz, so it's debatable whether its an intentional strain of Gruska's motif or not


DEAN THEME ANALYSIS:
Season Two Perspective
This theme could be heard in emotional scenes throughout the season, possessing a strong sense of meaning and purpose, adding dimension to the scenes it accompanied, and overall pulling the season together from bookend to bookend. After first appearing in Devil's Trap (1.22) to accompany Dean's speech fears for the things he is willing to do for his family, it becomes the major musical theme of the season two premiere, In My Time of Dying (2.01). In here, it is most notably paired with John and his silent decision to sacrifice himself to save Dean, suggesting his sacrifice was for Dean in response to everything Dean had given him and Sam over the years. Furthermore, its accompaniment to The Secret tells us of John's belief in Dean and power to watch over his family. As it is carried throughout the season, the theme references not only Dean's responsibility to keep Sam safe, but also the burden of The Secret, and marks Dean's weariness with this life, both in Croatoan (2.09) and Playthings (2.11). During Dean's Wish World in What Is, Lennertz quite brilliantly (whether intentional or not) references this theme in a flatten form of the theme's melody right as Dean realizes that the Sam in this world does not like or need him, and signifies the loss of that responsibility. Probably most memorable is its use at the end of All Hell Breaks Loose (Part 1) (2.21), as Dean holds a stabbed Sam and watches him die in his arms. This use all at once invokes the whole season and all of Dean's dedication towards his family right before your eyes, helping the viewer to mourn with Dean his complete loss of the most important people in his life and subsequent loss of purpose.

Season Three Perspective
In season three, the theme resurfaces exactly twice. In the flashback of ‘A Very Supernatural Christmas’, a messy disguised derivative of this theme begins as Little Sammy gives Young Dean his Christmas present (the amulet), effectively signifying the passing of responsibility of Sam from John to Dean. Existing not in the purified form which would characterize Dean’s dedication to his family almost twenty years later, but as this disguised derivative in which the core melody remains hidden beneath numerous filler noters surrounding it, perfectly characterizes the moment as the beginning of the dedication which would later result in the Dean we know today.

The purified theme is resurrected in the Season Three Finale, ‘No Rest For The Wicked’ as Dean tells Sam that they cannot keep making the same mistakes over again. The version used is identical to that first heard in the theme’s introduction during Dean’s “Things I’m Willing To Do” speech, which appropriately references back to that speech two years before, and with it, brings the accompanied imagery of the last three years, particularly family’s mistakes marked by John’s and Sam’s death, to the current scene at hand. Moreover, it stands to subvert that which was once considered sacred: The Dedication of the Winchester Family, as Dean explains to Sam how they need to stop being martyrs and making the same mistakes over again, bringing the theme and the idea behind it completely full circle. Perhaps we should have been calling this theme the Winchester Family Dedication Theme all along, but since Dean restates his role as the protector of the Winchester Constitution in the next breath, I feel confident in keeping it as is.

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OTHER SPN SCORE POSTS:
- NEW!! Big Damn SPN S3 Score Post [Downloads]
- Season Two's Scoring Overview Meta
- Big Damn SPN S1 Score Post (IDs and Downloads)
- Dean's Family Dedication Theme [Downloads]
- List of Episodes for Each SPN Composer
- SPN Composer Interviews
- SPN Pilot: Comparing The Pre-Aired Score to Aired Version's

OTHER FANDOMS' SCORE POSTS
- Josh Kramon: Veronica Mars Score
- Greg Edmonson: Firefly Score