Image: “The Living Room” by missbossy from Singapore, Singapore is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Audio: “Ominous” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
I didn’t have any particular idea in mind when I began this assignment, but I guess the holidays were still on my mind. I saw a different Christmas-related photo originally, and it got me thinking—what if I could flip the cheery, warm feeling of the holidays around and invoke something ominous? So I set out to find the perfect image that I felt could play both sides of that coin. (I will say, I had a very hard time finding a nice aesthetic Christmas photo under an appropriate Creative Commons license. A lot of them were kind of weird, honestly.)
I was thrilled when I found this photo/audio combination. For one thing, despite how beautiful the the photo is, its title read sort of ominous to me already: The Living Room. The contrast of bright white against the windows also adds a layer of spook, with the reflected lights almost looking like glowing eyes in the deep darkness. Then I came across the audio clip—simply using the search term “ominous”—and knew this had to be the one. I love that it still has some whimsy and even channels Christmas a bit with the inclusion of the pipe organ.
I hope I was able to highlight the spooky stillness of Christmas Eve night for you!
When I originally saw the photo, it made me think of a “twas the night before Christmas
when all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse”. So initial I thought of a joyous, quiet, and cozy time. When listening to the audio I thought it was a bit spooky. When combining the audio with image I think the image is altered. Because what I thought was a warm and cozy feeling turned into a dark, ominous, and lonely feeling. So the audio definitely transforms the image for me. I think audio of a winter snowstorm would create an interesting dynamic between the image and sound when combined.
Hey Leesa!
Oh wow! The music?! This was so unexpected. I expected to hear a fire crackling, or some soft holiday jazz with the image you chose. Using that ominous music reminds me of a suspense novel. It’s definitely narrative with a twisted ending. Like, you think that the protagonist is going to have a nice, happy ending, but as soon as she leaves the living room, the killer appears in the window, and that’s when the book ends.
Your links seem to work, and I have no issues with your formatting. Fantastic job!
Hello Leesa! I think you succeeded in what you wanted to do with your post. When I first saw your picture, it reminded me of a cozy living room during Christmas time. I was expecting an audio that was jolly, but the audio made the image more ominous. It makes me think about what is hiding behind the chairs or in the dark hallway.
The photo and audio reminds me of “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, where Halloween and Christmas are combined. It is one of my favorite movies, not just during the end of the year during Halloween and Christmas.
Your formatting looks great. If you can, maybe you can add a link to the creator of the audio. Overall, you did an amazing job.
Hi Leesa!
Great job on this pairing. It was totally unexpected and was definitely giving off an ominous vibe once the audio started playing. The darkness of the foreground and then the windows outside makes me feel like something is going to pop out of the darkness.
This was a unique spin and it definitely provoked a different feeling than expected. The formatting looks great and the links worked for me. Great job!