Railroads and trains have always felt nostalgic to me, so I gravitated towards images of them for this assignment. Where I grew up, we had to cross a set of railroad tracks to get onto the highway, so crossing them always felt like a sign of an adventure. Now, I see them most often whenever I have to cross through the seemingly-empty middle of Florida to visit my family on the other coast, which are trips filled with both solitude and nice music. Railroads always reminded me of travel, and now I associate them with my long-distance driving playlist of folk, blues, and indie music. So, I decided to combine the picture of railroad tracks with a blues song by Kevin MacLeod (though the song was trimmed in order for it to be uploaded). Now you can feel like you’re along for the ride with me!
For this derivative work use: “Railroad Blues” by Alyssa Mitchinson is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Hello Alyssa,
Thank you for your interesting post.
Generally, this image reminds me of two things, first the woodsy areas around my childhood home. The greenery always felt calming when I was young. Second, the railroad feels like adventuring in a way. There were several stories as a teenager that I read which had railroads that showed me the kind of freedom these offer, such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The idea that we could be free of cares and constantly moving seemed very engaging when I was growing up. Though the image alone does depict this, the sound without the image might not connect so well, as it could easily be connected to other more relevant images, like that of a saloon.
The image of a railroad shows me that technology and fast paced living are how change takes place. The music is quite upbeat and shows that it is also a fun getaway that people are looking for when riding a railroad train. The sound enhances this because it mirrors how an adventure can feel exciting and challenging. It has an effect that portrays an upbeat attitude, almost playful and energetic on those who listen to it.
Another audio choice that would work in this case, would be the sounds of nature. These must highlight the feeling that railroads are part of the new way to connect people with nature. They allow for travel and it might show how nature sounds like when those who are riding the trail, are doing so at night when nature is very active.
One thing that seems a bit difficult to work with is that your narrative did not have any links, which made it tricky to follow all of what you said. The information was meaningful, but should have had some links too.
Kelly,
Hi Alyssa,
I, too, love the rails. (Perils of being a 19th century historian I suppose.)
I think that the picture and music work well together. It seems like music to walk the tracks to and you anticipate a long journey, but then the music abruptly stops. This effect instantly drew my eyes to the way the tracks go out of sight. This pairing make me think that the journey did not go accordingly to plan and there is a story there that I want to hear because of whatever is just out of sight.
Alternatively, if you had been able to allow the song to continue (as I assume it would have done) the effect would have been to carry that sense of long-distance, nothing is happening (in a good way). It is interesting to ponder how the parameters of the medium we are forced to submit these assignments can alter their impacts. On the one hand, we experience frustration because we cannot get them to do what we want them to do, but on the other we discover outcomes beyond our own limited imaginations.
Hi Alyssa! I really loved this image right away, especially the trees, fog, and railroad tracks. The scene has a quiet, moody feeling that comes across as reflective and slightly mysterious. It looks like a place I would love to be! On its own, the image suggests stillness and solitude. The audio choice surprised me in a positive way and added an unexpected contrast to the image. The upbeat, fast-paced blues music contrasts with the calm mood of the image and shifts how the scene is interpreted when the two are experienced together. Instead of feeling purely quiet, the pairing adds a sense of movement and energy, almost like the journey itself is more lively than the setting. I could also imagine something more subdued, like a low ambient sound, distant train noise, or even wind. That would create a very different but equally interesting mood with this image. It’s so interesting how the audio can create a mood filled with excitement or one that could be more somber.