Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2017 November 19

= November 19 =

Ventriloquist, and things they can do
It's generally written here and there, that these type of artists can "make anything talk", and they are able to "throw their voice". The ones I have seen are able to make the phenomenon credible because they have a dummy whose moveable jaw they are able to control with a hand with which they seem to be holding it. The movement of dummy's jaw, which is cleverly synchronized with the voice they produce without moving their own lips is what I think produces the illusion of dummy talking plus they are careful enough to make dummy's voice "cartoonish", and as much as possible different (from what the audience is supposed to assume) their own voice. So how come that even the world's greatest ventriloquist can make anything (say an idol) believably seem to talk. And how about throwing one's voice, if that's literally done and not a figure of speech. Jon Ascton   (talk)  13:12, 19 November 2017 (UTC)
 * (WP:OR warning) - I dabbled in ventriloquism in my youth, and it is part technique and part performance. One clue is from the name itself, which loosely translates as "belly speaking" (see article for more on the history, etc.). As far as "throwing" your voice is concerned, it is partly misdirection.  The sound comes from someplace different from the person's normal speaking voice, and the ventriloquist simply focuses attention to the "object".  Also, "belly speaking" is less of a point-source sound than "mouth speaking" and more resonant (sonorant?), making it difficult to identify exactly from where it originates. —2606:A000:4C0C:E200:4DAA:30DE:5ABC:A09C (talk) 03:17, 20 November 2017 (UTC)

People inside a giant wooden man, making it walk
I seem to recall watching a part of a movie, where all these tribal people are within a giant wooden man, making it walk across a beach or some other open field. Anyone have any idea, what movie that might've been? GoodDay (talk) 18:09, 19 November 2017 (UTC)


 * The Wicker Man (2 versions, the first by far the better) has a giant wooden man, but I don't recall it being made to walk. --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  19:05, 19 November 2017 (UTC)
 * In this movie, the big guy was filled up with people inside & they make it slowly walk. It's only a small scene. GoodDay (talk) 21:49, 19 November 2017 (UTC)


 * I remember a shortstory by Clive Barker, named In the Hills, the Cities. In the film you are referring to, aren't there a couple of gays just hanging around in a rented car in some European country, doing "research work for their doctorate degree" ? No, the plot-feature as you describe does not suit the story itself exactly. But still I strongly recommend that you read this masterpiece. May be your film's loosely based upon it.  Jon Ascton    (talk)  14:36, 20 November 2017 (UTC)
 * Synopsis: Books of Blood —2606:A000:4C0C:E200:E958:86E3:541F:E7F1 (talk) 04:11, 21 November 2017 (UTC)


 * Thanks, man, as you, I wanted to give link to the title of the what I consider greatest horror story ever written but couldn't since each time I did so it would occur in "red ink". It took time to conclude for yours truly that's happening because the story is not an independent page, and a part an independent page called "Books of Blood". And I didn't know how to link to such within-link.27.255.222.174 (talk) 18:01, 22 November 2017 (UTC)


 * In the hills, the cities, seems to be the movie/episode. Assuming this was on TV. GoodDay (talk) 03:42, 23 November 2017 (UTC)

Information about Music Videos?
Is there an online source for music video details, similar to what IMDB is for movies? With the same sort of info: director, producers, actors (other than a band's members)? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mekratrig (talk • contribs) 19:10, 19 November 2017 (UTC)
 * How about IMVDb (Internet Music Video Database) & MVDbase (Music Video Database) ? —2606:A000:4C0C:E200:4DAA:30DE:5ABC:A09C (talk) 20:22, 19 November 2017 (UTC) ... The latter doesn't seem suitable to your needs, however

What's the least post-producted Billboard 100 or top 40 music video ever?
The song's recorded in a studio, autotuned and added after filming, even genres amenable to being played live like rock are probably recorded one instrument at a time and alerted a lot after and they probably often do things that don't need special effects with special effects just to save a little effort. Something very impractical like 200,000 extras or outer space I can understand but I'm guessing they often use special effects where other musicians have used the real thing (like Yanni who played concerts in front of the real Taj Mahal and Great Wall instead of a greenscreen). Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 21:16, 19 November 2017 (UTC)
 * Maybe other unstaged (though directed) live performance/concert music videos such as e.g. "Don't You Wanna Stay" ("peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100"). ---Sluzzelin  talk  21:24, 19 November 2017 (UTC)
 * Huh, I actually know that song even though it's country. So I guess they're not all "artist lip syncs while doing something cool or sexy") I wonder if they ever act a story while singing (not lip syncing) to the karaoke version playing on speakers behind the camera? (but that's probably asking too much) Than the director says cut! finally! remove the spider tank!, prepare the cow scene! take 1!  Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 01:08, 20 November 2017 (UTC)


 * "Least post-producted" is not quantifiable. I'm not sure what reference, inside or outside of Wikipedia, you envision to have this data.  Did you really think, before asking this question, that this is something which either a) had some meaningful way to quantify and b) that someone had done the necessary data collection to be able to devise a list of all known songs for which there would be a single song or video at the #1 position in that list for which we could refer you?  -- Jayron 32 12:14, 20 November 2017 (UTC)
 * Would you like me to delete this question? Sagittarian Milky Way (talk) 17:25, 20 November 2017 (UTC)
 * I've never said that. I'd like, since you've asked about my likes, for you to stop asking questions whose answers could not reasonably be found in Wikipedia articles or in external sources.  -- Jayron 32 19:23, 20 November 2017 (UTC)


 * The video for "The Rock Show" (#2 year-end US Modern Rock hit and tenth in all of Scotland) reportedly cost half a million, but is made of the band spending the (purported) lion's share on cheaper things for non-SAG actors, presumably filmed on a relative garbage camera. Not sure if that counts, since the money still went to making the video aesthetically pleasing, even if it didn't sparkle like it should've (or whatever it would've). Bit of a philosophical quandary, and not a bad tune. InedibleHulk (talk) 04:27, 23 November 2017 (UTC)