Yu 1 Trevor Yu Kat Gonso College Writing January 29, 2014 Rhetorical Analysis of: Tomorrowland 2012: Official Aftermovie

URL Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWb5Qc-fBvk

Music over the decades has become more culturally significant, shifting from pop and rock to the current electronic dance music (EDM). Considered one of the most popular and anticipated music events of the year, Tomorrowland attracts musicians and artists who perform a massive two-day music concert in Boom, Belgium. It is commonplace for an aftermovie to be filmed during the events of Tomorrowland and published to the public audience to inform and advertise publicity for the succeeding festival. Directed by Matthew Vandeputte, Tomorrowland 2012: The Official Aftermovie successfully embodies the true passion and surreal atmosphere of the event. A simple

Yu 2 look at the text reveals an ordinary recap of a large annual event. However when one begins to analyze the finer details, the tools and tricks Vandeputte employs to very subtlety capture the audience and influence their emotions becomes clear. The writer effectively utilizes these writing tools to persuade the audience to become more engaged, as well as being informative of an annual music event. My first experience with this visual production derives from a weekend during my freshman year of study in Melbourne, Australia; two other friends and I were casually studying in my apartment-style dorm and spontaneously recommended to listen to mashups (artistic composition of varying songs) mixed by Alesso, a Swedish DJ and electronic dance music producer (The DJ List, Alesso Biography). The topic of electronic dance music led to me discovering the existence of Tomorrowland. I was completely absorbed by the phantasmagorical (Wikifestivals, Tomorrowland) visuals the aftermovie captured, by the sequence of musical works, by the vibe radiating from the very pixels of the LCD monitor. From a personal perspective, Vandeputtes production is uniquely compelling, engaging the viewer with outstanding photography and appropriate music featured throughout the EDM festival. Vandeputte excels in his field of photography, specializing in hyper lapses; Epic Cinema invited Matthew Vandeputte to photograph for a day at Tomorrowland 2012 where his work would be featured in Figure 2: Matthew Vandeputte

Yu 3 the final aftermovie of the event. Upon receiving a warm response, Vandeputte was invited to film the rest of the 2012 event, as well as receive an invitation to the 2013 festival the following year. Vandeputte introduces the opening scene identical to a stereotypical fairytale, the pages of a fairytale storybook revealing the words, people of Tomorrowland, while simultaneously acknowledging the music festival. The writer uses this form of allusion to draw the audiences attention to reminisce of a fairytale and bring that environmental vibe to the context of the video; Vandeputtes primary intention of the use of allusion is to capture the attention of the audience and to foreshadow to a larger idea after the introduction. For example, at 1:22, the writer shows the audience a young woman leaving a kiss mark on a mirror with the words, mirror mirror on the wall. This is a direct reference to Brothers Grimm work, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and the Magic Mirror, a renowned childhood fairytale. The rhetor effectively sets the magical environment of the festival into the consciousness of the viewer. At 6:25, Vandeputte presents the nighttime stage of the music festival; on the main stage the enormous storybook slowly turns pages. I think this moment is very iconic in the Figure 3: Snow White Reference

Yu 4 writers work; he uses this moment to symbolize the current moment as being read from the storybook to further create the vibe of a magical environment. Lastly, at 18:17, the writer shows us the closing pages of the storybook, the statement, and The Fairytale continues, follows, with the book closing and fading out into the black background. This final scene exemplifies Vandeputtes attempt at relating the music festival to the excitement of a true fairytale. Moreover, the writer refers to the 2012 year as a chapter in a book, insinuating the fairytale has not concluded, and that 2013 will mark the beginning of a new chapter. The writer excellently brings the illusion of a fairytale world to the mind of the audience through the visual artwork and underlying symbolism of the objects emphasized. Vandeputtes exigency for producing the text derives from the conclusion of the music event. For the aftermovie to remain relevant, the aftermovie would need to be published relatively close to the end date of the event. On the surface, the call to write of the writer can be broadened to raising awareness and/or recapping the highlights of the event, similar to ESPNs post-game highlights of a sports game. By raising global awareness, the primary objective of Tomorrowland is to expand its fan base and draw in a bigger crowd for future festivals. However after further analysis of the purpose to creating an aftermovie, the motive can also relate to business. Simultaneously, the writer is effectively creating a demand in the music entertainment industry while selling possible advertising opportunities to larger corporations. Tomorrowland primarily targets the young adult age group, identifying with the house/electric music lovers as well as those who enjoy the party scene. The atmosphere of a music festival is engineered to attracting the younger generations.

Yu 5 The unintended targets this media may have captured could potentially be music critics and including the extreme scenarios, even drug dealers. Despite the advancing efforts to stop all drug incidents, the festival is popular for its small drug culture, this consequence results in the attraction of these types of people. An important role in a rhetors call to write is the logos, pathos, and ethos of the subject. Logos and ethos are more prominent in the text than ethos; logos can be seen in the icon of Tomorrowland, the icon incorporates an eye with fairy wings, a very signature symbol. Ethos can be seen in the atmosphere the text expresses throughout the event. The vibe from the video legitimately radiates from the moments captured by Vandeputte. In conclusion, the visual and symbolic concepts of the aftermovie successfully capture the magical aura of the live event. Matthew Vandeputte creates a connection to music listeners; I was persuaded after viewing the aftermovie in its entirety to want to be apart of the festival. Vandeputte accomplishes the goal of attracting popularity and interest in this event.

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Works Cited

"Tomorrowland | WikiFestivals." Tomorrowland | WikiFestivals. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.

"ALESSO." The DJ List. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.

"Behind the Lens with Matthew Vandeputte." Nimia RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.

"Matthew Vandeputte Plus." Vimeo. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.

Figure 1: http://djpicshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Logo-tomorrowland.png

Figure 2: http://b.vimeocdn.com/ps/635/965/6359656_300.jpg Figure 3: Tomorrowland 2012 | official aftermovie. Youtube. Tomorrowland. n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014