Lux Aeterna Orchestral Version

I like the effect that you're creating with these clouds, but I feel like the composition is lacking a defined subject. I can't really tell if there's a separate foreground and background. If the light is supposed to be the distinguishing feature, I think it should stand out more in the piece, instead of being mostly obscured by the clouds.

I love this song! It doesn't hurt that Requiem for a Dream is one of my favorite movies. These clouds look really cool, and as initial compositions I think you did a really good job. Definitely keep experimenting, I think you can come up with something awesome. I've never used Terragen before, but if there's a way to animate the clouds in sync with the song, that would be amazing - no pressure though!

Your pieces are great, and I think their overall mood matches the overall tone of the song. It would be nice to have an added emphasis on an element that represents the very recognizable chorus. I liked the layers to your piece and think they could be used compositionally to connect more with the piece as you developed your concept more fully. Really cool so far though! Awesome song choice.

I love that you're aiming for the "sense of grandeur," because that's definitely what I get from the song too and I think a stormy/starry sky is a great way to convey that visually. Having distant, blue stars in a deep blue sky is certainly evocative of the calmer part of the song, but for me, the clouds you've made so far don't quite capture the dramatic "storminess" of the rest of it. These look like peaceful night skies with a few wispy clouds. The strong, quick beat and rolling drums seem to evoke clouds more like those you might find over Mt. Doom (to stay with the LotR inspiration): http://students.english.ilstu.edu/rwohara/creation/mordor.jpg

Perhaps using some angry red light like that rather than just "cool" colors, as well as making the clouds more like ominous thunderheads or clouds of volcanic ash. I am really impressed with the results you're getting, though! I feel like I'm looking at a photograph of the sky.

I'm really glad you decided to create more than one image, because I think together they managed to convey a much deeper feeling about the song you selected. I really liked the changes you made, and felt like your explanations helped me to understand your thought process more.

I really like the "Unification" composition! Looks very Mordor-ish, haha. Although I believe you were right in the other piece to try to contrast the colors, since the music is a mix of angry/ominous beats and calmer, awe-inspiring sections, I think there's enough contrast in the bright red light/dark blue sky to account for that. There's also the tinge of blue in the clouds on the left. You could even add a few small blue-white stars in the clearer sections, which would also give it more depth and make it more grand.

I'm curious why the yellow light is almost off the page in the Separation piece. Was that intentional? How purposeful was your placing of the different lights spatially on the page? Would using the rule of thirds or a triangular shape be more or less effective than a seemingly "random" placement?

I also think your reference to fire temperatures interesting, since they go a bit against the common associations; blue is hotter than red or orange, despite being typically thought of as a "cooler" color. Perhaps that's fitting, though, since I'm not sure I can decide if the piece overall "heats up" or "cools down" over its course. Since it does both in different ways, depending on if you're considering the volume, tempo, or tone of vocals, that's actually a fairly apt metaphor. Great job!