Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Night Drive

It's movie time!!

My last foray into multimedia fiction was The Passions of Bryn: Requiem. Interestingly, when I was talking about that piece with Aine, she thought she remembered visuals. There aren't any. It's amazing how powerful the joining of mere words and music can be. The sum of adding one medium to another is greater than its parts.

This one goes one step further. (Okay, maybe two steps.) This time, with the help of award-winning cinematographer, Aine Evans, we're joining fiction, music, sound effects, video, and stills. Have you ever driven in the night and found your mind wandering to faraway times? Sit back, settle in, and hit the road for Night Drive.

15 comments:

Jaye Wells said...

That was sweet, guys! Although, the Lost Highway visuals had me expecting him to take her to the woods for a different purpose. And then I kept expecting a car crash. Maybe I'm just too cynical.

Anonymous said...

Very, very good. I liked this so much. I'm jealous, in fact :)

I'm with Jaye. I expected a car crash, or at least a deer to jump out across the road. I'm familiar with Pennsylvania roads too! :)

Bev said...

Love it Jason -- what a sweet "marriage" of words and pictures ---

haven't we all been down those "night roads"

Sarah Hina said...

What a beautiful reflection on the past, and a resounding affirmative to the present. You two should be so proud of this collaboration.

For most, nostalgia is about remembering what we've lost. But this piece is also about recognizing what we still have, what has evolved and blossomed. It's a deeper road you've traveled here, and I'm glad you let us join you. :)

Hoodie said...

A multi-sensational hit!

I really enjoyed this. I'm a sucker for happy endings. And it's fun to see the collaboration.

Makes me wonder. Autobiographical?

LiVEwiRe said...

I felt like a fly on the wall. Ok, apparently the methuselah of all flies if I'm spanning years, but this was such a treat. I, too, had wondered if there would be a dark turn to surprise me but I found that in the end, I was surprised anyway. I actually witnessed a happy ending. Thank you both for making this.

Anonymous said...

Jaye, I'm afraid the budget didn't cover a car crash scene. ;) And Aine would have balked at being murdered. Spoil sport. Seriously, that's interesting that the drive had an ominous feel.

Strugglingwriter, thanks! The deer wouldn't be much of a stretch. That footage could have happened at any moment. One night on one of those roads, a black bear was loping alongside the woodline. Strange how they look like a hole in the night with glowing yellow eyes. Then, there was the night we ran over an already dead deer. Nice.

Bev, I know I've been traveling those night roads for many years. Glad you enjoyed it!

Sarah, the collaboration was a lot of fun. Since writing is sort of my thing, this was a great way to create something together. **You're so right about nostalgia. It can be like those old-fashioned phone lines when operators connected the lines by hand. You plug two points together--one time speaking to another. When we lose our way, messages from the past can steer us in ways we may have forgotten.

Hoodie, autobiographical? Maybe, in a way. Many of these stories reflect something I want to say at the moment. Perhaps this story reflects something we both wanted to say.

Livewire, we're glad the surprise left you feeling good. :) It's subtle, and tinged with some darkness, but nevertheless good. Maybe I'm due for something more in the horror or thriller genre, but not this time.

SzélsőFa said...

I like that this is a story about a bonding and was made by both of you.
I also liked the re-occurrence of the lines about the shadows of her face. That nicely sets a frame for the actions.

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

I loved the beginning, started getting a little queasy when the Kiss song came on. Tried to block out the music and just concentrate on the video. Eventually got caught up in the beauty of this simple sweet tale and enjoyed the interesting effects on the screen (very cool Aine!). Loved the forest, loved the words. And then loved the ending. You do have great endings Jason. Great job Aine. I thought I would get a little motion sick, but I didn't. I think it was the way you added an effect on the side of the road that gave an additional focal point to the video. I liked it. But man, I do not like that song. My apologies if it is a special song.

Anonymous said...

Szelsofa, I wanted to draw parallels between the two time periods with those descriptions. Glad it came across well. Doing it together with Aine made it more meaningful.

Ello, no worries about the song. My original concept was a flashback to an 80's power ballad. You know, malls and big hair and that sort of thing. But, as usual, I had to let it evolve on its own as it came together. It turned into something different. I chose the song because it fit the original concept. In the end, it could have been different, but the contrast was sort of nice too. **And thanks about my endings! :)

virtual nexus said...

Magic imagination - the image stirred powerful memories from years past...

Great post.

Blog name change for practical reason
to virtual voyage.

Chris Eldin said...

I love that the two of you did this together.
And I love traveling down roads with no lights.
I thought it was biographical sketch of the two of you...
Very nice!!!
And I might be in the minority, but I like that song!
:-)

Scott said...

That was simply beautiful, Jason. "Parts of her face hid from the dashboard glow. He clung to them." This was my favorite, but overall the effect was pleasing. I like how they are still together, how a song brings back the memory, like songs will do. How many times have I driven at night and had a similar experience. This really resonated with me. Kudos to both of you. Nice combination of media.

Anonymous said...

Julie, thanks for the kind words! I'll change your name on my blogroll.

Christine, we're looking forward to doing more projects together. As for the song, it's near the end of the power ballad era. I've always remembered it for that reason. A good song for that genre.

Scott, those long night drives are journeys in more ways than one, aren't they? It's cool that this resonated with you. Spring will be here soon. Time to roll the windows down and see where the road takes us.

The Quoibler said...

Jason & Aine:

This was really inspired -- but where were the girls? Did you leave them at home unattended?!? :) Do you have any idea what two little girlies can do to a house when left alone? Really, they wouldn't be in any danger themselves... but your place could have fallen prey to all sorts of disasters!

(just kidding!)

Angelique