Rite: Hallucinations! RoS: Episode 7

Liz and I seem to have endless visual ideas when it comes to hallucinations and music. We filmed an unbelievable amount of footage for this episode, and we were so sad to pare it down to a mere three minutes. Our mantra while filming, it seems, was: "Great idea! Let's film it!" It took me two weeks alone just to watch and sort through all the footage! Bubbles, Christmas lights, black lights, clocks, Kabuki outfits, dancers, smoke, masks, candles, crazy lenses, wine, and more.

Special thanks to our friends who helped with this episode, especially the four lovely dancers; Caitlin, our skilled bubble-blower; the Glinsky's, who dropped everything to let me terrorize their clock during a dinner party; and all of our "life-flashing-before-your-eyes" stand-ins!

EPISODE 7 of 10: As darkness falls upon the earth, the wanderers weave in and out of a fever dream that is part primordial remembrance, part futuristic mirage. This time-bending dance eventually spirals into no-man's land, triggering the journeyers to snap back to reality: the hand of fate has irrevocably assigned them to complete their mission.

Rite: ON! ROS: Episode 1

And so it begins ...

A century ago on this day, The Rite of Spring received its infamously riotous premiere in Paris. As a tribute to this milestone in musical history, we present the opening installment of our Rite of Spring video project:

Igor Stravinsky's groundbreaking, timeless composition has compelled us to push ourselves to the hilt and to challenge the parameters of our filmmaking abilities. One of our favorite pieces to perform, the Rite has proven to provide fascinating fodder for a music video (albeit a very lengthy one!): the literal and symbolic connotations of spring and rites of passage -- the resurgence of the earth in all its elemental glory; the poignancy of discovery; the loss of innocence; the heated intensity, even eroticism, of primal urges; the shedding of layers, physical and metaphorical; etc., etc. -- are full of rich cinematic possibility, and we've let our imaginations run wild in an effort to capture the searing vision of this masterwork.

{Future episodes of this 10-part, 35-minute film will be released on YouTube, every other Wednesday throughout the summer. The next episode will air on June 12, 2013.}

Trailer Released for 'Rite of Spring'

We are beyond excited to present the trailer for our latest music film--a reimagining of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring." We'll be releasing the video in segments beginning on May 29th, the 100th anniversary of the first public performance. This project has literally involved blood (Greg's), sweat (both) and tears (the film crew's). So, without further ado...