Day Six and Seven (08.28.09-08.29.09) The road home was a breeze. After all the traveling, suddenly taking the same path home felt familiar and comfortable. We were both tired and anxious, not that we wanted the trip to end, but I think we were both eager to take a break to really think about the things we'd seen and done. I hadn't even had the chance to review any of the footage I'd shot, and looking back at all the edits I've uploaded, you can probably understand why I was excited to see what I'd captured.
I decided for this conclusion, because I'd already mixed all of the 'road home' footage with each of the edits, that a summary was in order. Instead of my typical quick cut type deal, I created a split screen/window pane effect to really emphasize just how diverse this road trip was. I've been saying it all along, but you really get the picture of just how contrasting all the locales were when seeing all this footage playing side by side. It literally was a patchwork, a mosaic of landscapes and scenes.
What a journey. Even though this won't be my last road trip, maybe not even my last time to Indio, I can say with a great deal of satisfaction that this road trip exceeded my expectations when it came to creating something memorable and unique. It was something that I wouldn't be able to duplicate the same way even if I wanted to - isn't that the mark of an incredible trip?
I'm not sure what else to say exactly, but I'm excited to think about how this series of blog posts and videos will give me a great deal of insight, years from now, when this trip becomes a blip as part of a much bigger story. I've said it's an experience I'll never forget, I suppose all this is the proof.
Thanks for sharing the road to Indio with me, again and again.
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This is now the final round of the Yobi Film semi-finals, the Top 16! Thanks to your votes my short, The Geology Student, has continued to advance in this international film competition. I couldn't be happier, and now I'm just one week away from potentially making the FINALS.
Please follow this link to watch my campy film school short and cast a vote. It's as easy as using your email address and only takes a minute! You only need to vote once for the entire weekly round.
It's starting to get a bit tense after making it this far. Even if I wasn't to win (a trip to the Toronto International Film Fest) just making the finals would be a great consolation prize. You can bet I'm going to be trying to pull out all the stops to search for the support. In a contest that's relatively small (with only 16 films remaining) the winner can essentially be decided by just a couple votes.
When I took part in season 1 of Yobi Film last year, this was the week that I was eliminated. I'd really like to try and one up myself by making the finals this time around. If you've got a moment, please click over and enter your email address to support my short.
Thank you all for your votes and support in helping me make it this far!
Day Five (08.27.09) I never had any intention to interview Leonard Knight when I first thought about heading out to Salvation Mountain. The conversation we did end up having just struck up after we went to thank him for letting us tour his site.
Leonard lives in a little trailer right next to Salvation Mountain, and not surprisingly, the trailer is decked out in paint just like everything else in the vicinity. His lifestyle and focus have clearly defied convention.
You'll notice my low angles, and it's because I wasn't that concerned about my footage as much as I was about having a real conversation. Leonard is nearly 80 years old, and who knows how much longer he'll be around to talk about his mountain or give personal tours. More than just a subject for a video, I really do respect Leonard Knight for what he's accomplished in such a unique way.
This edit over all the others was interesting to construct because Dave was using my mini-cam to capture footage also. It made it a lot more interesting to cut between dialogue. All around, this experience proved to be a great cap to an already amazing road trip.
