About

Mountainfilm Intro 2013.

An "intro" trailer for the Mountainfilm Festival in Telluride, CO that plays as the introduction to the audience before the MC talks. It sets the mood. 

This was my first experience at a deep dream, coming true.

This song was on my mind a full year earlier in 2012 when I thought I might get an opportunity to edit an "intro" for the festival, as I had been editing for a couple years and it was the ultimate dream. Growing up the intros were always just, FUN. So FUN. They had $50 student passes for any kid in the school system, as well as for teachers, and we could do as many movies as you could endure. The intro was this great artistic, exciting look at all the films you have in store and available to you at the festival.

I had been interning in my second year there and doing a lot of personal work and edits on the side. Reaching the end of my tasks for that year, in helping cut up all the footage into packages for other editors, I did not get an email to be a part of the edit team.....

What's weird is how I was pissed about something I didn't ask anyone about, I just thought it would happen. But I was still involved in the festival that inspired everything I care about in my life and career, so no complaints honestly. A year later, as I was ready to graduate highschool, they asked me to go for it. 

Because it had been a whole year I was self-conscious about that song, thinking "that would be to easy", honestly I knew this song was just amazing and I was thinking "is this a cop-out to do something I KNOW will be awesome? do I need to up the ante?" - i'm all over the place. I showed my sister this other song I was going to use, and she immediately literally said "you're going to do a boring song?" - it was Sigur Ros and big and dramatic, and at the moment I thought that was extremely insensitive to say to someone who didn't know how to be confident in what they do yet - But she didn't really know that and every creator needs to be able to believe in themselves without needing everyone's approval all the time. So I took it on the chin and think about using the original song.....which I just decided to do, it was more fun and when the time came to edit, I understood that song really well. It had perfect rhythms and sections to have a build and then a celebration. 

It's still my favorite intro song and I just can't find anything else that has the ethos of the festival from lyrics, to musicality, and the dynamic mood changes in the song that provide for such an awesome edit.

As well, all the footage we were provided still had the original audio attached so there was so much opportunity to throw things in the edit to keep it alive and fresh. Recently we have not done that the last couple of years and I believe it provides so so much more for the editors to make something that feels like the festival. 

All in all, I love you Mountainfilm and David Holbrooke for letting me go for it. Thank you