2013 | karst country | infrared filmmaking
BRINDABELLAS | edge of light evolved out of the short motion piece karst country (2013) which was produced to explore the possibilities of creating near-infrared motion. As with karst country, edge of light was developed and written with James van der Moezel – head of post production at silver dory.
In 2013 field work on the karst country print series started to also include experimentation with near-infrared stills and motion from RED Digital Cinema cameras. RAW footage from the RED cameras proved to have both sufficient resolution and latitude in post-production to allow the problematic infra-red footage to be developed into something more usable. These early experiments confirmed the potential of the standard RED cameras to produce near-infrared imagery.
A collection of this experimental footage – mostly featuring Wee Jasper landscapes – was cut together on the eve of the exhibition to create the four-minute motion piece karst country – initially shown in the exhibition along side the prints.
2013 – 2014 | filming BRINDABELLAS
Production on BRINDABELLAS | edge of light started in June 2013 after plans to expand karst country were abandoned to focus on creating a new feature-length near-infrared film featuring the cloud and landscapes of the Brindabella Ranges near Canberra, Australia.
In October 2013, the nature of this filming changed significantly with the arrival of a modified full-spectrum RED Epic-X Digital Cinema camera. This allowed the capture of near-infrared motion at both normal and high-speed frame-rates (in 5K resolution). Up to this point filming had been largely limited to time lapse footage of wider landscapes (as seen in karst country). With the addition of faster frame rates, the emphasis turned to filming the smaller elements – rain, running water, snow, frost and ice – that both shape and are shaped by the montane landscapes of the Brindabella Ranges.
2014 | cinematic preview | NFSA Arc Cinema
In early 2014, the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) proposed a preview screening of the BRINDABELLAS project as it then stood. For this preview a 38 minute 4K version was produced featuring a range of early footage. This was shown to a full house at the NFSA’s 4K Arc Cinema on May 30, 2014 in a one-off preview screening.
- Canberra Times | Brindabellas captured in infra-red | interview and article
- National Film and Sound Archive | Rediscovering the Brindabellas | NFSA Blog
James watching the first preview of the preview.
Press coverage in the Canberra Times
Full house at the Arc Cinema
2015 | online release
From May 28, 2015 the five individual parts summer, autumn, winter, spring and summer (returns) were released online with an original soundtrack by Canberra musicians Marcus Hooper and Andy Heaney.
- antesis – paisaje y cultura | issue no. 1 | Landscapes Unseen
- Cinescopophilia | Brindabellas Part One Summer, an Infrared Film From Australian Cinephenom – Silver Dory Productions
- Sydney Morning Herald | Brindabellas: Glen Ryan’s Canberra-made online film has striking imagery
- REDUSER | “Brindabellas” Stunning Infared landscapes shot on modified infrared RED EPIC
- newsshooter.com | Brindabellas: an infrared RED Epic film
- Creative Planet Network | Infrared Cinematography Makes Australia’s Stunning Natural Landscapes Even More Jaw-Droppingly Beautiful
- Votiv Earth | Film of the Day – Brindabellas
2015 | edge of light (remastered)
On September 30, 2015 the remastered BRINDABELLAS | edge of light was released as a single (feature-length) film.
2016 | general public release | 22 chapters
From August 2016 BRINDABELLAS | edge of light was released in 22 chapters on public Vimeo and Youtube platforms. Alongside this release the Australian Broadcast Commission (ABC) also featured eight of the these chapters on their iView platform as Brindabellas: Shorts.
BRINDABELLAS | film details
- Concept: developed and written by Glen Ryan and James van der Moezel | silver dory productions
- Producer: Glen Ryan
- Cinematographer: Glen Ryan
- Camera Operator & First Assistant Camera: James van der Moezel
- Editor, Post Production Supervisor & Colourist: James van der Moezel
- Original Soundtrack: Marcus Hooper and Andy Heaney
- Sound design and recording: James van der Moezel and Glen Ryan
- silver dory productions
- Preview: May 30, 2014 – Arc Cinema – National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra, Australia.
- VOD release (five parts): from May 28, 2015 – Vimeo on Demand
- Edge of Light (feature-length): September 30, 2015 – Vimeo on Demand
- Public release (22 chapters): from August, 2016 – iView, Vimeo, YouTube
- Runtime: 140 minutes (Edge of Light)
- Colour: black and white
- Aspect Ratio: 2:1
- Camera: Full-spectrum modified RED Epic-X and Red Epic-X – Nikkor lenses
- Negative Format: Redcode RAW 5K
