Spirit Lands: An American Desert Odyssey is a visual and musical journey to some of the most spectacular, beautiful and awe-inspiring natural wonders of the American desert. Emmy Award winning cinematographer David Fortney spent four years collecting imagery for this project, traveling to every desert location in America, including seven National Parks.
Details
LENGTH: 1 x 52 Minutes
FORMAT: Special
CAMERA: HDCAM
INTERNATIONAL TRACK: No (non-narrated)
TEXTLESS: Yes
CLOSED CAPTIONS: No
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
PRODUCTION YEAR: 2011
RELEASE YEAR: 2011
SUPPLIER: David Fortney Productions in association with Janson Media
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
RIGHTS TERRITORY: Worldwide
A variety of innovative filming techniques were used in the production of this non-narrated, visual masterpiece, including motion control, time lapse and low level aerial cinematography. The film is accompanied by a music score featuring evocative Native American music by John Huling and R. Carlos Nakai. Also included are beautiful and inspiring texts by Native American Wisdom Keepers, with quotations and prayers celebrating our connection with the earth and the need to respect and honor her.
On this magical journey, you’ll visit the surreal and beautiful Mono Lake in California, and these national parks:
- Arches National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Death Valley National Park
- Zion National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
Whatever befalls the earth,
befalls the sons and daughters of the earth.
We did not weave the web of life,
we are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web,
we do to ourselves.
- Chief Seattle, Duwamish
A David Fortney Production in association with Janson Media
Produced and directed by David Fortney
Executive Producer: Stephen Janson
Fortney’s last film, Timeless: A National Parks Odyssey, premiered in primetime on PBS stations nationwide in 2008 as a pledge special.
Biographies
David Fortney, Producer & Director
David Fortney is an award-winning cinematographer whose footage is distributed by The Image Bank, and has been seen in hundreds of national and international televisions spots, shows and specials. He often functions as director, cinematographer and editor, combining supreme artistic skills with the technical expertise needed to develop and extend the current state-of-the-art in cinematography. His PBS documentary on Denali, Alaska’s Great Wilderness (The Living Edens) won an Emmy Award for outstanding individual achievement in cinematography. His full length video album, Lightdance, with music by Santana, explores patterns of color, light and form found in nature along with a special filming technique that transports the viewer over surreal landscapes. His visual music album Earthscapes features music by Vangelis and Patrick O’Hearn. It utilizes a specially-designed technology that allows the camera to pan the landscapes while filming in time lapse.
The following review of Earthscapes is representative of what many say about David Fortney’s work:
“Sheer cinematic genius… there simply is no one alive with a better eye for beauty…clearly at the pinnacle of its genre.” -P.J.Birosik, National Music & Video Reviewer
Stephen Janson, Executive Producer
Mr. Janson’s resume is available here.
