Tangerine Dream in the Grand Canyon, and other Jan Nickman videos
August 25, 2012 7:12 AM Subscribe
"With Jan Nickman's skilled direction and exceptional cinematography by Gray Warriner of Camera One Productions, this 40-minute video album transforms the Grand Canyon into something magical." Canyon Dreams was recorded as an album by Tangerine Dream, though it was first released with the videos of the Grand Canyon that were recorded over 3 years. Audio and video inside.
Six of the eight "video album" tracks are on YouTube in low resolution:
1. Shadow Flyer
2. Canyon Carver
3. Water's Gift
4. Canyon Voices
5. Sudden Revelation
6. A Matter of Time
The whole audio-only album was recently uploaded to YouTube.
Jan Nickman made a number of similar videos of natural landscapes set to ambient and New Age music, including two videos with music by Paul Speer and David Lanz. Speer has uploaded some of those video tracks to his YouTube account.
Nickman is also known for his early work in computer graphics, with Infinity's Child (YT playlist), the follow-up to Planetary Traveler (YT playlist), though most recently, he's returned to natural videos set to music.
Six of the eight "video album" tracks are on YouTube in low resolution:
1. Shadow Flyer
2. Canyon Carver
3. Water's Gift
4. Canyon Voices
5. Sudden Revelation
6. A Matter of Time
The whole audio-only album was recently uploaded to YouTube.
Jan Nickman made a number of similar videos of natural landscapes set to ambient and New Age music, including two videos with music by Paul Speer and David Lanz. Speer has uploaded some of those video tracks to his YouTube account.
Nickman is also known for his early work in computer graphics, with Infinity's Child (YT playlist), the follow-up to Planetary Traveler (YT playlist), though most recently, he's returned to natural videos set to music.
That's the only stand-alone review of the video I could find. The other reviews were on Amazon, which seemed even more like an advert for the video. I din't even know if Miramar is still there, or in business, as the review is from People Magazine in 1988.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:46 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by filthy light thief at 7:46 AM on August 25, 2012
And for the record, I am not Jan Nickman, Gray Warriner, Christopher Franke, Edgar Froese, Paul Haslinger, Paul Speer, or David Lanz, nor am I an acquaintance, relative, friend, or business partner with any of those individuals.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:48 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by filthy light thief at 7:48 AM on August 25, 2012
I suppose it would help if I were a Tangerine Dream fan. The visuals of the Grand Canyon, though, kind of miss the point. Every shot is time-lapse, zooming, panning or flying. (Or whitewater rafting, which is pretty much of a mood-breaker.) The majesty of the place might be be conveyed better by more still shots, because that's how it's experienced by a human: standing in one location on the rim drinking it in. Of course, the Grand Canyon is one of those places you have to see in person, ultimately. But this IMAX-style filmmaking doesn't inspire me, which I'm assuming is the intent of the filmmakers. It certainly is in their New Age videos, which are too twee for me.
Very nicely put together FPP, though. It did bring back memories of all the time I have spent in the Southwest USA.
posted by kozad at 7:50 AM on August 25, 2012
Very nicely put together FPP, though. It did bring back memories of all the time I have spent in the Southwest USA.
posted by kozad at 7:50 AM on August 25, 2012
Surely the Grand Canyon doesn't need transforming into something magical?
posted by Horace Rumpole at 8:05 AM on August 25, 2012 [9 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 8:05 AM on August 25, 2012 [9 favorites]
Surely the Grand Canyon doesn't need transforming into something magical?
Little known fact: it's actually only 20 feet deep. All the viewing areas around the rim are cleverly designed using forced perspective to fool you into thinking it's much bigger. Of course, most tourists eventually figure out the fraud, but you're forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement when you enter the park. No one wants the National Park Service goons on their trail, so they all perpetuate the myth.
posted by yoink at 8:18 AM on August 25, 2012 [6 favorites]
Little known fact: it's actually only 20 feet deep. All the viewing areas around the rim are cleverly designed using forced perspective to fool you into thinking it's much bigger. Of course, most tourists eventually figure out the fraud, but you're forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement when you enter the park. No one wants the National Park Service goons on their trail, so they all perpetuate the myth.
posted by yoink at 8:18 AM on August 25, 2012 [6 favorites]
Yoink: two men in black suits are at the door for you
posted by sexymofo at 8:36 AM on August 25, 2012
posted by sexymofo at 8:36 AM on August 25, 2012
All the viewing areas around the rim are cleverly designed using forced perspective to fool you into thinking it's much bigger.
They brought the best Hollywood glass matte painters out of retirement to paint the bottom of the Skywalk.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 9:04 AM on August 25, 2012
They brought the best Hollywood glass matte painters out of retirement to paint the bottom of the Skywalk.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 9:04 AM on August 25, 2012
Tim Heidecker already transformed the Grand Canyon into the the Grandest Canyon.
posted by Corduroy at 9:15 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Corduroy at 9:15 AM on August 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Horace Rumpole: Surely the Grand Canyon doesn't need transforming into something magical?
Nothing is magical until Tangerine Dream provide the mood music.
Actually, I was wondering if Nickman was one of the first to make "majestic views of nature set to new age music" videos, or was just jumping on the bandwagon. The music portion of Canyon Dreams was well-regarded when it came out, and was Tangerine Dream's first Grammy-nominated album, in the New Age category in 1991 (which Mark Isham won with his self-titled album).
Given how inexpensive it is to create a similar video now, with HD cameras rigged to small remote control helicopters, it seems odd that it would take 3 years to get 40 minutes of video. What a difference 25 years makes.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:40 AM on August 25, 2012
Nothing is magical until Tangerine Dream provide the mood music.
Actually, I was wondering if Nickman was one of the first to make "majestic views of nature set to new age music" videos, or was just jumping on the bandwagon. The music portion of Canyon Dreams was well-regarded when it came out, and was Tangerine Dream's first Grammy-nominated album, in the New Age category in 1991 (which Mark Isham won with his self-titled album).
Given how inexpensive it is to create a similar video now, with HD cameras rigged to small remote control helicopters, it seems odd that it would take 3 years to get 40 minutes of video. What a difference 25 years makes.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:40 AM on August 25, 2012
This is great stuff. Canyon Dreams was one of the first Tangerine Dream CD's I ever bought. I first heard them on WTUL's Sunday morning Cheese music program. The first thing I googled for when I saw this was Hearts of Space, syndicated on public radio stations. Got this from September 7, 2009 at Burning Man, an all Tangerine Dream show.
There is no obvious way to download old Hearts of Space shows and listen to them.
posted by bukvich at 10:07 AM on August 25, 2012
There is no obvious way to download old Hearts of Space shows and listen to them.
posted by bukvich at 10:07 AM on August 25, 2012
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