Move II

“We see in order to move; we move in order to see.” -William Gibson

There is perpetual, dynamic and never-ending motion all around us. And this motion has a rhythm to it. It is the rhythm of our life — a beat that has become so normal and day-to-day that few of us take the time to see and feel it and even fewer of us take the time to bask in it.

When we experience the world, we encounter this movement and rhythm happening at different tempos. Whether it is the movement within our own body — our heart beat, breathing, walking — or the the different speeds of the movement in the world and universe around us, the various tempos of motion are a polyphonic rhythm that create the symphony of life.

Some motion we perceive easily — the movement of people, cars, or the trees blowing in the wind. But some motion, such as the rotation of the stars or the changes in shadows and light, we, as humans, are not always aware of unless we take the time to notice. Time-lapse photography is a unique tool that can be used to help us see this movement and it can even help us see the motion we can perceive in a different way. And when we pair timelapse with dynamic polyphonic and polyrhythmic music, we can begin to feel that the rhythm of that motion deep in our soul. “Move II” is all about intertwining timelapse photography and music to see and feel that motion both in nature and in the city.

I am very excited to share with you “Move II”, a continuation of the original short-film “Move” that I released a few years ago.  Join me for a few moments to take a step back and experience the rhythm of the movement that surrounds us all.

Original music composed, arranged and conducted by Robert Levin

Orchestra:

Ethan Bill ― Sizzle Cymbal
Steve Bill ― Acoustic Guitar and Mandolin
Robert DeBellis ― Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone
Ralph Farris ― Viola
Tony Gorruso ― Piccolo Trumpet and E♭ Trumpet
Aaron Keigher ― Chajchas Goat Hooves, Clamshell Bells, Kenari and Pangi Shakers, Oji Vibraslap
Robert Levin ― Piano, Gboba, Lunna, Kwadwum, Apentema, Kpanlogo, Big Dawuro, Wind Gong, Wicker Shaker and Guiro
Valerie Dee Naranjo ― Balo, Gyil, Caxixis and Vocals

Recorded at Room 368 Productions, Haworth, NJ Engineered by Ethan Bill

It was a true honor and privilege to collaborate with Robert Levin on the music for “Move II”. His beautiful original score blends together the rhythms and melodies of our world and perfectly captures the feeling of movement that surrounds us at all times. When I first met with Robert to begin working on the music for Move II, I knew it needed something that was unique and special in order to accentuate the movement of the universe, little did I know how perfectly he would capture that idea and deliver a magical and dynamic original score for the film.

A heartfelt thank you to Steve Bill, one of my musical mentors and a true friend over the past 20 years, for introducing me to Robert Levin and for allowing us to use his studio at Room 368 Productions to record the score for this video. Thank you to Ethan Bill for his time, talent and patience recording, mixing and engineering the music for the video. This was a huge undertaking and we could not have asked for anyone better to work with.

I would also like to extend a huge thank you to all of the incredibly talented musicians who took part in the recording of the music and helped to breathe life into this film. Your talents and passion are second-to-none.

Film Locations Include:

Acadia National Park, ME
Boy’s Ranch, Amarillo, TX
Buckeye Wind Farm, KS
Canyonlands National Park, UT
Capitol Reed National Park, UT
Chicago, IL
Colorado Canyon National Monument, CO
Dead Horse Point State Park, UT
Dinosaur National Monument, CO
Factory Butte, UT
Fantasy Canyon, UT
Goosenecks State Park, UT
Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Havre, MT
Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Lake George, NY
Molen Reef, UT
Monument Valley Tribal Park, AZ
New York City, NY
Niagara Falls, ON, Canada
Philadelphia, PA
Red Canyon, Flaming Gorge National Monument, UT
Trona Pinnacles, CA
Woodville, ID

About Aaron Keigher

Inspired by the world around him, Aaron’s photography focuses mainly on landscapes, nightscapes, timelapse films and aerial photography. His time-lapse film “Move” received a prestigious ‘Staff Pick’ on Vimeo, and his work has been featured by ABC News, CBS News, CNN, The Today Show, MSNBC, Mashable, NBC News, Right This Minute, StarTalk, The Huffington Post and numerous others.

Recently, Aaron worked on Janet Jackson's and Daddy Yankee's latest music video "Made For Now" where he shot the hyperlapse/flowmotion transitions for the video. Aaron was also showcased on TruTV’s show “Super Into”, where his time-lapses were featured in an episode on Astronomy with Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine/The Daily Show), where he taught host Kevin Pereira (Hack My Life) how to capture timelapses of the night sky. His time-lapses were also featured in PBS’s “National Park Symphony: The Mighty Five”, a film about Utah’s National Parks. 

As a timelapse photographer, Aaron has worked on a number of projects for major national and international companies, bands, networks and organizations including T-Mobile, Odesza, Hulu's "The Handmaids Tale", American Express, Filson, Aetna and many others.  

Before entering the photographic world, Aaron worked as a musician.  He is a classically trained lyric tenor as well as a drummer and percussionist and plays a variety of mallet instruments including vibraphone, marimba, xylophone and glockenspiel.  He holds a B.A. in Music Theory from Y.U. and taught Jazz at a private New York City area high school.

Aaron currently works as the Creative Director at Timelapse City, LLC, a NYC based video production company.

About Robert Levin

A specialist in traditional West African music, Robert is a composer, performer, and teacher.

Robert received his B.A. in ethnomusicology, composition and performance at Wesleyan University where he studied composition with Bill Barron and West African music with Abraham Adzenyah and Freeman Donkor. He received his Masters in composition at Yale University where he studied composition with Martin Bresnick, Lukas Foss, Tanya León, Marlos Nobre and Joan Panetti.

Robert has spent much time in Ghana, West Africa, studying drumming, singing and dancing. With his teacher Godwin Agbeli, Levin also founded a public elementary and junior high school in a farming village in southeastern Ghana in 1988, and has been building and supporting it ever since (visit www.kgsf.org).

Since 1981, Robert has brought traditional West African Music to many students in the USA, including teaching classes at Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, Sarah Lawrence, University of Northern Iowa, Princeton University, Yale and Wesleyan, and Brooklyn Academy of Music’s DanceAfrica Festival.

Robert is an active performer on keyboards, percussion and West African drums, and has played for film soundtracks, TV programs, album projects, and live tours in the USA and abroad. These days - and since the show opened in 1997 - he performs regularly on Broadway in The Lion King. He also plays in the Broadway production of Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations. Robert’s other Broadway credits include playing for Hair, Hairspray, Hott Feett, Drowsy Chaperone, and Fosse.

Robert's composing credits include the feature film "Inside", directed by Arthur Penn, as well as many documentaries and works for television. Robert wrote a West African drumming, singing and dancing number for the Broadway show Amazing Grace. He has composed new music commissions which have been performed throughout the USA and Europe.