The Alignment directed by Heleen Blanken, Music bij Jeff Mills Reviews: http://www.junodownload.com/plus/2013/04/12/axis-records-unveil-jeff-mills-scored-short-film/ http://www.factmag.com/2013/04/12/techno-pioneer-jeff-mills-premieres-new-music-with-short-film-the-alignment/ The Alignment _ Interview 1. It's entitled "The Alignment", can you tell uswhere the idea andtitlecomes from? The film is about telepathic communication between three sources.It's about alignment in many forms; arranging the right setting for communication; aligning multiple frequencies and creating the perfect environment for a transfer. So basically, the characters are aligning their frequencies with each other and the third party. 2. The vastness of land and nature is serene and beautiful.But as the film develops and the viewer is drawn into the occurrence, the visual depth is almost mystically reduced. How could wecharacterize the viewer's perspective of this scene?Should we consider being a participant, an observer, or perhaps something else? The viewer's perspective is that of the invisible spectator. We're observing this event almost voyeuristically. This is how we observe the shots of the two characters. But as we're being drawn into the third segment, our role is transformed into that of the participant. I tried to simulate what happens in the brain of the two characters, so we can somehow grasp what they're perceiving. 3. Does the casting of the two actors(a young man and woman, dressed similarly) have a special meaning? I wanted two actors that would look similar, as they're supposed to be from the same planet. They had to come across as two life forms on an interstellar assignment. The clothes had to be the same, because the assumption should arise, that they're part of a species strange to hierarchy. 4. How does the music play a role in this process? Obviously, music plays a major role in the work. For Space Time Continuum, our first endeavor, Jeff made the music first. Then I made the images to support the film. But interestingly, the process for this second film was different. We'd already chosen the score before making the film. But when I was done shooting and sent some film stills to Jeff, he decided to make a new track on the base of those stills. The track he produced fitted perfectly, it was much more suitable. For me it was really interesting to see that he truly understood the atmosphere of the film. I think we inspired each other, making for an even better product in the end! 5. This is your second commissioned film for Alpha Centauri / Axis Records, working with Jeff Mills. How do you feel about the process? Jeff was at the cradle of my musical upbringing. So for starters, working with him is a huge honor. Last summer, after seeing a visual show of mine at Awakenings Festival, his manager Alan Sommersville showed Jeff my work. I then got an enthusiastic email from Jeff himself about cooperation in the Alpha Centauri project. He gave me tracks he had chosen, and I replied with scripts and ideas. During the whole process, we're constantly debating about the concept and the realization of it all. Up until now, it has been a very inspiring cooperation. 6. Technically, was it a difficult film to shoot with the extreme weather conditions? The location of the film was purposefully chosen to be very remote, since it had to have the characteristics of an alien planet. But as we woke up that day, it snowed harder than it ever does in The Netherlands. For the cinematographic perspective this was obviously perfect, because the snow made it even more desolate. My actors had to go through a lot of unsettling conditions. They had to stand in the cold for hours, and we nearly had a frozen toe accident... I am very proud and grateful for the perseverance of my two great actors. Luckily, we were with a crew of six people, who are all very professional. We had a great day in the end. The next day the snow was gone and didn't come back. I guess it was meant to be. 7. What is the message you're trying to convey in this film? The film deals with the concept of 'telepathically' transferring thoughts and feelings. In a way, this is what music does. When asymphonyspeaksto the listener, it transfers emotions on a deeper level, without being too explanatory. This is also what I wanted to illustrate visually. 8. What are you working on creating in the near future? Currently, I'm working on a project with Ben Klock and DVS1 for the Klockworks showcase. I have now created a visual show, and I'm still moderating the visuals; it's an ongoing process. We're going to tour this year. I am really looking forward to that. Moreover, the entire project with Jeff has been an exciting challenge. I'm very excited about what the future may bring.

• published: 03 Jul 2013
• views: 826