2012, 11min, 16mm, color, sound
American plains and high altitudes assembled in a B-roll structure take us to a place of sounds*. Plans américains show color and temperature shifts while an emotional room tone is sustained for the length of a 400ft camera roll. (LL)
*Vision: Sound on Screen, Michel Chion.
The Room Called Heaven was shot in Los Angeles,
California; Alpine, Texas; and the Inyo Mountains,
California with the assistance of Christina C. Nguyen.
With: Dan Boer, Noah Doely, Lindsey Hoffmann,
Rebecca Limerick, Shawn Lockie, Christina C. Nguyen,
Yuan Pan, Laura Steenberge, and Chandra Wright.
Sound mix: Ezra Buchla
Title and end cards: Lucas Quigley
Thank you: Andrew Abram, Oihane Basañez,
Amina Cain, Josette Chiang, Josep Florit Juaneda,
Damion Romero, C.W. Winter, and Genevieve Yue.
"Culmination of Laida Lertxundi's first creative era, The Room Called Heaven is a vivid and effective reflection on the wide range of film images. Through using the American shot and the depth of the picture, the limit of our gaze is questioned and collective experience is championed. Each take contains various stimuli, located one behind the other or intertwined, as in the final part. Recurring features of Lertxundi's films, such as open doors, the sea, and the sky, appear superimposed; they fuse evoking sensations that transcend worldly existence. At the same time, it is a compliment paid to hand-made labour and to the material component of the creative act. This idea is realized in the actual duration of the film: its footage corresponds exactly to that of a roll of 16 mm film."
-Javier Estrada pdf