I just published a new 6 minute multimedia video to YouTube called Last Known Transmission. This video was also my solo submission for the The Rocky Mountain Synthesizer Meet Drone Day 2022 Celebration.
This piece was produced entirely on an Apple iPad Pro 11 with Borderlands Granular and Luma Touch LumaFusion.
Music
The music was performed in one real-time pass on the amazing Borderlands granular synthesizer which you’ll see superimposed on the screen. The source audio was based on field recordings of household objects, and on location in Iceland and Melbourne Australia.
Here are some Borderlands links:
Video
For this piece, I improvised the music first. In these cases, I like to then use video to create a narrative around the piece.
Superimposed iPad Shot
I used an iPhone 13 Pro as an overhead camera to shoot the iPad performance on a table on a green screen fabric. I recorded the audio in AUM then imported that into LumaFusion.
Primary Footage
Back in October of 2021, I had the good fortune to go to Iceland for a week. They had a VERY low COVID transmission date at the time and it was almost like being back in 2019.
I got some amazing iPhone 13 and GoPro footage in Southern Iceland Iceland at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, and Kvernufoss Waterfall.
All this footage really looks like you are on some sort of alien planet, which is why movies like Alien: Prometheus used it for some location shoots. Note that the footage in the first half of this video is actually shot in full color. It ends up that Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach in Iceland in October just looks black and white on a cloudy day.
As I was cutting video to the music and getting a vibe from the locations and hand-held shots, a narrative started to unfold. I was imagining this as a video log from a landing party on an alien planet. The landing party fails to check in and this footage is their last known transmission. Someone back on the mother ship is reviewing the footage using with Borderlands acting as some crazy alien instrumentality for video review and analysis. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination as you watch.
One last note on the video, I was told by our guide that the unique cliffs Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach inspired and informed the design of the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík. You’ll see a momentary zoom blur from the cliffs to the concert hall.
The video took about 10 hours to cut together.
Video
Enjoy the video.
Iceland Expedition Team:
Jeanne Mosher: Team Leader, Planning, Logistics
Mark Mosher: Audio and Video Field Recording, Safety Officer
Mark Mosher 
2 responses to “New Multimedia Video “Last Known Transmission…” Based on Original Field Recordings and Footage from Iceland”
Extraordinary, original, and brilliant, Mark. A new impressive page in your evolving creative journey that I have been following since we met in Asheville at the Electromusic Fest. Best Regards, Bill
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Thank so much for your kind words about this piece Bill! I really appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment. It really means a lot to me. I’ll get back to Asheville someday, and when I do, it would be great to see you.
Mark
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