2014

The scored short film Journey to the Center of the Earth takes viewers on a fantastic excursion to an undiscovered land. It is inspired by informational films of the 1950s, which allowed people to explore the far reaches of the world—from the Everglades to the Far East—and witness new scientific discoveries. These films shorts played alongside the rich modern marvel visuals of the atomic age. Seeing the unknown and exotic expanded the minds of a nation, offering escapism and adventure.

The scene opens with a close-up shot of what looks to be coal-black flowers, their petals glistening with a twinkling flicker of orange light. An authoritative voice intones: “What is light? Just how does it affect us? The light from the rising sun is always a source of inspiration and wonder. Throughout the ages men have associated light with truth and knowledge, darkness with ignorance and evil.” Suddenly the centers of the flowers beam, however something is strange about their glow. The light moves, yet not in a way we would expect. It oozes out of the flowers’ centers. As trumpets blast on the soundtrack we are taken through a series of black sets activated with the movement and luminosity of molten glass. The images take us on a voyage to a dream-like land filled with a cast of strange and unusual creatures. This astonishing world on screen transports viewers from the everyday to the marvelous.