Some recommended additional reading about this film. It's an interview with the filmmaker.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/on-space-love-and-carl-sagans-cosmic-mix-tape/468642/
"The Voyagers" by Penny Lane is an unexpected take on the NASA Voyager missions, involving not only one love story but three. Lane uses archival material as well as personal narration to bring this experimental documentary to life.
Intentionally the film was confusing, because it's narrator addresses an unknown figure. She tells the story of the Voyager I and II missions and sidetracks to the Challenger explosions, but she focuses on the Golden Records put on each of the Voyagers. Lane says the Golden Records are a love story of the earth, because it only focuses on the good things, like love. She intertwines this factual narration with personal comments to the unknown figure. Then she moves to the love story between Ann Druyan and Carl Sagan who both worked on the Golden Record project. She starts to splice archival footage of NASA projects with carnival glimpses of machines (science) and couples (love).
After reading the article, you recognize that Lane is addressing her (now) husband at their wedding, bringing the third love story into the short documentary. She artfully brings together the world of science and the idea of love by using archival videos and her own personal love story.
“The Voyagers,” a (kinda) archival documentary by filmmaker Penny Lane, is a poetic look on love, space, and risk. It’s a beautiful film, harnessing the beautiful imagery of our world and of the soaring rockets that left it quite excellently. I was impressed by how Lane was able to add new meaning to these old images. She uses footage of massive ocean waves to convey a sense of excitement as Sagan and Druyan confessed their love for each other. The explosion of the Challenger space craft was used to punctuate a statement on risk and how opening yourself to contact invites the possibility of disaster. Additionally, she used Coney Island as a way to explore the wonder of Ann and Carl’s relationship. I was intrigued by her use of these images, since I wondered how one can tell a story without any footage of the event. We never see Ann and Carl talking to each other, and yet this film does an excellent job documenting their relationship. Lane adds such beautiful meaning to these images and unpacks them as she tells the story. I never once thought that I needed to see what she was literally talking about. Her images satisfied and intrigued. As a filmmaker, I respect all the time and work it must have took to locate all the footage used for this project. I also loved Lane’s fascination with the Golden Record and how it related to the couple’s story. Lane’s use of music and sound effects help tighten the project and add depth that the images couldn’t do by themselves. I enjoyed reading the interview with Penny Lane. It really showed her own insecurities towards the project and her struggles, despite creating an excellent piece of work. In addition, it was very interesting to learn about her personal connection to the project and her use of this film as a love letter to her fiancé. This multi-layered film is fascinating both technically and narratively, and it was quite a wonder to behold.
The Voyagers is a short film made by Penny Lane for her husband. She makes the connection between space travel and a love story, juxtaposing her thoughts about the unknown to the literal representation of such. I loved it. The philosophical narration coupled with NASA’s old footage was really powerful. Her narration, of course, made the piece. The audio was crisp, and the music she chose to accompany her analysis helped the video a lot. Honestly I’m not sure what this accomplishes other than a tribute to her loved one and the journey they are on. It provides insight into another love story, Carl Sagan and Annie, insight into the launch of the Voyagers and their eternal journey, and a metaphor to marriage as a journey throughout. I liked the piece a lot because of her points and the stylistic elements. I guess the part that struck me was her reference to a statistic about the unsuccessful trend of marriages. I eventually want to settle down some day, and its unsettling that so many people change their minds.
"The Voyagers" is an interesting short film by Penny Lane. Her use of archival footage with a voiceover tells a new story, and the juxtaposition of the unrelated items creates a new meaning. She took an ordinary thing and turned it into a love story, addressing a figure unknown to the audience. Despite being in the dark, you can tell that the narrator is sweet and her poetic monologue creates a vibe that is aided by the various footage. That with the song almost creates a nostalgic feel because of how she reflects on everything. I especially liked her comparison to the Voyager crafts that were only supposed to last two years but have continues on and will for the rest of forever. I thought it was an interesting way to combine this footage with this story.
Penny Lane tells a love story in the short film "The Voyagers" using narration and archival footage. Although NASA's footage regarding space travel has little to nothing to do with love, Lane creates a compelling narrative experience.
The leap from space travel to love is a large one, and combining the two subjects in one video was quite a daunting task. Lane manages to do this effectively, but I feel since the two subjects are as different as they are, other archival footage may have been more effective.
From a technical standpoint however, this was executed nearly perfectly. As someone who listens to podcasts frequently, I can appreciate the liberal use of music and sound effects to tell a story, as the video content definitely needed assistance.
In "The Voyagers", Penny Lane intertwines a love story and the odyssey of space travel. The narrator speaks of love that she has experienced and how that love has affected her throughout the years. But she also discusses the state of space travel, and most specifically, the Golden Record sent into space on the Voyager missions.
In terms of both love and space travel, the narrator narrates the story of Carl Sagan and his lover, whose stories were brought together by the fate of the Voyagers. Both people worked to create the golden records, and as the woman described, realized that they were in love as if it was a scientific discovery.
Overall, I loved this film because I am a fan of archival documentaries. In addition to being that, this film is also a story with heart and meaning. The fact that Lane intertwined a love story with the story of space exploration made this film so much more interesting to me. I wanted to learn more and more about the love story, and how it paralleled with the story of space travel.
The modern field of space exploration is dominated by science; scientific minds trying to achieve great things through the use of scientific methods. What appeals to me about “The Voyagers”, and what I think is the foundation of the film, is its emotion. Sure, it tells the story of some advanced space probes, but they are more than that in this film. They represent our attachment, our love for our home, but it goes even deeper still. This movie, I think, touches something primal in all of us; the need to be loved, the desire to leave something of us behind, the boundless curiosity of the human race. To me, these are the things that cause “The Voyagers” to affect me so, and the film makers use a variety of techniques to accomplish them.
The technical aspects of this film to me are about stirring the emotions of the audience. Starting with the script and narration, the fact that the narrator was going through a kind of winding story about love, talking about the Voyager spacecraft but also talking about people, served to draw in the audience without providing an overly structured narrative. The narration also combined with the visual imagery of the archival footage, which switched between clips of the space program, Carl Sagan, and an amusement park, to create a dreamlike feeling for the film. It was this ethereal, floating feeling which drew me into the film, so much so that I had to work hard to concentrate on the film rather than just experiencing it without paying attention. To me, that is what I hope to get out of movies, and it’s why I believe “The Voyagers” was a success.
"The Voyagers" by Penny Lane was a captivating film loaded with emotion that draws you in. When watching this film I first thought it was about the golden record on The Voyager 2 but yet it was a love letter between the filmmaker and her significant other. I thought the way the story was told was amazing. The story was told in a way that all past images were put together to match up with what she was talking about. The clips that were put together were lower exposed clips and pictures that showed history and told a story of history while with her voice she told a current story, the story of her love life. The film was very effective due to the clips being so interesting and vivid that the creator of the film kept you intrigued. Instead of all of the clips just being exposed to where the point of them looking like every other image in every other ordinary film, they made the film interesting. Though, the most effective technique that stuck out to me from the film was the audio and the way the different tracks were mixed together. There was a mix of the authors audio, history audio clips, and audio clips from footage being shown. This was very effective because you almost didn't even have to watch the video portion to know exactly what was going on, just because of the narration and the sound engineering. The narrators voice was so crisp and clear it made you feel like you were talking directly to her. This film was very effective and I love the way it was developed.
"The Voyagers" made by Penny Lane was a very creative and challenged film. He showed many scenes in this film and we can see things happened in the past. Some of scenes used history case which I think it is great. And the voice in the movie demonstrate in present's points of view. The voyagers has affect many people in the past and even now. The more important things is the ideas behind the video. It really touches people's heart and makes people think deep about the "Voyagers" and our earth. It is unusual because you barely cant see many people in this short film. I love this documentary story telling movie it is more interesting and combines footage perfectly.
"The Voyagers" by Penny Lane is an unexpected take on the NASA Voyager missions, involving not only one love story but three. Lane uses archival material as well as personal narration to bring this experimental documentary to life.
ReplyDeleteIntentionally the film was confusing, because it's narrator addresses an unknown figure. She tells the story of the Voyager I and II missions and sidetracks to the Challenger explosions, but she focuses on the Golden Records put on each of the Voyagers. Lane says the Golden Records are a love story of the earth, because it only focuses on the good things, like love. She intertwines this factual narration with personal comments to the unknown figure. Then she moves to the love story between Ann Druyan and Carl Sagan who both worked on the Golden Record project. She starts to splice archival footage of NASA projects with carnival glimpses of machines (science) and couples (love).
After reading the article, you recognize that Lane is addressing her (now) husband at their wedding, bringing the third love story into the short documentary. She artfully brings together the world of science and the idea of love by using archival videos and her own personal love story.
“The Voyagers,” a (kinda) archival documentary by filmmaker Penny Lane, is a poetic look on love, space, and risk. It’s a beautiful film, harnessing the beautiful imagery of our world and of the soaring rockets that left it quite excellently. I was impressed by how Lane was able to add new meaning to these old images. She uses footage of massive ocean waves to convey a sense of excitement as Sagan and Druyan confessed their love for each other. The explosion of the Challenger space craft was used to punctuate a statement on risk and how opening yourself to contact invites the possibility of disaster. Additionally, she used Coney Island as a way to explore the wonder of Ann and Carl’s relationship. I was intrigued by her use of these images, since I wondered how one can tell a story without any footage of the event. We never see Ann and Carl talking to each other, and yet this film does an excellent job documenting their relationship. Lane adds such beautiful meaning to these images and unpacks them as she tells the story. I never once thought that I needed to see what she was literally talking about. Her images satisfied and intrigued. As a filmmaker, I respect all the time and work it must have took to locate all the footage used for this project. I also loved Lane’s fascination with the Golden Record and how it related to the couple’s story. Lane’s use of music and sound effects help tighten the project and add depth that the images couldn’t do by themselves. I enjoyed reading the interview with Penny Lane. It really showed her own insecurities towards the project and her struggles, despite creating an excellent piece of work. In addition, it was very interesting to learn about her personal connection to the project and her use of this film as a love letter to her fiancé. This multi-layered film is fascinating both technically and narratively, and it was quite a wonder to behold.
ReplyDeleteThe Voyagers is a short film made by Penny Lane for her husband. She makes the connection between space travel and a love story, juxtaposing her thoughts about the unknown to the literal representation of such. I loved it. The philosophical narration coupled with NASA’s old footage was really powerful. Her narration, of course, made the piece. The audio was crisp, and the music she chose to accompany her analysis helped the video a lot. Honestly I’m not sure what this accomplishes other than a tribute to her loved one and the journey they are on. It provides insight into another love story, Carl Sagan and Annie, insight into the launch of the Voyagers and their eternal journey, and a metaphor to marriage as a journey throughout. I liked the piece a lot because of her points and the stylistic elements. I guess the part that struck me was her reference to a statistic about the unsuccessful trend of marriages. I eventually want to settle down some day, and its unsettling that so many people change their minds.
ReplyDelete"The Voyagers" is an interesting short film by Penny Lane. Her use of archival footage with a voiceover tells a new story, and the juxtaposition of the unrelated items creates a new meaning. She took an ordinary thing and turned it into a love story, addressing a figure unknown to the audience. Despite being in the dark, you can tell that the narrator is sweet and her poetic monologue creates a vibe that is aided by the various footage. That with the song almost creates a nostalgic feel because of how she reflects on everything. I especially liked her comparison to the Voyager crafts that were only supposed to last two years but have continues on and will for the rest of forever. I thought it was an interesting way to combine this footage with this story.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePenny Lane tells a love story in the short film "The Voyagers" using narration and archival footage. Although NASA's footage regarding space travel has little to nothing to do with love, Lane creates a compelling narrative experience.
ReplyDeleteThe leap from space travel to love is a large one, and combining the two subjects in one video was quite a daunting task. Lane manages to do this effectively, but I feel since the two subjects are as different as they are, other archival footage may have been more effective.
From a technical standpoint however, this was executed nearly perfectly. As someone who listens to podcasts frequently, I can appreciate the liberal use of music and sound effects to tell a story, as the video content definitely needed assistance.
In "The Voyagers", Penny Lane intertwines a love story and the odyssey of space travel. The narrator speaks of love that she has experienced and how that love has affected her throughout the years. But she also discusses the state of space travel, and most specifically, the Golden Record sent into space on the Voyager missions.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of both love and space travel, the narrator narrates the story of Carl Sagan and his lover, whose stories were brought together by the fate of the Voyagers. Both people worked to create the golden records, and as the woman described, realized that they were in love as if it was a scientific discovery.
Overall, I loved this film because I am a fan of archival documentaries. In addition to being that, this film is also a story with heart and meaning. The fact that Lane intertwined a love story with the story of space exploration made this film so much more interesting to me. I wanted to learn more and more about the love story, and how it paralleled with the story of space travel.
The modern field of space exploration is dominated by science; scientific minds trying to achieve great things through the use of scientific methods. What appeals to me about “The Voyagers”, and what I think is the foundation of the film, is its emotion. Sure, it tells the story of some advanced space probes, but they are more than that in this film. They represent our attachment, our love for our home, but it goes even deeper still. This movie, I think, touches something primal in all of us; the need to be loved, the desire to leave something of us behind, the boundless curiosity of the human race. To me, these are the things that cause “The Voyagers” to affect me so, and the film makers use a variety of techniques to accomplish them.
ReplyDeleteThe technical aspects of this film to me are about stirring the emotions of the audience. Starting with the script and narration, the fact that the narrator was going through a kind of winding story about love, talking about the Voyager spacecraft but also talking about people, served to draw in the audience without providing an overly structured narrative. The narration also combined with the visual imagery of the archival footage, which switched between clips of the space program, Carl Sagan, and an amusement park, to create a dreamlike feeling for the film. It was this ethereal, floating feeling which drew me into the film, so much so that I had to work hard to concentrate on the film rather than just experiencing it without paying attention. To me, that is what I hope to get out of movies, and it’s why I believe “The Voyagers” was a success.
"The Voyagers" by Penny Lane was a captivating film loaded with emotion that draws you in. When watching this film I first thought it was about the golden record on The Voyager 2 but yet it was a love letter between the filmmaker and her significant other. I thought the way the story was told was amazing. The story was told in a way that all past images were put together to match up with what she was talking about. The clips that were put together were lower exposed clips and pictures that showed history and told a story of history while with her voice she told a current story, the story of her love life. The film was very effective due to the clips being so interesting and vivid that the creator of the film kept you intrigued. Instead of all of the clips just being exposed to where the point of them looking like every other image in every other ordinary film, they made the film interesting. Though, the most effective technique that stuck out to me from the film was the audio and the way the different tracks were mixed together. There was a mix of the authors audio, history audio clips, and audio clips from footage being shown. This was very effective because you almost didn't even have to watch the video portion to know exactly what was going on, just because of the narration and the sound engineering. The narrators voice was so crisp and clear it made you feel like you were talking directly to her. This film was very effective and I love the way it was developed.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"The Voyagers" made by Penny Lane was a very creative and challenged film. He showed many scenes in this film and we can see things happened in the past. Some of scenes used history case which I think it is great. And the voice in the movie demonstrate in present's points of view. The voyagers has affect many people in the past and even now. The more important things is the ideas behind the video. It really touches people's heart and makes people think deep about the "Voyagers" and our earth. It is unusual because you barely cant see many people in this short film. I love this documentary story telling movie it is more interesting and combines footage perfectly.
ReplyDelete