I don’t necessarily recognize a great work of art the moment I experience it. If you and I were to see a movie together, you will likely find me at a loss for words during the credit roll as to what my true opinion of the film is. Usually, I need a certain absorption period to truly reflect on the impact a work has had on me, and the length of that absorption period is usually proportional to how much I end up enjoying the piece.

A good piece of art will bring me momentary enjoyment, a great piece I will revisit and recommend to others, but there are some works that fall into a category that I can only describe as ‘haunting’.  They are haunting because they embed themselves in a way that demands your acknowledgement, they speak to an archetype that either inspires or unnerves us, and they reveal something new to you in each interaction.

Works, across a variety of mediums, that I continuously revisit include: Stephen King’s IT, “Build Voice” by Dan Deacon, Dan Carlin’s Blueprint for Armageddon, Théodore Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa, Fallout (1997) by Interplay Productions, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood.

Continuing down that list we arrive at the subject of this blog, “Watchtower of Turkey” by Leonardo Dalessandri, a short travel film that I deem archetypal in the realm of online video. That I am highlighting this film is not original by any means. I am merely hoping to add my voice to the extensive coverage and universal praise of the work.

Watchtower of Turkey from Leonardo Dalessandri on Vimeo.

Named Vimeo.com’s top pick of 2014, “Watchtower of Turkey” is a tour de force of audiovisual immersion. Utilizing a seamless blend of matching action, visual matching, hyperlapse, slow motion, sound design, and pacing, Dalessandri takes us on a whirlwind tour through the country of Turkey. Although this piece is highly exceptional in a technical regard, films with this level of virtuosity are not all that uncommon in the saturated world of online video. What sets this film far and above any other of its type is the attention paid by the director to its storytelling structure in what would otherwise be a supercut of travel footage captured on the fly.

Dalessandri didn’t have a clear vision of how he was going to ultimately use this footage at the time he was shooting it. However, much of what made it possible for this film to take the form that it did was a certain degree of intentionality at the point of capture. I am going to finish up this post by highlighting three specific points in the film that show intentionality, and ultimately led to the creation of a successful film in the editing room.

“Do you hear me?”

In the opening act of the film we are reeled into this Turkish dream world with a soft poetic narration calling all of our senses to attention for the experience to come. This narration also serves to establish Turkey and its people as the character in this journey.

It is important to note that the decision to make this film happened spontaneously while Dalessandri was in Turkey for a music video shoot. The decision to record this narration shows that Dalessandri knew that merely showing the viewer would not be enough. It’s almost as if he is setting us up with a challenge at the beginning of the film, asking us to engage rather than react.

“Do you feel me?”

At 02:33 in the film, we see a sequence of whirling dervishes, in the second shot we see that the camera is panning back in forth in response to the dervish spinning in frame. This camera movement almost perfectly mirrors the angular momentum created by the spinning of the dervish. This technique gives us a visceral, felt experience in addition to the visual beauty of the shot.

“Can you see me?

Matched action and matched camera motion is central to the overall style of this piece, but an excellent example of how these matched cuts were able to be made in post production can be found at 00:57 in the film. Here Dalessandri cuts on a whip pan between two shots of street musicians. This seamless cut was made possible by the decision to film these separate musicians with the camera in a rocking motion as opposed to remaining static and reactionary.

Overall, this film is an example of what can be accomplished by a director and cinematographer who is actively engaged in the creative process through all phases of production. For me, it is a haunting (in a good way) reminder of how I should be approaching my own work with sincerity and intention.