Night Ride From La

dir. by Martin Gerigk, Germany
runtime: 5 min

‘Night Ride from LA’ is based on a real car ride at night from downtown LA to the desert near Palm Springs a few years ago. The footage was taken from the car by continually shooting single long exposure photos to document the ride of about two hours without any break. This technique condensed the whole trip to a flickering twirl of time-stretched movements and night light graffiti causing a kind of psychedelic trance. A love letter to the energy and vibe of the Californian way of life.

Cast

Philipp Zdebel
Stephan Sixt
Martin Gerigk
Martin Gerigk
Martin Gerigk

Credits

Directors: Martin Gerigk
Screenwriters: Martin Gerigk
Producers: Martin Gerigk

Mykonos Biennale 2015 - Film Festival - Night Ride from LA - screen shot

Directors Statement

‘Night Ride from LA’ is based on a real car ride at night from downtown LA to the desert near Palm Springs a few years ago. I took the footage from the car by continually shooting single long exposure photos to document the ride of about two hours without any break. This technique condensed the whole trip to a flickering twirl of time-stretched movements and night light graffiti.

Physically and mentally it was an intense and painful experience, holding the camera uninterruptedly against the violent frontal airstream for such a long time. After a while, unexpectedly, time seemed to slow down and strange, vaguely coherent memories of the day came flooding back as a reaction to the persistant pain. It felt like a wild, psychedelic meditation.

‘Night Ride from LA’ embodies this unusual experience: the mixture of whirling, hypnotic night lights, psychedelic trance, and wild emotions. All mingled with a pinch of humor. A love letter to the energy and vibe of the Californian way of life.

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