THE STORY BEHIND THE FILM
THE PATH WE HAVE CHOOSEN TO START THE STORY OF OUR HEARTS
Artwork by Dari Vandadi
THE STORY BEHIND THE FILM
THE PATH WE HAVE CHOOSEN TO START THE STORY OF OUR HEARTS
Artwork by Dari Vandadi
EVERY GREAT STORY HAS A BEGINNING
Carlos Castaneda was one of the planet's great minds, a Doctor of Anthropology, dedicated shaman, and the author of 12 best-selling books translated into 33 languages.
More than half a century after the publication of his first work, "The Teachings of Don Juan", his books continue to adorn the shelves of bookstores, and millions of his fans around the world, who continue to ponder and discuss the legacy of this deep and mysterious writer.
More than half a century after the publication of his first work, "The Teachings of Don Juan", his books continue to adorn the shelves of bookstores, and millions of his fans around the world, who continue to ponder and discuss the legacy of this deep and mysterious writer.
With the publication of "The Teachings of Don Juan", the legend that changed the world is born. The heroes of the most vivid spiritual adventure of the XX century take to the stage, creating a story engraved in gold letters in the record of the exploration of human consciousness.
Having drawn the path of the heart on the shifting sands of reality, they invite each of us to embark on our own journey in search of Truth and spiritual wisdom.
Having drawn the path of the heart on the shifting sands of reality, they invite each of us to embark on our own journey in search of Truth and spiritual wisdom.
USA, 1968, UCLA
They live among the pages of these books, and somewhere out there, on the top of a transcendental mountain, they wait to welcome us.
The story begins again ...
The story begins again ...
"If a warrior is to succeed in anything, the success must come gently, with a great deal of effort but with no stress or obsession."
Carlos Castaneda, "Tales of Power"
ABOUT PROJECT IXTLAN
Project Ixtlan was originally created as a platform for the realization of the dream of many - to see a story from their favorite books on the big screen. Our intention is to convey the spirit of these amazing works as accurately as possible. Therefore, in working on the first episode, we have followed the original, trying not to add anything from ourselves.
To convey the atmosphere of the books - this was our main challenge and aspiration. How close we got to the goal is for the audience to judge.
To convey the atmosphere of the books - this was our main challenge and aspiration. How close we got to the goal is for the audience to judge.
CREATING THE WORLD
Making this film has been challenging, as every great journey must be. Despite all the financial and technical difficulties that arose in the process of work, we have done our best to implement this project. The key stages of work on the film were: creation of scenery and shooting, development of the graphic style and voice acting for the film.
The first episode is set at the porch of Don Juan's house, where Carlos faces a test that will later become the starting point of an adventure that changed his life. From the very beginning of development, we abandoned the idea of using a full chroma key. We wanted the actors to give themselves up to the game, feeling at ease in the middle of a real set.
Therefore, the porch and the accompanying props were created from natural materials with our own hands. The construction took several months, and despite the fact that only a few people worked on its construction, every detail was important to us.
Therefore, the porch and the accompanying props were created from natural materials with our own hands. The construction took several months, and despite the fact that only a few people worked on its construction, every detail was important to us.
HAND MADE SET
Creating a visual style is another challenge that requires a unique solution. We need the freedom to express what is happening on the screen. Every reader knows how unusual the events taking place in the books are. How to portray such unimaginable things? An artistic design seemed to us the best choice. The visual style cleverly combines live studio footage and classic oil painting filter. The process of implementing this style took a lot of effort and professionalism, but we hope the result was worth it.
ORIGINAL STYLE
The world is empty without sound. Even the brightest picture will not create a complete atmosphere. Sound is another touch needed to breathe life into on-screen action. Real life sounds are what we were looking for.
Therefore, we paid as much attention to the audio as we did to the visual style. It took many months to create the live sound for the episode. In addition to musical accompaniment, the overwhelming majority of sound effects were created in the studio with the help of improvised means, which were then combined with video.
Therefore, we paid as much attention to the audio as we did to the visual style. It took many months to create the live sound for the episode. In addition to musical accompaniment, the overwhelming majority of sound effects were created in the studio with the help of improvised means, which were then combined with video.
SOUND MEANS ATMOSPHERE
