1) Introductory Montage

T he film bursts open with a proverbial “bang”: A hyper-quick, sharply-juxtaposed, “MTV-like” montage, made up of a select group of already-existing YouTube videos, edited at a very fast rate.

This montage will present, in a sort of “scaled-down model”, microcosmic, “part-for-whole” manner what the film overall will present in its entirety: The best, most powerful, most distinctive, most wondrous music-making that has come out of Ukraine in recent years, all of which alike is permeated—albeit in often radically different ways—with the venerable influence of the nation's traditional music culture.

(A list of videos that will likely be included in this montage, in the order in which they are likely to first appear, is given in the post immediately below).

This introductory segment can therefore be seen as what might be called a “vertical”, non-narrative condensation of what the “horizontal” narrative—the storyline itself—will begin to impart immediately thereafter. In simpler terms, this introductory segment effectively symbolizes, in a succinct manner, everything that comes after.

The montage is organized, moreover, such that it progesses towards an ever-increasing dramatic intensity. After reaching a near-overwhelming peak of dramatic climax, this frenetic and clamorous section then comes to an abrupt, unexpected close, involving a pronounced shift of both scene and pace.

First off, though, this introductory section arrives at its punctuated end point, with the sudden transitional device of the screen going entirely black for four or five seconds.


2) The Pilgrimage to Kryachkivka


Open to an entirely black screen. After two or three seconds, a slight, wavering female voice can be heard.

This is the beginning of a recording by “Drevo Kyiv” of “Oi, U Poli Drevo” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lODHbXHMtuI]—a 300 year-old traditional song that originated in the tiny Ukrainian village of Kryachkivka.

What is heard here is an introductory vocal line that promptly leads into the resounding choral singing that characterizes this song overall. Yet, at approximately two seconds prior to the moment that this choral singing commences, in the period of pause after the introductory vocal line ends, the screen suddenly shifts out of its darkened state.

The scene now is a road deep in the rural Ukrainian heartland—the hallowed steppeland of central Ukraine. This is the road to Kryachkivka.

Now the choral singing commences.

The pace is now characterized by a markedly unhurried, stately, even contemplative rhythm, well attuned to the resplendent sounds of the choral singing accompanying this scene.

Here begins the narrative proper.

From a significant distance, an automobile is shown traveling along the road, tracing the horizon line of an utterly flat landscape. This is the only movement discernible within this scene.

Certain audio and visual motifs now come into play, indicating what will be a recurring “thematic pattern” throughout the film as a whole—a “library” of audio-visual motifs that can be collectively designated as “the pilgrimage to Kryachkivka thematic”.

(Some of these motifs convey basic information, and/or play a part in the ongoing narrative; others possess primarily a “vertical”, non-narrative, symbolic character.)

Included in this “library” is a montage of various images of steppeland nature—e.g., broad fields of wild grasses and wild flowers—taken from the actual road to Kryachkivka, seen via a diverse number of different shot types: long and medium shots, close-ups, etc.

Also included in this “library” is a shot depicting a map of Ukraine, seen first in its entirety, upon which is then emphasized by way of camera movement (both moving in closer, and panning laterally) the location of the village of Kryachkivka relative to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

This entire “thematic library” of images will be interspersed with shots of the moving automobile (which itself can be considered as another core component of this “library”, although it is at the same time also a poiut in the ongoing narrative), as well as with the interview segments that are specified below.

The audio for this whole opening section will remain the same: the “Drevo Kyiv” recording of “Oi, U Poli Drevo” that is referenced above.

For certain shots drawing from this “thematic library”—such as the images from the “steppeland nature montage”—this recording will be heard only very faintly, as if from a great distance; for other shots, such as the black-and-white images referenced below, it will be EQ'd so that all of the “highs” and “lows” are removed (i.e., the “telephone effect”); for some of the shots which display the present-day vehicle, it will be heard filtered through the (also very) distant sounds of a moving automobile.

Now what appears, interpolated (at a very rapid cutting rate) into the shots of the automobile from the present day (shots that make use of all the full, rich vividness of cinematic color), is a scattering of black-and-white footage from circa 1958, also of a vehicle traveling along a road—a model common to the Soviet Union at that time—as well as of Kyiv Conservatory from this same era (although this is not identified at this early point).

Next the shot depicting a map of Ukraine is seen again, although now this “map shot” is stationary, and focuses only on the road between Kyiv and Kryachkivka, at the same distance from the camera in which the first shot of the map stopped. A line is now drawn upon the map, in “real time”, that begins to trace this route.

Interpolated then into the proceedings are two very brief snippets of interview:

The first is with the widow of Volodymyr Matviyenko, who speaks of her late husband's initial discovery of the village of Kryachkivka in 1958, and of what this meant for him. An example of possible text here (this is no more than hypothetical placeholder text): “Discovering Kryachkivka was the start of everything for Volodymyr”.

The second is with Yevhen Yefremov, who speaks of his early experiences as a student of Matviyenko at Kyiv Conservatory, and of what he feels the discovery of Kryachkivka meant for both Matviyenko, and for the Ukrainian traditional music revival movement as a whole. Another example of possible text (again, this is only hypothetical): “Kryachkivka became something like a Mecca for Professor Matviyenko, and for his students as well”.

(Neither interview subject is introduced at this point, by subtext or in any other manner, establishing in this way what will be the standard practice throughout the film: Interview subjects will only be explicitly introduced—in terms of first and last name, etc.—at that point in the narrative in which their own particular part in the story comes most fully into play.)

(The audio-visual motifs belonging to “the pilgrimage to Kryachkivka thematic” are reverted to in between each interview snippet, as well as at the end of the second snippet, During the interview snippets themselves, the audio can also be heard, but only at an exceedingly low, barely perceptible level.)

Return to the shot of the present-day automobile traveling along the horizon line, seen again from the same considerable distance.

Above the horizon line—which occupies roughly the bottom third of the screen—are displayed, hovering agitatingly over the moving vehicle, the following consecutive fields of text:


“In the year 1958”

“On a day perhaps not unlike today”

“A Kyiv Conservatory ethnomusicologist named Volodymyr Matviyenko”

“Ventured forth on the first 'pilgrimage to Kryachkivka' ”.

Very rapid cuts to black-and-white shots of the “circa 1958 vehicle” traveling along a road are interspersed here.

Next is briefly displayed another “map shot”; the only difference between this shot and the previous such shot is that the line being drawn upon the map, traciug the route between Kyiv and Kryachkivka, is shown further advancing. While the previous shot depicted this line moving from Kyiv to somewhere slightly less than one third of the way to Kryachkivka, now this line is depicted moving to a point slightly more than one-third of the way.

Now a return to the same shot of the present-day automobile, as more text fields then appear above the horizon line.. .

“It was at this moment”

“That the 'traditional music revival movement' in Ukraine was born.”

Abrupt shift here to a graphic design display which occupies the entirety of the screen.

This graphic design display—which may be designated as “the Tree”—will likewise be a very important recurring element in the overall film. It will in fact serve as both a transitional device, edged in between the different sections of the narrative, and a primary means by which esssential information is conveyed (thereby eliminating the need for voiceover).

Thus, this graphic design display will be utilized to introduce (and to continue to bring back to and retain at the forefront of awareness) the different sections of the narrative, and the various principal figures that the narrative will feature, as well as the relationships that these figures have to one another. In this way, it will present a sort of lattice-work of “kinship” interconnections, such that provides to the story being told here its heart-core, underlying substance.

(Whenever this graphic design display occupies the screen, the “audio” remains the same—“Drevo Kyiv's” recording of “Oi, U Poli Drevo”—except during these segments this is played at a conspicuously higher volume.)

This display takes shape slowly, bit by bit, in piecemeal fashion, upon a sheer white background: A series of vibrating lines that gradually reveal itself to be a deep-rooted tree, magnificently blossoming before the viewer's eyes.

At this initial point, only certain portions of the tree are delineated fully; the remainder are shown by way of the barest outline.

The portions of the tree delineated fully in this initial display are the sturdy roots of the tree, taking hold deep into a gracefully receptive ground, and its impressively thick trunk.

Next, centered near the bottom of the screen, within the groundwork that supports this tree, the following phrase appears, fading in one word at a time:

“Within the icy, oppressive groundwork that was the Soviet Era, the first 'seeds' are planted.”

Return to the shot of the present-day automobile traveling along the horizon line, interspersed into which are not only more black-and-white shots of the “circa 1958 vehicle”, but also numerous shots taken from the “steppeland nature montage”.

Now back to “the Tree” graphic design display. The phrase specified just above is no longer visible. The “tree image” is still gradually taking shape, as more and more of its vibrating lines become filled in.

The following three-line phrase then appears—fading in one line at a time—centered in the upper third of the screen, in very large, standard-cased, slightly-vibrating text:


“Kryachkivka Forever!”

“The Traditional Music Revival Movement in Ukraine”

“(A Documentary Film)”


The recording of “Oi, U Poli Drevo” is abruptly stopped here at the end of a particular verse; no audio of any sort can now be heard; the screen goes slowly to black and persists in this darkened state for five or six dramatically poised seconds, as the slightly-vibrating text just specified transforms from black to white in the process.

Then the rural scene with the traveling automobile suddenly bursts into view once more, replacing the black-screen-with-white-text, as the resounding choral voices, signaling the start of a new verse, are heard again as well, but now at the highest level yet. This scene persists for seven or eight seconds.

Return once more to “the Tree” graphic design display. All of the text specified above is now gone, replaced by a new piece of centered text that appears near the bottom of the screen:


“The Pilgrimage to Kryachkivka”


Return to the same shot of the present-day automobile traveling along the horizon line.

This is again interspersed with more black-and-white shots of a traveling automobile circa 1958, along with more images from the “steppeland nature montage”, and then another “map shot”.

This “map shot” picks up where the last such shot left off at, depicting the line moving from Kyiv to Kryachkivka from slightly more than one-third of the way to slightly more than two-thirds of the way.

Return to the same shot of the present-day automobile, with more black-and-white shots, too.

Now, another “map shot”, this one depicting the line moving from slightly more than two-thirds of the way to slightly more than three-fourths.

The images from the “steppeland nature montage” can be considered, again, to possess primarily a “vertical”, non-narrative, symbolic character. The operative functionality of both the “map shot” and the black-and-white and color shots of the traveling automobile, on the other hand, should be understood as not only conveying basic information, but also as performing a narrative function: They serve as constituent elements helping to construct the ongoing storyline.

It is at this juncture, though, that the images from the “steppeland nature montage” are suddenly replaced by a new “thematic pattern” or “library of audio-visual motifs”: This “library”—which can be designated as “the Drevo (or 'the Tree') thematic”—will also embody a primarily “vertical”, non-narrative, symbolic functionality, and will likewise take an important part in the film overall.

Comprised in this “library”, then, is a montage of various images of trees—both “real” trees, captured cinematographically (some in Kryachkivka itself), as well as “fabricated” trees (i.e., drawn or painted)—all of which again, are displayed by way of the full spectrum of shot types.

And it is here that this particular section of the film—which itself bears the title “the Pilgrimage to Kryachkivka”—now shifts towards its coda. The “pilgrimage” is now about to reach its intended “shrine”.

Hence, the “map shot” now displays the line being drawn on the map arriving at its termination point—the village of Kryachkivka—and the shots of of the traveling automobile now segue into a series (still alternating between present-day color shots, and circa 1958 black-and-white shots) that depict the vehicle coming to a stop.

Thus, in regards to the “present day” color shots, what appears to be the same automobile that was shown traveling on the rural road can now be seen arriving in the village of Kryachkivka. This continues to alternate—still at a very fast cutting rate—with black-and-white images of a Soviet era vehicle likewise arriving in a village.

Split-second shots are then shown of people exiting these vehicles, although these are too brief and unfocused to really make out who these individuals are.

Interspersed, at a leisurely cutting rate, with numerous tree images derived from “the Drevo thematic library”, can next be seen very brief shots of what would appear to be the same group of individuals—although many of these shots provide only a view from behind the group, or else are again, quite blurry and unfocued—walking on a path which will be revealed to be the way to the Rozdabara house.

It is here that the “Drevo Kyiv” recorded version of “Oi, U Poli Drevo” is replaced by another version. Unlike the recorded version, this version has a very “live”, spontaneous and informal feel.

In fact, it would appear that this singing is actually coming from the group of individuals making their way to the Rozdabara house, although the shots that depict them are again, very brief, and still quite blurry and unfocused, or else from seen from behind, such that their identities are not at all clear.

More tree images derived from “the Drevo thematic”.

Now, what appears to be the same group of individuals—although the shots remain unfocused and blurry—who were walking along the path, are seen by way of very brief shots arriving at the Rozdabara house, engaging in warm greetings and salutations with Nadiya Rozdabara, Nina Reva, and other denizens of Kryachkivka.

More tree images derived from “the Drevo thematic”.

A quick cut to inside the Rozdabara house, in which are shown scenes—still unfocused and blurry—of a large group, gathered together in the living room, continuing to sing “Oi, U Poli Drevo”, with Nadiya Rozdabara and and Nina Reva (whose visages are quite clear, in contradistinction to the other individuals present) at the center, leading the choral group.

The audio for this entire final sequence is now solely the sounds being generated by this choral group.

And as the song they are singing seems to be nearing its finale, the various shots of tree images that stem from the “Drevo thematic library” continue to be interspersed with shots of the choral group, yet now these begin to alternate by way of a progressively accelerating cutting rate.

What was at first a fairly stately rhythm, again, moving with moderate speed back and forth, now begins to shift towards a rhythm that is rather rapid, such that split-second shots of the choral group swiftly alternate with split-second shots of the various tree images.

This acceleration continues apace until a point is arrived at—which happens to be that very point the final moments of the song are enacted—in which the camera begins to slowly move in on Nadiya Rozdabara, who is standing at the center of the choral group. As it does so, what is seen on the screen gradually modulates from a medium shot of Rozdabara, then to a medium close-up of her face, and then to a full close-up of her face.

At the same time that this inward camera movement is happening, the cutting rhythm that alternates these shots with shots of the various tree images now begins to de-accelerate, shifting gradually back to a much slower and statelier rhythm, such that at the juncture in which the close-up of Rozdabara's face starts to come into view, these shots are held for at least two or three seconds, and now alternate with shots, of an equal length, of a particular ancient tree (and camera movement is shown moving in on this, too), which grandly fills the screen with all the florescent complexities of its prolonged, age-old development.

After the last such pair of images, shots which hold for at least three seconds, first on Rozdabara's profound and ancient face, then on that of the ancient tree—all without camera movement, except for the final shot of the tree, in which the camera suddenly sweeps up, a quick vertical pan from a medium close-up of the trunk and lower branches of the tree, to take in the tree's upper branches, as they reach aspirationally towards a clear blue sky—this slow-tempoed alternation between the different tree images derived from the “Drevo thematic”, and the shots taken from inside the Rozdabara house now cease altogether.

(The choral group that is singing inside this house is therefore no longer seen on the screen, even though the resounding echos of their concluding verses can still be heard up to the end of this sequence.)

Instead, what is seen is once again the graphic design display of the “tree image”, which is still in the process of taking shape. Here, it is specifically the trunk that is seen delineated in more and more detail.

Upon this trunk is then engraved the following bit of vibrating text, appearing in comparatively large and upper-case characters:


“DREVO”


Now the screen goes black again for two or three seconds, as the choral singing stops entirely. No audio on any sort is heard for these brief seconds in which the screen is darkened.

This marks the close of the “Pilgrimage to Kryachkivka” section.


3) Volodymyr Matviyenko and Kryachkivka

Open to another full close up of Rozdabara's face, but now the camera is slowly moving back, rather than moving forward; it stops moving at a medium close up. Instead of standing in her living room, at the center of the choral group, singing, Rozdabara is now sitting by herself in her kitchen.

Immediately interpolated into this scene is a return to to “the Tree” graphic design display. A new piece of centered text now appears near the bottom of the screen:


“Volodymyr Matviyenko and Kryachkivka”


Quick shift back to the scene in Nadiya Rozdabara's kitchen.

Rozdabara now introduces herself by looking directly at the camera and stating “My name is Nadiya Rozdabara...” This begins an extended interview segment with Nadiya Rozdabara, in which she speaks of her first memories of Volodymyr Matviyenko, and of his initial arrival in Kryachkivka in 1958.

Cut back to Volodymyr Matviyenko's widow, who displays multiple photographs of Prof. Matviyenko—which the camera captures in close-up as she holds them in her hand—while speaking of her late husband's life and personality, his interest in Ukrainian traditional music, and his experiences in Kryachkivka.

Cut back to Yevhen Yefremov, who likewise shows some photographs of himself when he was a young man, attending Kyiv Conservatory (perhaps some with Matviyenko), and who speaks of his early experiences as a student of Matviyenko at the Conservatory, and of the role that the “pilgrimages to Kryachkivka” which Matviyenko led played in his musical education, as well as of the uniqueness of Kryachkivka's choral traditions.

Cutting back and forth from one to the other, Nadiya Rozdabara, Yevhen Yefremov and Matviyenko's widow together proceed to relate the circumstances and substance of Matviyenko's discovery of the village of Kryachkivka, and of the “pilgrimages to Kryachkivka” that he subsequently organized, bringing his young students from Kyiv Conservatory to this tiny village to learn first-hand the distinctive polyphonic singing traditions that had been preserved there.

[Other students of Matviyenko from this same era may be featured in this segment also.]

Interspersed with these interview segments are a variety of shots of the village of Kryachkivka itself.

These shots are all taken by a camera that moves—some of them with the camera merely panning laterally (as if representing the view of someone arriving in the village for the first time, craning his or her head about to take in the sights), but many of them taken by a camera that is being walked about the village, at a relative moderate and quite deliberative pace (thus representing the view of someone exploring the sights for the first time, with observant, well-focused attention).

This series of “Kryachkivka shots” start off in normal color, but then begin to be interspersed with shots in black-and-white (although there is no indication that these black-and-white shots are “historical footage”, but rather appear to be shots drawn from the same footage as the color shots, except here rendered in black-and-white ).

There is no additional audio for this sequence, musical or otherwise; this includes the interview segments as well.

For the series of “Kryachkivka shots”, inclusive of both the color and black-and-white shots, what is heard instead are simply the sounds of the village itself (comprised primarily of audio that is captured at the same time as the video): The ambient sounds of dogs barking, children playing, birds in the trees, a diverse variety of inhabitants of the village going about their typical, quotidian affairs...


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