Featuring an array of scenes from the North American landscape, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER is a short film that encourages the viewer to shed previous conceptions and ideas about the world, and to return to a place of wonderment and awe.

Shot on location in the High Sierra Nevada, Canadian Rockies and Southern Appalachians. 

This short film is dedicated to a close Urquhart family friend, Gene Piazza, for his inspiring strength to fight against the odds.

Cinematography & Direction by Doug Urquhart (upthink.tv)

Original Words by Meghan J. Ward (meghanjoyward.com)

Original Music by Michael Wynne (michaelwynne.net)

Additional Musical Collaboration with Matthew Smith

Audio Post Production Services provided by MWPro.net

Narrated by Brian Bremer (imdb.com/name/nm0107068/)

Original text inspired by the writer’s daughter, Mistaya Joy, and Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose”.

“Words reduce reality to something the human mind can grasp, which isn’t very much. Language consists of five basic sounds produced by the vocal cords. They are the vowels a, e, i, o, u. The other sounds are consonants produced by air pressure: s, f, g, and so forth. Do you believe some combination of such basic sounds could ever explain who you are, or the ultimate purpose of the universe, or even what a tree or stone is in its depth?” – Eckhart Tolle

Special thanks to:

Karen Urquhart
, Guy Thorsby
, Erik Huber, Paul Zizka, Doris Doster & the 
USFS – Nantahala Ranger District
, The McClure Family, 
The Urquhart Family, 
Wendall Beason, Maggie Caldwell, Mike Posehn, Brian @ emotimo.com, Chris Pritchard, Yosemite Steve, Oscar and Julie @ aperturent.com, Jay & Chris @ dynamicperception.com, Andy & Jessie Hendrix

Shot with Canon 5D3 (Magic Lantern Raw video module), 6D, 7D, T3i (solar-powered camera) and Rebel 400D (solar-powered camera). Samyang Cine Primes (14mm, 24mm, 85mm), Canon 14mm, 17-55 EF-S and 10-22 EF-S

For questions and footage licensing inquires: upthink.tv/contact/

If you enjoy this short film, you might also like our previous award-winning release, Mountains in Motion: The Canadian Rockies.
vimeo.com/upthink/mountainsinmotion

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I usually get questions about the featured locations, so here’s a location listing for anyone interested in experiencing these places for themselves:

00:10 – Small pond nestled below a cliff on the southern edge of Minaret Lake. High Sierra, CA + 00:21 – Sunset view from the summit of Mt Craig in Pisgah National Forest. Black Mtns. North Carolina. + 00:30 – Lassen Volcano reflected in Lake Helen. Lassen NP, CA +00:34 – Multi-directional clouds soar while crepuscular rays radiate above a morning inversion blanketing the town of Franklin, NC. Shot from the Albert Mtn Fire Tower, located directly on the AT. Nantahala National Forest. + 00:39 – Sunset at Minaret Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness + 00:43 – Our home galaxy illuminates a devastated area (wind damage) along the John Muir trail. CA + 00:55 – Sunrise at Minaret Lake. High Sierras, CA + 01:03 – Big Sur coast. CA + 01:07 – Evening light on McWay Falls. Big Sur, CA + 01:11 – McArthur-Burney Falls, road to Shasta, CA + 01:15 – Winter at Mistaya Canyon, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada + 01:19 – Full moon above Nantahala National Forest. Albert Mtn Summit + 01:23 – The Milky Way shines over the dancing maritime fog layer. Big Sur / Lucia, CA + 01:32 – White Oak tree atop Lookout Mountain, GA. Summer to Winter + 01:37 – White Oak, Lookout Mountain, GA. Winter. + 01:43– Apple orchard, winter, Franklin, NC + 01:50 – Yamnuska Mtn, Winter, Front range, Canadian Rockies + 01:55 – Morning light on the Minarets. Minaret Lake, High Sierras, CA + 02:00 – Morning light on the redwoods of Pfeiffer State Park. Big Sur, CA + 02:06 – Australian tree fern + 02:07 – Winter moonlight above Bow Lake. Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada + 02:10 – Autumn colors at Sweetwater Creek State park. Atlanta, Georgia + 02:14 – Albert Mountain Summit – Summer to winter, fall foliage change. Nantahala National Forest + 02:23 -+ Full moon and fall colors at Lake Nantahala. Nantahala National Forest, NC + 02:27 – Nantahala River, NC +02:32 – Sunset with Crepuscular rays illuminating the Appalachian Trail. Cheoah Bald Summit. Nantahala National Forest, NC + 02:39– Afternoon at Cecile Lake. High Sierras, CA + 02:43 – The Galactic core illuminates the outlet stream / pond at Minaret Lake. High Sierras, CA + 02:46 – Evening light at Pfeiffer beach. Big Sur, CA + 02:51 – Sunset above the Pacific. Coastal Ridge – Santa Lucia Mountains, Big Sur, CA + 02:55 – Our home galaxy blazes above the dancing maritime fog layer. Big Sur / Lucia, CA

Thanks for watching! [/private]

And last but hopefully not the last please admire the lighthouse photos under the stars from Michael Blanchette.

There are many more to view here in his gallery Night Sky.

Enjoy!