Interview: A Video Seizes the Lively Visuals and Noises of Burning Man
For the last 35 years, Burning Man has infused a mystical vibe into the Black Rock Desert. Annually, just before Labor Day, countless individuals gather in northwestern Nevada for a week filled with art, music, and camaraderie. Anyone who is a committed “Burner” knows that articulating the specific enchanting atmosphere of the event is no easy task. However, an audiovisual short by BonaMaze has made it a bit simpler to immerse oneself in the Burning Man experience.
The Sound of Burning Man serves as a concise two-and-a-half-minute introduction to the festival. For those who have attended, it feels like a return home; for newcomers, it’s an enticing invite to join in the fun. Emmy-winning team BonaMaze utilized their unique style to animate the playa by capturing the visuals and sounds that define it. In a manner reminiscent of their The Sound of Skateboarding featuring Tony Hawk, they incorporated the ambient noise of Burning Man to craft the video’s audio track.
The outcome is a sensory feast where everything—from the laughter of participants to the crackling of flames—integrates into the narrative. So take a seat, increase the volume, and get ready for enjoyment. Afterward, scroll down for an exclusive interview with The Sound of Burning Man’s executive producer Ben Jacoby, where he reveals insights about BonaMaze’s creative process and discusses the feedback the film has garnered from the Burner community.
What inspired the concept for The Sound of Burning Man?
<pIn 2017, BonaMaze attended their inaugural Burning Man. Like many newcomers, their initial gifts were minor and symbolic. After such a transformative experience, they vowed that if they returned, their offering would be more profound, representing their identities as artists and their fervor for life and craft. Despite having viewed numerous videos beforehand, it was only in the Black Rock Desert that they truly grasped what Burning Man embodies. This realization ignited the idea for a project that could convey the essence of Burning Man through an auditory and visual sensory journey like never before.
They had previously explored the “Sound Of” theme in other works, but Burning Man seemed the ideal focus. For years, it was “maybe this year” or “next year for sure.” Ultimately, in 2024, they came back with a small, passionate team to actualize the vision. True to form, the playa delivered unexpected moments that could never have been scripted. The completed work is their present to the community, meant to inspire throughout the year until they reconvene.
How did the visuals influence the development of the soundtrack?
BonaMaze regarded sound as the principal element. They gathered over 3,000 raw samples on the playa, capturing sounds of fire explosions, bikes on gravel, laughter, voices, and art car engines. These served as the instruments for the soundtrack. The visuals were synchronized to these sounds, allowing the film to resonate in harmony with Burning Man itself, instead of merely adding music to the footage.
What was the timeframe for compiling this project and how much footage was gathered?
The entire endeavor took approximately a year. BonaMaze returned with copious hours of footage and thousands of audio samples, spending months perfecting every cut and beat. Their editing approach is as much musical as it is visual, and the main difficulty lay in encapsulating the chaos and splendor of Black Rock City into two and a half minutes while preserving its essence.
For those who have yet to experience Burning Man, what do you wish they take away from this?
That Burning Man is as much about the emotions you feel as it is about what you see. BonaMaze has crafted a way to tap into that rhythm, even for those who have never set foot on the playa. Their aim is to allow individuals to sense the pulse of the city and the collective spirit that sets it apart from anywhere else.
What has