charlene
03-21-2022, 08:36 AM
https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/0HX2MSBQ2NLUOD5WTDVQN4IH3N/ref=share_ios_movie?fbclid=IwAR0G08YDkNlOh18u63JQt LT5RvwrxXPlD5epoCyPjWfOmieLoBZCtooBTok
More to come as I get time...I am honoured to be part of this epic project and the fabulous evening in Toronto..
'Lightheaded’ documentary connects Gordon Lightfoot to Traverse City
By Alexandra Dailey Special to the Record-Eagle Mar 18, 2022
TRAVERSE CITY — Many Michiganders, especially those of us who live in the northern region, are familiar with Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot and his ballad describing the fateful last voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Many of us are also familiar with Lightfoot’s expansive repertoire, but the Corcoran family of Traverse City may just be the biggest Gordon Lightfoot fans to date.
This lifelong love of Lightfoot’s music set the Corcorans on a six-year adventure of creating a feature-length documentary entitled “Lightheaded: A Gordon Lightfoot State of Mind.”
It’s a “metaphorical hug and kiss to Gordon’s music and his career from his fans,” said family patriarch John Corcoran.
It all began in 1971, while John was growing up in East Lansing. He was introduced to Gordon’s music as a high school student and attended one of his concerts at Michigan State University. After that, the deal was sealed on John’s enduring devotion to Lightfoot’s work.
“I had never heard such arrangements,” said John. “A melding of guitar work, subtle yet impactful bass, and of course, a voice like no other I had ever heard before, or since. His poetry was earthly, passionate, romantic and real.”
In 1989, John had the opportunity to meet Gordon and the band through their late manager Barry Harvey, establishing what would become a friendship between the fan and musician.
Through the years, John attended somewhere between 400 and 500 Gordon Lightfoot shows, traveling across the US and Canada, bringing his family along for the ride. This experience especially resonated with two of John’s children, Brady Corcoran and Baylee Kahlon, which fueled this documentary project focusing on Lightfoot, his bandmates, fans worldwide and John himself.
“I am a bit of a focus,” said John. “The movie starts with my passion and grows from there, doing a deeper dive into all the fans who also fell in love with [Gordon’s] music. The documentary was a chance to highlight not only Gord, which others have done, but to shine a brighter light on the guys who help make his sound so wonderful.”
It was back in 2016 that Brady and Baylee first proposed the idea of filming a documentary. John and his wife RoseLee were planning to visit the UK and Ireland and go on a Gordon Lightfoot tour, and their children knew it was something worth getting on film.
“Our parents have always supported our creative endeavors and are dreamers themselves,” said Brady. “So the idea of doing something like this wasn’t a very hard sell.”
What ensued was a family collaboration that spanned years, countries, and continents, as the Corcorans traveled around Europe and Canada, conducting interviews, attending shows, making connections with other fans, and compiling footage. Baylee spearheaded the project with Brady as her co-director and with their cameraman Noam Chojnowski and film editor Nadav Elovic. With a crew from Israel, Morocco, Wales, and the US, they brought their idea to life.
“This was the little project that could, truly, as our original idea was to film the whole thing on a Go-Pro,” said Baylee. “We honestly thought we could do just that, and it would be fine. We were very, very wrong. But one thing kept leading to another, and we found ourselves in the thickets of making a documentary film. And once we were at that point, it was like — if we do this, we need to do it right.”
Baylee Kahlon resides in Haifa, Israel, with her husband and two children. She holds a master’s degree in English Literature and teaches yoga. She had no experience in filmmaking when she decided to team up with her brother to make “Lightheaded.”
She quickly learned the ropes of filmmaking, documentaries, movie protocols, and film clip licensing and got involved with the National Film Board of Canada. It was a lot to wade through, but Baylee knew there was a story to tell about Gordon, his fans and her family.
“On a personal level, [Gordon’s music is] the soundtrack to our childhood, so the music has been in our bones from the beginning,” said Baylee. “The things he speaks of in his music and the questions he raises are universal and worth a look in these times, and really, in any time, because history and the patterns of the human heart repeat itself,” she added.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Brady about undertaking this project alongside his family and documentary team.
Brady Corcoran, audio technology coordinator at Northwestern Michigan College, had some background in editing short movie clips for post-production audio before embarking on their documentary filming experience; and he found true enjoyment working on a “real” film.
Brady had the pleasure of interviewing Gordon twice, once after a show in Michigan in 2016 and again in October 2021, which was the first home interview Lightfoot had given since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brady, Noam, and Nadav were welcomed by Gordon and his wife Kim, and they gave a beautiful interview that was woven into the film.
“The first time I interviewed him, we sort of bonded over our love of music theory, which is very nerdy and probably not something he gets to talk about very often,” recalled Brady. “[The experience] was extra special, especially when I think of my dad, who raised us on this music and instilled this deep appreciation for it, and now he gets to see his son at Lightfoot’s house making a real connection.”
For more than 60 years, Gordon Lightfoot’s music has been reaching people’s hearts and spirits through his storytelling songwriter style, and this documentary highlights not only his art but his passionate fans and followers, including the Corcorans and beyond. Throughout this project, Brady and Baylee met and interviewed numerous Lightfoot fans, learning how the music had impacted their lives.
“The super-neat thing about this documentary is that you feel like you’re sitting down with friends as they tell the story of Gordon Lightfoot through their eyes. And that is basically how it was, all these wonderful moments of connection over something as human and as lovely as music in places around the world,” said Baylee.
It took six long years to deliver their heartfelt story amidst living their own lives, seeing to families and careers. Still, Baylee and Brady were never deterred, even with unavoidable hiccups, choosing to persevere and bring their goal to fruition for all to enjoy. Their father’s passion for Gordon’s music served as inspiration and the heart of the film.
“We took this quirky and lovable situation and made it relatable to a whole lot of us who grew up on the love of music,” said Baylee. “Making this documentary was one of those ideas that you throw into the air, but this actually happened, so we are just beyond grateful for that and still kind of in disbelief.”
The world premiere of “Lightheaded” is set to occur in Toronto on March 17, with Gordon and his band in attendance.
After the premiere, the documentary will be available for viewing on Amazon, Tubi, and Peacock TV. For more information about “Lightheaded: A Gordon Lightfoot State of Mind,” visit Heart and Seoul Productions on Facebook.
https://www.record-eagle.com/news/arts_and_entertainment/lightheaded-documentary-connects-gordon-lightfoot-to-traverse-city/article_a5cf392c-9fc9-11ec-85b6-efd3fffb6e65.html
More to come as I get time...I am honoured to be part of this epic project and the fabulous evening in Toronto..
'Lightheaded’ documentary connects Gordon Lightfoot to Traverse City
By Alexandra Dailey Special to the Record-Eagle Mar 18, 2022
TRAVERSE CITY — Many Michiganders, especially those of us who live in the northern region, are familiar with Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot and his ballad describing the fateful last voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Many of us are also familiar with Lightfoot’s expansive repertoire, but the Corcoran family of Traverse City may just be the biggest Gordon Lightfoot fans to date.
This lifelong love of Lightfoot’s music set the Corcorans on a six-year adventure of creating a feature-length documentary entitled “Lightheaded: A Gordon Lightfoot State of Mind.”
It’s a “metaphorical hug and kiss to Gordon’s music and his career from his fans,” said family patriarch John Corcoran.
It all began in 1971, while John was growing up in East Lansing. He was introduced to Gordon’s music as a high school student and attended one of his concerts at Michigan State University. After that, the deal was sealed on John’s enduring devotion to Lightfoot’s work.
“I had never heard such arrangements,” said John. “A melding of guitar work, subtle yet impactful bass, and of course, a voice like no other I had ever heard before, or since. His poetry was earthly, passionate, romantic and real.”
In 1989, John had the opportunity to meet Gordon and the band through their late manager Barry Harvey, establishing what would become a friendship between the fan and musician.
Through the years, John attended somewhere between 400 and 500 Gordon Lightfoot shows, traveling across the US and Canada, bringing his family along for the ride. This experience especially resonated with two of John’s children, Brady Corcoran and Baylee Kahlon, which fueled this documentary project focusing on Lightfoot, his bandmates, fans worldwide and John himself.
“I am a bit of a focus,” said John. “The movie starts with my passion and grows from there, doing a deeper dive into all the fans who also fell in love with [Gordon’s] music. The documentary was a chance to highlight not only Gord, which others have done, but to shine a brighter light on the guys who help make his sound so wonderful.”
It was back in 2016 that Brady and Baylee first proposed the idea of filming a documentary. John and his wife RoseLee were planning to visit the UK and Ireland and go on a Gordon Lightfoot tour, and their children knew it was something worth getting on film.
“Our parents have always supported our creative endeavors and are dreamers themselves,” said Brady. “So the idea of doing something like this wasn’t a very hard sell.”
What ensued was a family collaboration that spanned years, countries, and continents, as the Corcorans traveled around Europe and Canada, conducting interviews, attending shows, making connections with other fans, and compiling footage. Baylee spearheaded the project with Brady as her co-director and with their cameraman Noam Chojnowski and film editor Nadav Elovic. With a crew from Israel, Morocco, Wales, and the US, they brought their idea to life.
“This was the little project that could, truly, as our original idea was to film the whole thing on a Go-Pro,” said Baylee. “We honestly thought we could do just that, and it would be fine. We were very, very wrong. But one thing kept leading to another, and we found ourselves in the thickets of making a documentary film. And once we were at that point, it was like — if we do this, we need to do it right.”
Baylee Kahlon resides in Haifa, Israel, with her husband and two children. She holds a master’s degree in English Literature and teaches yoga. She had no experience in filmmaking when she decided to team up with her brother to make “Lightheaded.”
She quickly learned the ropes of filmmaking, documentaries, movie protocols, and film clip licensing and got involved with the National Film Board of Canada. It was a lot to wade through, but Baylee knew there was a story to tell about Gordon, his fans and her family.
“On a personal level, [Gordon’s music is] the soundtrack to our childhood, so the music has been in our bones from the beginning,” said Baylee. “The things he speaks of in his music and the questions he raises are universal and worth a look in these times, and really, in any time, because history and the patterns of the human heart repeat itself,” she added.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Brady about undertaking this project alongside his family and documentary team.
Brady Corcoran, audio technology coordinator at Northwestern Michigan College, had some background in editing short movie clips for post-production audio before embarking on their documentary filming experience; and he found true enjoyment working on a “real” film.
Brady had the pleasure of interviewing Gordon twice, once after a show in Michigan in 2016 and again in October 2021, which was the first home interview Lightfoot had given since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brady, Noam, and Nadav were welcomed by Gordon and his wife Kim, and they gave a beautiful interview that was woven into the film.
“The first time I interviewed him, we sort of bonded over our love of music theory, which is very nerdy and probably not something he gets to talk about very often,” recalled Brady. “[The experience] was extra special, especially when I think of my dad, who raised us on this music and instilled this deep appreciation for it, and now he gets to see his son at Lightfoot’s house making a real connection.”
For more than 60 years, Gordon Lightfoot’s music has been reaching people’s hearts and spirits through his storytelling songwriter style, and this documentary highlights not only his art but his passionate fans and followers, including the Corcorans and beyond. Throughout this project, Brady and Baylee met and interviewed numerous Lightfoot fans, learning how the music had impacted their lives.
“The super-neat thing about this documentary is that you feel like you’re sitting down with friends as they tell the story of Gordon Lightfoot through their eyes. And that is basically how it was, all these wonderful moments of connection over something as human and as lovely as music in places around the world,” said Baylee.
It took six long years to deliver their heartfelt story amidst living their own lives, seeing to families and careers. Still, Baylee and Brady were never deterred, even with unavoidable hiccups, choosing to persevere and bring their goal to fruition for all to enjoy. Their father’s passion for Gordon’s music served as inspiration and the heart of the film.
“We took this quirky and lovable situation and made it relatable to a whole lot of us who grew up on the love of music,” said Baylee. “Making this documentary was one of those ideas that you throw into the air, but this actually happened, so we are just beyond grateful for that and still kind of in disbelief.”
The world premiere of “Lightheaded” is set to occur in Toronto on March 17, with Gordon and his band in attendance.
After the premiere, the documentary will be available for viewing on Amazon, Tubi, and Peacock TV. For more information about “Lightheaded: A Gordon Lightfoot State of Mind,” visit Heart and Seoul Productions on Facebook.
https://www.record-eagle.com/news/arts_and_entertainment/lightheaded-documentary-connects-gordon-lightfoot-to-traverse-city/article_a5cf392c-9fc9-11ec-85b6-efd3fffb6e65.html