Rebecca Strauss and Susan Wilson Co-Creators and Directors of Melodic Vision

Susan Photographing in Paris for "Sacred Grounds, Sacred Sounds"

Musicians Rehearsing for "Sacred Grounds, Sacred Sounds"

Susan Photographing for "Swan Story" on the Charles River

Rebecca Recording Whales Sounds for "Whale Tails"

Doing What We Love!

Melodic Vision specializes in combining sound, imagery, and stories.  Over the years we have recorded  a variety of sounds, from church bells in Mexico to bird songs on Cape Cod. We don’t always know how we will incorporate the audio we collect into our productions, but when we hear an enticing sound, we just HAVE to record it. Our catalog of tantalizing and sometimes eerie sounds is growing daily.

When MV begins creating a new show, we sit down with a slew of audio and visual components we’ve created and collected and match them up with our story ideas.  Assembling them all into a coherent, compelling whole is what Melodic Vision is all about.

But what happens when one of these elements sits all alone?

That question prompted us to invent a game for you called NAME THAT TONE. Just click, listen, ponder, and respond. Then send in your answer to info@melodicvision.com,  post on our FaceBook page, or in the comment section of this page.

Click on NAME THAT TONE to hear audio contest No. 1.

(see  a sample at www.melodicvision.com/artfilms).

This newly available DVD —which includes a description and glossary of Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos), as well as links to special activities and projects and two beautiful screensavers—is currently for sale on the Melodic Vision website at a special introductory price.

Whether you’re teaching history, social studies, Latin American studies, Spanish, diversity, or other multicultural topics—or belong to a book club, arts organization, or community group—you will definitely want to own a copy of this DVD!

*Iluminación, Winner of the 2011 Filmmaker Takeover sponsored by the Provincetown International Film Festival and the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater; Official Selection of the Provincetown International Film Festival

BUY Iluminación NOW!

A large crowd attended Women’s Equality Day celebrations at the Public Garden, an event which honored women’s right to vote, the Paget family and Boston’s Swan Boats, and the just released brochure and map, “30 Highlights of Boston Herstory” (photo © 2011 by Susan Wilson)

Early in 2011, the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail commissioned Susan—along with BWHT board member and president emeritus, Mary Smoyer, and designer Pat Nieshoff—to conceptualize, create, and produce a beautiful new foldout brochure and walking map chronicling “30 Highlights of Boston Herstory.” The finished brochure was displayed, distributed to audience members, and heralded at the Public Garden event.

Susan Wilson with Mary Smoyer, the team that created the new brochure and map, “30 Highlights of Boston Herstory,” along with designer Pat Nieshoff (photo © 2011 by Rebecca Strauss)

A centerpiece  of the day’s event was the awarding of Boston Landmark status to the Swan Boats, which have been owned and operated by the Paget family since the founding of these unique boats in 1877. Though the Swan Boats were founded by Robert Paget, the entrepreneur passed away only one year after launching the enterprise. His wife, Julia Paget (1848-1914), assumed full management of this family business; but because she was a woman, she was forced to gather signatures from Back Bay businessmen to testify to her ability to run the Swan Boats. Julia’s success was obvious: she is featured in the new BWHT brochure, and the Paget family runs the Swan Boats to this day, ably managed by Julia’s great-granddaughter, Lyn Paget.

Melodic Vision’s Susan Wilson with Lyn Paget of the Swan Boats and Sue Goganian, president of the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail (photo © 2011 by Rebecca Strauss)

Lyn Paget was among the illustrious speakers at the event, along with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, Boston Women’s Heritage Trail president Sue Goganian, and Marie St. Fleur, Chief of Advocacy and Strategic Management for the Mayor’s Office.

Swan Salute

Melodic Vision is no stranger to history or to swans. Because of Susan Wilson’s expertise in Things Historic, MV has produced projects on a variety of cultural topics, including a  25-minute history-and-music video featured at the Maritime Museum at Battery Wharf, in Boston’s North End. As part of their Tiny Tales series of storybook videos for children, Melodic Vision is also working on a series of “Swan Stories.”

Copies of the new Women’s Heritage Trail “30 Highlights of Boston Herstory” brochure are available on the trail’s website, www.bwht.org.

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BOOK A BOSTON HISTORY TOUR

WITH MELODIC VISION’S SUSAN WILSON!

Susan Wilson Co-Director of Melodic Vision & Boston History Tour Guide

Susan Wilson is available for year-round, private, customized walking tours for individuals and groups. Her specialties include:

—Boston women’s history

—The Golden Age of American Literature in Boston

—Literary Boston, from 1630 to the present day

—The Freedom Trail

—The Black Heritage Trail

—Battery Wharf in Boston’s North End

—Forest Hills Cemetery

—Public Art in Boston’s downtown parks

—and any imaginative combination of all the above!

For information, prices, dates, and bookings contact Melodic Vision:

info@melodicvision.com or call 781-398-2240

New Relaxation Videos Available–Two Videos on One DVD!

Take a breath, make a wish, then take a journey to a place where your worries wash away and the sky’s the limit!

This innovative relaxation video is for children of all ages — a perfect companion to those recovering from illness, injury, or trauma, for hospital patients (and their families) awaiting surgery … or for anyone else in need of a gentle escape.

Included in this DVD:

• A video with soothing narration and breathtaking nature images
• A bonus video of music and images, called Classical Relaxation
• Narrative in English and Spanish in a print-friendly PDF file
• Two stunning original photo screen savers—scenes from the video

View a sample of  Video I—An Adventure in Guided Imagery

(narrated by Susan Wilson with text by Rebecca Strauss)

“Soar With the Wind is an amazing relaxation video with many uses in both pediatric and adult medical settings.  Listening to the cadences of Susan Wilson’s voice, and watching the astonishing photography will offer the relaxation so necessary before surgeries or stressful appointments.” —Joanna Smith, LCSW, MPH; CEO, Healthcare Liaison, Inc.

View a sample of Video II—Soar With the Wind: Classical Relaxation

(Music composed by Patricia Van Ness and performed by violist Rebecca Strauss)

“Music floating on blue skies and ocean breezes, images soaring on a bird’s wings… Blended beautifully, engaging the mind, and calming the spirit. A delightful distraction from my challenges with chronic pain. Thanks so much!”—Jesse Treff, artist, Asheville, NC

“The more tools available to calm a patient, the better.  While one patient may respond to nature sounds or music, another may prefer an engaging story or beautiful photographs. Melodic Vision can provide all of the above—alone or in varied combination—and is actively creating additional programs to benefit patients in our hospitals and other people in need.  We know that these Melodic Vision productions are essential therapeutic tools for use in hospitals and look forward to seeing and using more of them in the future.”—Robert J. Wing, Director of Child Life Services, UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center, Worcester, MA

BUY THE DVD!

All photos copyright Susan Wilson 2011

Both these feature films are beautifully acted, poignant, loving, and humorous (okay, Kathleen is a riot, let’s face it!), and involve a strong woman struggling with the religious community that supports her but restrains her from growth at the same time.

Surely everyone knows – and most everyone loves – the incomparable Ms Turner. Fewer may recognize Ms Farmiga, though she appeared with George Clooney in Up In the Air (Academy Award nomination), with Leo DiCaprio and Matt Damon in The Departed, and is a force to watch. We were blown away by both these actors’ accessibility and insights, and their willingness to interact with their audiences.

Famed photographer Amy Arbus was among those shooting at this year’s festival. We asked her which film was her favorite this year. The verdict: Buck, the tale of a man many call “the real horse whisper.”

Fun Facts to Know and Tell: Susan studied photography at Boston’s Museum School in the same class as Amy Arbus, back in the late 1970s. Amy probably doesn’t remember their time together, but she was kind enough to at least pretend she did!

OWN A PIECE OF THE FILM FESTIVAL!

For those of you who want to buy a piece of the action, we have two new DVDs out and available on our swell new website, www.melodicvision.com. Go to the STORE page, which has all the amenities— shopping carts, paypal, credit cards, and snail-mail options.

The special introductory price is just $25 (plus tax and PH) each. Iluminacion is our award-winning short that immerses viewers in the sights and sounds of Mexico’s favorite holiday, the Day of the Dead.

The second DVD is a guided imagery video called Soar With the Wind, featuring Susan’s images and narration, and Rebecca’s wonderful script and viola playing.

Both have all kinds of extras — like screensavers with images from the shows and pdf printouts with text and activities in both English and Spanish.

As winner of the 2011 Filmmaker Takeover, MV’s film short, Iluminación, was honored with a screening at this year’s Provincetown Film Festival.

An absolute highlight of our stay in Provincetown was attending screenings, talks, and receptions where we were able to glean inspiration and insights from some of Hollywoods greatest talents.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE HILARIOUS KIND

(in photo, Kathleen Turner & John Waters)

Susan Wilson Opens Up About Filmmaking

True Friendship

ON SALE NOW

Buy your own copy of the MV award-winning film short