Plot

Stories of the people, places, and heart of the Napa Valley - from soil to soul.

From ground to sky, from person to person, Napa Valley Dreams captures as never before the exquisite light, color and texture of a paradise and its people. This documentary travels through the story of a landscape crafted by geological turmoil, still evident in roiling geysers and hot springs, and woven with the tales of people striving to reach the ultimate - and finding peace through the journey. The sublime imagery and riveting personal stories in Napa Valley Dreams immerses viewers in the earthly yet ethereal experience of life in the Napa Valley.—Donna Rooney

Stories of the people, places, and heart of the Napa Valley - from soil to soul. NAPA VALLEY DREAMS uses stunning imagery, a score utilizing international instruments, and the cutting-edge sound technology of Dolby Atmos, to envelop the viewer in the specific sights and sounds of Napa Valley and its people, and to awaken our sense of wonder.—Anonymous

According to Director Rodney Vance, The Napa Valley, if anything, is a soulful place. Its one of the most creative places on earth. We try to capture the experience of that, the enchantment of that, whats it like to live here and experience this place season by season.

The film opens with Warren Klima, teller of tall tales and owner of the Calistoga Geyser, regaling us with his slightly-disputed history of Napa Valley. It includes an interview with Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for The Doors and Napa Valley resident. Mr. Manzarek uses a rapid-fire torrent of words to explore everything from the way the body works to the nature of transcendence in rhythms that match the jazz structures of his keyboard artistry. Chocolate Atelier Wendy Sherwood, who worked at the renowned French Laundry restaurant, creates and paints a giant chocolate egg on camera while ruminating about the transient nature of her created to be eaten form of art. And Winemaker Kevin Morrissey reveals some of the secrets of biodynamic agriculture that helps make Napa Valley grapes among the most highly prized in the world.

Like most Large Format films, Napa Valley Dreams is all about the picture. Because the production crew is comprised of Napa Valley residents, this is the first professional film allowed to shoot on Napa Valley Land Trust wilderness land. You will see locations that have never before been professionally filmed including the magnificent vistas of the Dunn-Wildlake Preserve and the soaring redwoods of the Archer Taylor Preserve. Christopher Rusin, one of the worlds finest time-lapse photographers, captured stunning images of stars flowing across the sky, of the planet Venus setting over Lake Hennessy, and the holy grail shot of sunset through star rise. This shot is particularly difficult to get because of the technical requirements imposed by constantly changing light and because the weather has to create the right conditions with enough clouds for a colorful sunset followed by clear skies that make it possible to see the stars rise.

Its not all conversation and beauty shots. The film also displays some great action photography with kayaks, cliff climbing, you are there shots on a zipline, and semi-pro mountain bikers Thacher Greene and Jayaram Notestine soaring from ramps into 40-foot jumps. Doug Higgens, who did the Atmos Sound mix on the film, has a five-year-old son who used training wheels on his bike until he saw the mountain bike scene. I want to build a ramp and I want to ride on two wheels. Dad Higgens ignored the ramp comment but took the training wheels off. I didnt push him or help him or anything, Doug Higgens recalls. He just started riding. So thanks for the catalyst. The mountain bike scene is definitely a favorite of mine.

The audio track that Doug Higgins mixed for the film utilizes the cutting-edge technology of Dolby Atmos, a break-through, next-generation audio solution that changes the way people experience entertainment sound. Dolby Atmos places sounds anywhere in the auditorium, delivering a unique and compelling experience with natural and lifelike soundscapes making it possible to hear how high the Calistoga Geyser shoots, hear the sound of birds flying across the sky, and hear exactly where the rain is falling and to hear just how cool it sounds to actually ride a mountain bike down the side of a mountain. Every sound is placed within the space of the theater, creating an atmosphere of sound as all-pervasive as the air in the theater. These sounds are woven together and tied to the images on screen with an original score by Composer Scott Greer that features percussion, piano, guitar, violin, mandolin, and dilruba a stringed instrument from India whose name translates into English as robber of the heart. Dreams is also the first documentary film to be released using Dolby Atmos sound.