Over the past ten years Melbourne's Midnight Juggernauts have brought us Secrets of the Universe, taken us Into The Galaxy, and explored the not too distant future in Uncanny Valley. Now they bring us back to Earth on "Freefalling". Specifically, Google Earth. The video is an ode to the crowd-funded 3D modelling project that finished last year, and sees the band making unscheduled appearances at some of the planet's most spectacular virtual hot spots. Come fly and fall and fly again with the Juggernauts from the comfort of your armchair. We caught up with Vincent Vendetta from the group to discuss the project ahead of their tenth anniversary show during Melbourne Music Week.THUMP: What are some of the ideas you're exploring in Freefalling?
Vincent Vendetta: Well with these Aerials series of shows we wanted to explore the world on a vertical plane, above and below. I suppose this song in particular probably references Icarus and other Roller Coaster myths. That idea seemed to translate well to Google Earth, and we wanted to move up and down and around that virtual globe to accompany the song. Over the years we've spent way too much time on that program. I've always loved maps in all forms, and wanted to be a cartographer when i was younger.What have been some of your favourite journeys in Google Earth?
As soon as that program became popular, maybe 10 years ago, I was hooked. I think it's amazing that people are able to explore the Nile one minute and fly into the Amazon the next. It's about spatial awareness and putting together the parts of that Geographical puzzle. FInally it was a tool to reference each of these landmarks against one another. It's also good to look at neighbours backyards to see who has a pool or not. Privacy is obviously becoming a growing issue as these surveillance technologies improve.How did you plot and plan your virtual trip for the "Freefalling" video?
I liked that we were able to use everyday consumer programs to make this clip. The clip is based around the idea of Google Earth's crowd sourced 3D modelling programming coming to a close, so all of those millions of 3D model creations made by the public are now being replaced with automated photogrammetry technologies. So I just chose to fly through of some of my favourite iconic sites, which would look good if we danced all over them. Also, as our first show of this year was at the Sydney Opera House and our last show this year will be at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Markets, we decided to present the cities in this order as well. One problem was that internet speeds are not yet fast enough to support rapid 1080p journeys in and out of virtual globes, so i had to personally take screenshots frame by frame on each flythrough. Ended up being 20,000 images i had to splice together. Then my friend Brandon in Singapore made the models of us dancing in each city.It's a very impressive achievement. And Google Earth itself is an impressive document of spaces and places. What other kinds of maps (real or imagined) would you like to see attempted?
I think it will be interesting if they can properly map the ocean floors. But considering where satellite technology is going, pretty soon all this information will be streamed to us in real time. We'll be able to spy on our friends waiting for us at the train station. It's practical but also a little frightening.When you visit somewhere for the first time, are there certain rituals or routines you perform to create a mental map, or an emotional connection with the place?
Absolutely. The first thing I do when I get to a new city is try to venture to the top of the tallest building or tower. It's good to spend time on a look out to gain a geographical sense of a city, before you venture in. Those topographic elements really influence the story of a city, plus reveal its evolution and character. Every suburb has personality traits due to these aspects. I remember when i first went to the top of the Eiffel tower and realising how ambitious the Hausseman city planning was. Or looking at Dubai from the top of the Burj Khalifa and seeing how the City edge suddenly drops away back to desert. It makes the world seem like a giant Lego set.Pick up a copy of Midnight Juggernaught's new EP Aerials, all proceeds going to the Aborginal Benefits Foundation. Midnight Juggernauts play their tenth anniversary festivus as part of Melbourne music week Saturday November 22nd
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Vincent Vendetta: Well with these Aerials series of shows we wanted to explore the world on a vertical plane, above and below. I suppose this song in particular probably references Icarus and other Roller Coaster myths. That idea seemed to translate well to Google Earth, and we wanted to move up and down and around that virtual globe to accompany the song. Over the years we've spent way too much time on that program. I've always loved maps in all forms, and wanted to be a cartographer when i was younger.What have been some of your favourite journeys in Google Earth?
As soon as that program became popular, maybe 10 years ago, I was hooked. I think it's amazing that people are able to explore the Nile one minute and fly into the Amazon the next. It's about spatial awareness and putting together the parts of that Geographical puzzle. FInally it was a tool to reference each of these landmarks against one another. It's also good to look at neighbours backyards to see who has a pool or not. Privacy is obviously becoming a growing issue as these surveillance technologies improve.How did you plot and plan your virtual trip for the "Freefalling" video?
I liked that we were able to use everyday consumer programs to make this clip. The clip is based around the idea of Google Earth's crowd sourced 3D modelling programming coming to a close, so all of those millions of 3D model creations made by the public are now being replaced with automated photogrammetry technologies. So I just chose to fly through of some of my favourite iconic sites, which would look good if we danced all over them. Also, as our first show of this year was at the Sydney Opera House and our last show this year will be at Melbourne's Queen Victoria Markets, we decided to present the cities in this order as well. One problem was that internet speeds are not yet fast enough to support rapid 1080p journeys in and out of virtual globes, so i had to personally take screenshots frame by frame on each flythrough. Ended up being 20,000 images i had to splice together. Then my friend Brandon in Singapore made the models of us dancing in each city.It's a very impressive achievement. And Google Earth itself is an impressive document of spaces and places. What other kinds of maps (real or imagined) would you like to see attempted?
I think it will be interesting if they can properly map the ocean floors. But considering where satellite technology is going, pretty soon all this information will be streamed to us in real time. We'll be able to spy on our friends waiting for us at the train station. It's practical but also a little frightening.When you visit somewhere for the first time, are there certain rituals or routines you perform to create a mental map, or an emotional connection with the place?
Absolutely. The first thing I do when I get to a new city is try to venture to the top of the tallest building or tower. It's good to spend time on a look out to gain a geographical sense of a city, before you venture in. Those topographic elements really influence the story of a city, plus reveal its evolution and character. Every suburb has personality traits due to these aspects. I remember when i first went to the top of the Eiffel tower and realising how ambitious the Hausseman city planning was. Or looking at Dubai from the top of the Burj Khalifa and seeing how the City edge suddenly drops away back to desert. It makes the world seem like a giant Lego set.Pick up a copy of Midnight Juggernaught's new EP Aerials, all proceeds going to the Aborginal Benefits Foundation. Midnight Juggernauts play their tenth anniversary festivus as part of Melbourne music week Saturday November 22nd