Daniel Hopkins work is about escape, about travelling, about journeys along the way. Through the medium of sound and vision Hopkins creates work that takes you to another place that makes you think about the landscape we live in and also question it.
Circa was commissioned as a set of four films for musician Tim Diagram and his project Maps & Diagrams. This is the second of the four films which were commission to go alongside the release of two records on the Japanese record label Nomadic Kids Republic, This music track is from the record “The Town Beneath The Sea”.
Circa – TRT 4:27 mins.
Daniel Hopkins (b.1976) is a Filmmaker & Sound Artist based in Staffordshire, UK.
Originally from the Southwest of England. Hopkins started his career as a filmmaker graduating from Newport Film School in 1998. During his time as a student he started to experiment with sound during his student films. This led to use of computer to compose and lead to Hopkins moving into sound editing as a career choice.
This sound editing experimentation led to creation of sound pieces, which stood alone as works apart from the films. Though Hopkins professional career has always been based around filmmaking. The music/sound he has created has always played an equal part.
In the last 15 years Hopkins has made a broad variety of films and music. These films have been made as commissions for the Arts Council of England, Channel Four, Various Local County Councils and many many musicians.
His work has defied genre over the years but has fitted well into the avant-garde and experimental sections the arts. Hopkins work has been shown at many film festivals, art galleries, cinemas, radio stations, locally and internationally. Hopkins has collaborated with a broad selection of artists and musicians including The Telescopes, Füxa, Mountain Men Anonymous, Epic 45, Soulo, Arcade, Herzoga, and Spectrum Fires. Hopkins performs and releases music under the names of Hurra caine Landcrash, HL and Landcrash He has performed over the years with the likes of Scanner, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Greg Davis, Schneider TM, Christ, and many others. As well making films and music Hopkins worked along side others in a variety of creative collectives.
No Ground Processes who formed to create innovative music and film events in South Wales, in 1998. No Ground Processes evolved other the years into a gig visuals troop and eventually into a record label called noground-r, which has released a number of Hurra caine Landcrash releases.
Throughout these creative endeavours Hopkins has held full time positions as a Sound Editor, Technical demonstrator of film & video technology and currently a senior lecturer in film at Staffordshire University.
Daniel Hopkins – Staffordshire UK
17 Days Video Series 
Beautiful piece, I can really see where he is headed, we all have gotten lost in thought watching the landscape pass by when traveling at least once in our lives. Especially on a train that sometimes goes and shows you places you wouldn’t normally see.
i like the abstract approach with this piece. it some circumstances it gives enough information to identify the subject and in others not enough to formulate a real subject. the colors and layout of the video are perfect not overly rendered or developed.
I feel almost hypnotized after watching this. The video really draws the viewer in. The audio almost tells more of the story than the images themselves.
I love this. I definitely feel like even when I am lying on my back not physically moving, but watching movement in the sky and in my surroundings, that my mind is able to travel. At least, travel away from thoughts that would normally cause me to feel heavy. The subtle sound of children and laughter also adds a nostalgic effect. Nicely done.
I like it! It very soothing and calm! I feel as though I can see a face and the surface is water. I kind of see Jason from Friday the 13th! Really nice job!
A very deep and soothing work. This hypnotizing and dream-like state allows the viewer to create there own emotions and feeling of what they see and listen to when viewing this. Its an experience.
I really enjoy the fact that this piece is abstract, but created from footage of something in actuality. One gets the sense of travel, considering the footage seems like highly abstracted street lights or something. I was surprised and also not surprised all to see train tracks in the end.
I thought the video and audio did lend itself to the idea of escaping from the everyday. I only wish the imagery was not quite so abstract so that one could recognize the landscape more so that one could question how one reacts to the lanscape.
To me, this video is very calming. The audio works well because the slow speed induces a meditative feeling. The beeps remind me of an emergency beacon signal. The ambiguity of the audio clips help establish the abstract nature of the video.
I see this as a video about traveling into the unknown. The train tracks are really the only recognizable object. All other imagery, which I see as both destination and journey, is unclear. I think this video, along with sound, is beautiful and makes the viewer think about their own personal journeys.
this piece is one of my favorites. it so well created and rendered. at first you don’t really know what the imagery is until the end but gather small tidbits along the way. i feel like the sound used for this film is perfect, ambiguous mysterious similar to the nature of the imagery. overall great.
The audio is really relaxing, some of the sounds remind me of science and technology which fits with the audio because the audio looks kind of like something representing vibrations and sound waves. The sound and the audio are both very nostalgic.
This film is going password only for a short while while it screens at the No/Gloss Film Festival, on the 8-9th September. Please email me if you would like to see it for the password.
dan@noground.co.uk