Jamin Winans's Films 'Spin' and 'Ink'

Does Music have the power to alter the events of time; to manifest alternate realities and transcend boundaries of physical dimensions? In a philosophical sense one could muse that, yes, music has an emotionally transcendent quality which may influence or change the thinking or actions of people. Yet, Denver filmmakers, Jamin and Kiowa Winans propose this possibility cinematically in both the short film, "Spin" (2005), and feature length fantasy film, "Ink." (2009).

Writer/director Jamin Winans molded the premise of his short sci-fi fantasy film, "Spin" upon this concept of music as time manipulation. It is not time travel, but rather the ability to use elements of music to alter the path of events in time. In the film a DJ falls out of the sky with his gear much like the time travelers in James Cameron's "The Terminator." The music from Winans's scene in "Spin," (composed by the writer/director as well) even holds a haunting resemblance to Brad Fiedel's soundtrack for "The Terminator."

This is mostly a cinematic reference of musical coincidence. Or perhaps the subconscious creativity of Winans paying homage by connecting music with the cinematic conception of time. Other than that, Winans's charming short film holds no comparison to Cameron's doomsday epic. In "Spin," the DJ looks on at the aftermath of a car accident and proceeds to play and replay the events by spinning a record on his turntable. His obvious goal is to alter the events that triggered the accident by using the turntable's knobs and switches to manipulate reality.

In a classic science fiction musing of time, Winans's DJ battles the Butterfly Effect as each tweak of the record creates a new chain of events. It causes disastrous results, but Winans does not succumb to the classic science fiction lesson that time ought not to be tampered with. The DJ prevails and his musical efforts transform a tragic event into a waltz-like harmony of existence upon the scene.

Winans takes this loaded concept and uses it as a pivotal moment in his innovative and stylized fantasy feature, "Ink." Without traversing too deeply into "Ink's" plot, there is basically a character, called a Pathfinder, who uses this same method of time manipulation to alter events in order to save the day. This time his turntable is an antique phonograph and it is used to cause a car crash, which will propel events for the better.

As this music magician from "Ink" says, "It's all about the beat...the beat of the world, all part of a song, I just hear the music." This captures Winans's earlier concept in "Spin," that the world has a beat and its sounds can be abrasive cataclysms or harmonize into a waltz, that is, to use a cliché, the dance of life.

Another revealing quote from "Ink" that embraces Winans's philosophy is when a character is asked how long she has been a storyteller she responds, "That depends on how you measure time." Fundamentally, our minds measure everything by physical space and time. We manipulate, create and change physical space with each passing moment, but yet time is like this train we cannot derail, an overriding force that we have no control over. Where most science fiction warns that time cannot be altered because its ripple effect is too great, Winans dares to muse that time can be shaped as if it were an instrument to be played.

Music is sound waves, vibrations we can not see, but only hear and feel. At an emotional and inspirational level, the vibrations of music reveal to us things which we are blinded from by sight. It is no coincidence that Winans's Pathfinder character in "Ink" is blind with huge black Xs over his eyes. Why do Ray Charles, Steve Wonder and Andrea Bocelli have such a powerful grasp of music, why do we close our eyes in rapture when experiencing a symphony? It is not just to sever sight for the sake of the ears; as some of the most emotionally charged music ever created was by the deaf composer Beethoven. This implies that music resonates at a much deeper dimension than even the physical universe of the senses, somewhere in the primal and intuitive mind.

On a metaphorical level in Winans's films, time is the record of events seen on the film reel, a clock of imagery. Above this film reel rests the overarching soundtrack, the music that weaves together the emotional strands of light and shadows. The DJ from "Spin" and the Pathfinder from "Ink," both hold the mystical powers of musicians, with the ability to affect and change. Where music affects and changes our emotions and thoughts, Winans manifests this idea to progress a character's transformation through their physical reality.

As the Pathfinder from "Ink" says, "Tick, tock...this man got rocked," after he causes a car wreck to alter the course of a man's life. Anyone open-minded to the escapism of fantasy and deeply affected by music will be rocked to the core by this concept. In literally brought a tear to my eye. Winans once said about "Ink" in an interview, "Thematically I was really interested in the idea of redemption and that became the core in which the story was built around." Redemption may be the transformative essence of his characters, but music is the force of nature, the guiding light and direct pathway to higher dimensions that both mystifies and unifies existence.

Yet Winans also said of composing the music, "composing is probably the most fun because it's something I don't take very seriously. I never set out to be a composer and I've accepted I'm sort of a hack, so I haven't ruined the process by trying to be perfect at it." This perhaps captures why music is such a primal and intuitive force in his films, both conceptually and in the actual compositions. It is not something that is ratiocinated as a plot device or embellished in an overambitious soundtrack. It is pure, natural and heartfelt.

It is something that rivets your imagination when viewing the films, and has affected me both emotionally and philosophically. That is what I hoped to touch upon here in connecting two films I have yearned to write about for some time. So much of the coverage Winans and his wife Kiowa, (producer/art direction/sound design) have received for "Ink" has focused on their struggle and success as independent filmmakers. The films continually get praised by the business press, and I wanted to further that praise in just one of many philosophical and artistic merits therein. You can experience both the short film "Spin" and the full feature of "Ink" both online.