It isn’t rare for Manassas to receive its share of inclement weather. But winters tend to be on the sleety, slushy, icy side, with most snowfalls disappearing in a few days. Set aside the occasional snow-bomb, like in 2009 and 2010 when the area was pummeled with car-cloaking white, Manassas winters are a bit more tranquil than those farther north. So many of us welcome a good ground covering.
Now one of our most recent snow days, January 13, 2019, has been forever memorialized in a new DVD video titled, Snow Day Relaxation Video. Manassas filmmaker Victor Rook set out early that Sunday morning to capture the essence and beauty of it all.
Watch a short promo clip from the video.
“Last year I made my way out to Cannon Branch Park to photograph the snow before it fell from the tree limbs,” says Rook. “At the edge of Gateway Blvd. and in front of the park, there sits a patch of woods no bigger than the small pond beside it. You wouldn’t think much about it, but when it is covered with snow, it’s like walking into a winter wonderland. I was giddy that day to revel in all that beauty.”
Just a year later, that same wonderland would return, and Rook was ready with his camera.
“I wanted to capture that area and how it made me feel that day with a film that people could enjoy when they needed some winter pick-me-up.” So Rook watched the weather patterns very closely. “The night before, they predicted the snow in our area. But it doesn’t take long for snow to blow from branches. You have to catch it early.”On the morning of the shoot, Rook checked his Radar app on his phone. “The snow had stopped around 9:00 a.m., but a new patch was coming through. So by the time I got to the park, it had started again. Nice big flakes.”
For the next several hours, Rook hauled around his high-definition camera on a tripod, and stood silently above each shot with an umbrella to keep the snow off the camera lens. Over the next week he pulled out the best dozen winter scenes and edited the 60-minute film. Much like the Yule Log, where you can turn your TV into a crackling fireplace, his Snow Day Relaxation Video allows you to enjoy each scene for 3-6 minutes before it dissolves to the next. And underneath is a tranquil piano score by noted composer Kevin MacLeod.
The film can be purchased on DVD on Victor’s website for $10.95 or on Amazon for $14.95.
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