The Prelude began with a chance connection—an email exchange with Paris-based pianist Richard Sears, who shared his plan to collaborate with renowned piano builder David Klavins. When he invited me to document his encounter with Klavins’ latest creation—a 15-foot-tall vertical piano—I immediately said yes.

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What intrigued me wasn’t just the scale of the instrument, but the meeting of two artistic philosophies: Richard’s belief in the primacy of the musician, and David’s devotion to building instruments of unmatched precision. That creative tension became the heart of the film.

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Shot over five days in the Latvian winter, the production was full of challenges—freezing weather, limited resources—but it also revealed a stark beauty in both landscape and process. Capturing it all in black and white felt like the only honest choice.

The Prelude is a quiet reflection on art, authorship, and the space where craftsmanship and expression meet. I hope it invites viewers to contemplate where true artistry begins.