Even in this golden era of documentaries, unraveling the mystery of love is an ambitious undertaking. For Chris Brickler, taking up this challenge requires a multimedia approach. With Vegas software, he is able to integrate his talents as a musician/composer, video producer, editor, writer, and interviewer to realize his concept for engaging an audience with sound, images, ideas, and feelings.

"I came into this from the audio side and have found that Vegas is much more intuitive than other multitrackers I'd used," said Brickler. "Now with my video work, people can't believe the incredible soundscapes I've been able to create using a video editing package."

Song of Songs started unexpectedly the way some novelists suddenly discover that they are writing a novel after sketches and notes suddenly catch fire. While at a family gathering celebrating his grandparents' 63-year wedding anniversary, Brickler decided to interview them to preserve this bit of family history on DVCAM. What he captured with his Sony^® PD150 turned out to be more intriguing than he expected. Entering into his grandparents' world showed a stark contrast to the views and experiences of love, commitment and connection familiar to his 30-something sensibilities. The project took off trying to create a context to bring out this contrast.

Now two years into what he expects will be a three-year project, the final product will be a feature-length release. But, along the way, Brickler plans on building an online documentary/video channel dedicated to love and relationships featuring a series of five-minute shorts created from the footage. From a promotions standpoint, offering these vignettes is a powerful marketing strategy, but it is also in keeping with his overall aim. Rather than try to come to closure on the subject, his intent is to provoke a conversation with the audience.

"I'm not really sure if the project has a conclusion, unlike most documentaries that are self-contained," said Brickler. "We're interviewing people from all over world and expect to have some 150 hours of footage to do this justice. We're not so interested in coming to closure, but rather creating an opening."