By TOMIE V. PARKS
Editor for the Hutto News
A horse named
Maverick had a message to share.
"And I heard
it," said Tiffany MacNeil of California. "My job has been
to figure out how to tell it.
That's how the song
"You've Got Time Now" was born.
MacNeil and her
crew were at Tri-Star Farm in Hutto last Friday, March 6, filming the
accompanying music video. Both the film and video will debut this
October in Germany at the European Conference on Horse-Assisted
Education.
The song
"You've Got
Time Now" started to evolve last September when MacNeil was in
Round Rock helping her sister-in-law pack.
"She had gone
to the University of Texas in Austin and was getting ready to move
back to California," MacNeil said. "We had been real busy
the whole time I was there, and I had started to miss my horses, so I
looked for a nearby stable to visit and maybe go on ride."
The top hit on her
Google search was Maverick Horseback Riding of Hutto, the outfit that
operates out of the barn and stables at Tri-Star Farm, which is
located at the intersection of Palm Valley Boulevard and County Road
110.
"I looked at
their website and immediately wanted to go. Their horses looked
beautiful," MacNeil said. "I told myself I'd get up early
and go on my last day in town."
But she and her
sister-in-law got busy and distracted with last-minute chores.
"So I ended up
rushing," MacNeil said. "And by the time I got to the
stable's gates I had to keep on driving so I wouldn't miss my flight.
There was just not time."
When she got to the
plane, she was so tired fell asleep almost instantly.
"And by the
time I woke up, I had the idea for the song," MacNeil said. "It
dawned on me that you have to enjoy the beauty of the here and now.
There is no need to rush. Enjoy the present moment and breathe."
So no she didn't
get to meet Maverick when she drove by the stable's gates last
September, but she did see his name and where he lived.
"I know it
sounds crazy, but his spirit spoke to me," MacNeil said. "It
was beautiful, serene and sincere. I had to get the song on paper."
By January, she had
lyrics set, so she sought the aid of Demiurge Sound, a
Hollywood-based studio, to set it to music.
"It was my
nephew that added the instrumentation," MacNeil said.
Her nephew, Tristan
McVeigh, owns and operates Demiurge Sound with partner Cale Bouchey.
The music video
Production of the
"You've Got Time Now" music video started after the song
was finished.
"I had to film
it in Hutto," MacNeil said. "I wanted to take it all back
to where it started, Maverick Horseback Riding stables."
She sought
permission of Joan Marie McCoy, owner of Maverick Horseback Riding,
by phone.
"A music video
at my place? Of course I wanted to do it," McCoy said. "I'm
proud that my horses will be showcased in a high quality film. They
are stars, with their own personalities, talents and color."
As for the song's
message, it's one McCoy understands and appreciates.
"'You've Got
Time Now' really hits home," McCoy said. "So much of what
she's out to accomplish matches what we are here, and I'm flattered
and grateful that she was able to pick that up just by reading our
website, seeing our fence and talking to me on the phone."
So when MacNeil
mentioned a need for actors to be in her video, McCoy was happy to
help with the talent search.
As a horse riding
instructor, McCoy has ample access to horse riders of all types and
ages. Several of her pupils and horse wranglers were more than
willing to serve as actors and extras.
It was Christina
Kane-Gibson, the public information officer for the City of Hutto,
that helped MacNeil find her sound and tech crew.
"Christine
pointed me in the direction of Hutto High School," MacNeil said
Friday, March 6, when she was in town shooting the film. "The
advanced film class has been helping with sound and lights."
The film's
director, videographer and editor is Ariana Victor of Santa Rosa,
Calif. She helped MacNeil produce her first music video, "Believe
Believe Believe," which is YouTube and has had an audience of
more than 47,000 people.
"Tiffany
approached me to do another video in January," Victor said. "She
said it was going to be in Texas and, of course I wanted to go.
That's my goal. I want to travel the world as a videographer."
Victor is a junior
at the University of Southern California with plans to transfer to
New York University and study film.
Filming
Shooting started
Friday, March 6, at Tri-Star Farm.
"We had a few
problems at the beginning, but they were just snags," MacNeil
said. "Finally started making progress by 11 a.m."
The story that
accompanies the song focuses on a girl and her fondness of horses.
"We see her
falling in love with horses at a young age, but as she grows up,
she's distracted by the countless obstacles that life throws,"
MacNeil said. "So the camera shows her as a child, an adult and
an older, wiser woman."
Her lesson is that
of the song, to slow down and enjoy the present.
The video won't be
ready to view until it's released this fall.
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