Part 1. Farm a minimum of 3 videos related to the course.
video 1: Precisely So (Part II), 1937
This video was produced by Chevrolet, way back in 1937. Listening to the guy speak is fairly boring, but turning off the sound and watching the footage makes it fascinating. It’s incredibly surreal and contemporary. Watching it, I’m impressed with the editing, which included unique camera angles, close ups, seamless transitions, and stop-motion animations. I actually think this video would have more use in another context – it has more impact with the sound off. It comes from the Prelinger Archives, which has Precisely So (Part I) available. I wasn’t quite as impressed with the second half of the video, where the narrator explains how various materials are measured to show that microscopically many materials are not quite as we seem. But, the first half was definitely interesting in setting up the rest of the story.
video 2: Amateur film: Medicus collection: New York World’s Fair, 1939-40 (Reel 2) (Part I)
I used some of the films from this World’s Fair collection in a previous project, but I’m going to link to it again for this assignment. This film was take at the 1939-40 World’s Fair in New York and it seems to feature some of the weirdest or unusual things I’ve ever seen edited (headless women, nude “science” experiments) next to young boys on a bench, roller coasters, a penguin exhibit, and people drinking from a water fountain. There’s no sound, but I found it very engaging nonetheless. The camera operator makes sure to record video of the fair attendees, which is more interesting than it sounds.
video 3: Perversion for Profit, Part 1 and Part 2
These two films should definitely be in the top 5 of All-Time Raunchiest Anti-Pornography Films, ever. (Well, at least for the middle of the 1960s.) I also used these films in a previous project, cutting out the censoring, and using the frontal shots for my perverse needs. Perverse or not, I appreciate the ’60’s aesthetic in these films, both in the video itself and in the print media portrayed.
Extra credits!
Found these few videos recently on YouTube. Hilarious versions of major motion pictures, edited to 12-30 seconds. My favorites are:
4. The Karate Kid
3. Lord of the Rings
2. Star Wars
1. The Sixth Sense
Part 2. Make a Lumiere
Rules: 60 seconds max. Fixed camera. No audio. No zoom. No edit. No effects.
My apartment building has a pretty echoey staircase that makes it easy to hear when people are coming and going, particularly when people are coming down the stairs. Every time I hear someone being particularly loud coming up or down the stairs, I run to the front door of my studio apt to see who it is.
Recently, I decided to take my camera with me, to see how well it would turn out as a Lumiere film. Here are a couple videos I took through my peephole.
By Allison Walker on Vimeo
By Allison Walker on Vimeo