To do the project, I set up at a couple of intersections in NY, and focused the camera on people already in cabs or people about to get in or out of cabs. I took footage at a couple of intersections and areas around Manhattan. Columbus Circle, Times Square/Port Authority, Houston and Allen/1st Ave, and 9 Ave. Most the shots were at night, but there were some during the day too – just haven’t worked them in yet.
Category: GIANT STORIES/tiny screens
Proposal for Giant Stories final
I live in a good neighborhood for going out, or finding many, many adults under 40 hanging out in bars. Last night I was walking home and passed by a cab that had picked up 4 people. A girl was talking, but seemed little uncomfortable with not being hidden in the back. The cab driver definitely seemed like he’d prefer her sitting in back. Another cab was behind that one, and it had 1 or 2 people in it, one passenger talking on the phone. I wanted to know what the person in the next cab might have been doing, but it was empty. So I got the idea to make a video of people in taxicabs, as some kind of an ‘idiot with a tripod’ video featuring people in taxicabs.
I think the subject is interesting because people in cabs have a personal-public existence. I think cab passengers feel sort of self-important. Compared to the subway, bus or walking, it’s not cheap to ride in cabs. And, when you’re in a car there’s some kind of boundary between you and everyone else; it feels so good to get out of it and have some fake privacy. This self-important privacy is fake because taxicab passengers are not car owners, who have the pride of owning a car to help them feel important and so their privacy is really their own. For taxicab passengers, there’s a driver so they’re never alone and they just stepped off the sidewalk where I’m still standing. Plus, they’re in a car painted to indicate that they’re in a car that’s not their own. So, I like the idea of peeking into their false privacy.
To do the project, I will set up at a couple of intersections in NY, and focus the camera on people in cabs while they wait for the light. I’ll try to get a couple of intersections, maybe 5 major ones. And get some video of people at different times of the day, starting with early morning (if possible), mid-day, to night. Possible intersections might include: Columbus Circle, 14th Street and University, 1st Street and 1st Ave, 6th Ave and ???. Or, maybe I’ll just take video of intersections on the F-line so it’s easier for me to get home. I’m not sure how I’ll present the videos right now, but I was considering some kind of structure/installation.
Korsakow: trains
For my Giant Stories Tiny Screens project, I finally was able to put together my train videos from last September. My concept is to use the different perspectives of the videos to experience a train ride to Beacon, NY. The sun goes down, people ride the train, we pass bridges and other platforms, the train conductor passes by…etc.
My (Train) KorsakowThe videos are linked together with different keywords, according to what I experienced, including: inside, outside, ride, looking, platform, trains, people, lights, night, exploring, things, places, signs. I want to keep working on it. It’s been fun.
“Notes on…”, new video for Giant Stories
What happens when you put 3 semi-crazy people in a room and tell them to make a movie? You get a blood muffin and paint. Thankfully we had Alex’s nice camera to document everything. Turn on HD and watch in full screen!
Assignment: create a video to go along with a predefined soundtrack. Do not edit the sound.
Assignment 1: Farming videos and my hand at a Lumiere
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