An exercise in reflexivity (and the most boring vlog ever)
Got a package in the mail the other day with the very serious mandate “DO NOT open until Christmas” scrawled across the front. So, like the good boy I am (not), I resisted the urge to violate the seams of the shiny red wrapping. But today… violate I did… and to my delight out popped a Flip MinoHD. I can’t say I’ve ever considered seriously purchasing one, but now that I have one I guess it would behoove me to find a use for it. What that would be, I have no idea yet. I’ve never taken the vlogging plunge and I’m still not sure I want to. Something about the pretension of being in front of a camera makes me uneasy, but maybe it can be an exercise in self-reflection, if nothing else.
I feel the urge to make my every gesture in front of the camera entertaining — no doubt a behavior instilled in me from the innumerable hours spent watching television during my childhood. And since I’m not a particularly funny or witty person, cameras and I don’t mix. My brother, however, reminded me that “Maybe the entertainment comes from not being entertaining.” Or something like that. Very Warhol-esque, I suppose. I promise I won’t record myself getting a haircut, though.
…Or maybe I will.
Hope you like my face, because you get a big fat dose of it in this video. My amateur videography skills could use some tweaking. If anyone has any suggestions on cool sh*t I can do with this thing, let me know.
Entertaining in that the vid wasn’t meant to be entertaining. It’s nice to see your face, and hear the words, behind all the smart blog entries I’ve been reading lately. But to answer your inquiry of “If anyone has any suggestions on cool sh*t I can do with this thing, let me know,” I have a list.
1. Espionage. Use it to watch a neighbor. And make it creepy, like actually stand at your window recording them. Follow them silently on the street. Be waiting by their car in the morning etc. Just don’t ever speak to them.
2. One minute of daily life. Each day. In HD. Upload it at prime time and see who bites.
3. More productively, use it as a device to capture examples of all the things your write about. In respect to the entry ‘One Dimensional US,” a pan shot of a convenience store soda fountain or chip rack will really bring the intellectual down to reality. Because all those snacks / goodies are essentially a bunch of ‘false needs’ and ‘false choices.’ Though I’m a Coke man, economically Pepsi = Coke in any calculated purchase or exchange.
I can always rely on you Sean to get my mind working. All excellent ideas. I’m most attracted to the last one… I’m thinking simple B-Roll footage. Maybe multiple clips, spliced together. Or just one single clip, long enough for careful observation. I’ll have to experiment.
i think its time to do laundry my friend. ;)