using only found footage, exploring human motion and/or transportation in NYCweaving in and out, colliding together…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VavY0VxpmC0
holus bolus by jacob halpren
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Categories Holus Bolus, Manhattan
I think you really created a dynamic force field of HOLUS BOLUS images that all move earnestly — as transportation is prone to do — towards an unverbalized end. Because you do not allow us to witness this ultimate goal, we are compelled to think about the means by which all attempt to get there, or here. Is the “there” that pulls us, almost gravitationally, inevitable or does it exist merely because we need a reason to get up out of bed each day? I was indeed along for the ride, and in the end surprised by the crash sound, thrown afield on the tips of the skyscrapers, dangling and not knowing where to go next.
i really liked the way you made your piece feel erratic and in your face for the viewer. i felt like we were experiencing the rushed feeling on the subway and in the streets. the inclusion of the parades and traffic jams juxtaposes human motion and man-made motion. it is also interesting to note that hustle and bustle of parades is seen as celebratory, but weaving in and out of traffic is mundane. the crash at the end is startling, but the next image of the pristine and quiet city reassures us that there is some sort of serenity that interlaces within the city.
I think you did a really nice job editing the found footage together while making this. In my opinion, you’ve accomplished what you set out for and then some. I love how you played with music, sound effects, etc. to create what polinbear describes as an “erratic feel” of the different ways people get around in this city. The ending with the car crash and then the cut to a quiet/ long shot of the skyline was a great way to reflect and keep in mind that we go so fast through life… maybe we need to slow down once in awhile. Nice work.
I think the way you chose to speed the motion emphasized a certain sense of chaos, but simultaneously a sense of a grand choreography. The crash is appropriate and I agree with its inevitability, but the fast motion makes me wonder at how crashes don’t happen much more frequently. There truly is mayhem on every level in Manhattan, but if you pull back far enough, as you did with your time lapse of the skyline, we see how for the greater part we manage to weave seamlessly in and out of one another’s path.