Videophone
August 7, 2012 9:07 AM   Subscribe

Dan and Ben filmed a scene. It was shown to the next team. They had 1 hour and 1 take to re-create it from memory. The video that team made was shown to the next team, and so on and so on.
posted by mrgrimm (33 comments total) 30 users marked this as a favorite
 
*Before clicking*

Please be called "Purple Monkey Dishwasher: The Movie...

*click*

Dang!
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:14 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


It's a really nice scene to watch the degrading-copy effect take over, changing each of the elements just a bit on each go-round, although you've got to wonder if a few of the teams (2:50, I'm looking at you) were asked to embellish in specific ways in order to drive the development.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:35 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


Someone explain how, at about 1 minute in the "clock" above the door isn't in the scene, and then something appears there (eventually a clock) later...

hmmmm..
posted by HuronBob at 9:36 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


TEAM STUFF!
posted by erniepan at 9:40 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


exponential confetti growth!
posted by 0bs01337 at 9:40 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


Someone explain how, at about 1 minute in the "clock" above the door isn't in the scene, and then something appears there (eventually a clock) later...

Yeah, there's clearly something about this that is allowing a certain degree of contamination from early iterations. You'll notice that for a while the picture isn't carried into the room--it's just there at the beginning of the scene. And then it starts being carried in again.
posted by yoink at 9:41 AM on August 7, 2012


I can't tell if these people are not practiced in splashing water from a bucket or just acting that way.

But as stated above, neat to see the elements evolve through every iteration.
posted by Atreides at 9:46 AM on August 7, 2012


Yeah, there's clearly something about this that is allowing a certain degree of contamination from early iterations.

It's possible that they approached it more as a music video with a cutesy concept, and less as a fully double-blinded study into the nature of signal degradation.
posted by anazgnos at 9:48 AM on August 7, 2012 [15 favorites]


Ok, I'm not sure if it should be:

Metafilter: a certain degree of contamination from early iterations.

or

Metafilter: a fully double-blinded study into the nature of signal degradation.

But I'm sure it's one or the other...
posted by HuronBob at 9:52 AM on August 7, 2012 [15 favorites]


exponential confetti growth!

Yeah, I dunno if they were directed to make "mistakes" or participants just wanted to inject more fun themselves--some of it definitely seems intnentional.

What was funny to me was how some of the "mistakes" like the hug just popped in.

And yes, everyone (EVERYONE) loves confetti. I think the 2nd law of thermodynamics proves that an empty room will eventually become full of confetti.
posted by mrgrimm at 9:53 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


I can't tell if these people are not practiced in splashing water from a bucket or just acting that way.

That is my biggest question as well. Were they instructed to toss limp buckets into laps? Cuz you go from water in the face -> water in the lap or legs (bad) -> water in the face knocking the person backwards in the chair. That seemed odd to me, so I assume the participants were just squeamish about throwing a bucket of water in someone's face (b/c we all know that can kinda hurt if done hard.)
posted by mrgrimm at 9:54 AM on August 7, 2012


It's possible that they approached it more as a music video with a cutesy concept, and less as a fully double-blinded study into the nature of signal degradation.

Well it's possible, sure...

Although, to be a trifle more serious for a second, rigor can actually be a virtue in the arts as much as in science. There's an aesthetic and conceptual value in following a premise through as strictly as possible. I, for one, found this got less fun when it became clear that the teams weren't really being encouraged to shoot for as close a recreation of the preceding video as possible. I mean, it's still fun, but it would be more engaging to me as a piece of art if it was done a little bit more in the spirit of a "double-blinded study into the nature of signal degradation."
posted by yoink at 9:57 AM on August 7, 2012 [7 favorites]


That made me smile.
posted by googly at 10:17 AM on August 7, 2012


exponential confetti growth!

would be a good user name.

Also "pasta poo time."
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:17 AM on August 7, 2012


That was unreasonably funny. I think I laughed for three minutes straight.
posted by Mars Saxman at 10:17 AM on August 7, 2012


Really great. I love Whamcity.
posted by codacorolla at 10:21 AM on August 7, 2012


That was too much fun!!!! Gave me a big ol' grin that will probably last the rest of the day. Thanks!
posted by kinnakeet at 10:32 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Can't wait for new Dan Deacon album.
posted by fungible at 10:47 AM on August 7, 2012


Where is the MTV for shit like this?
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:12 AM on August 7, 2012


Where is the MTV for shit like this?

1981.
posted by scrowdid at 11:20 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


Where is the MTV for shit like this?

I believe the "broadcaster" you're looking for is either YouTube or Vimeo or both.
posted by asnider at 11:38 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


mgrimm: Were they instructed to toss limp buckets into laps?

It looked to me like the first limp-thrower may have done it on accident. With only one take, you might be overly careful, or just get it wrong, accidentally.

One mistake along the line is all it takes to degrade the signal.

Fun!
posted by syzygy at 11:53 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


I am sitting in a room..
posted by OmieWise at 1:07 PM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Were they instructed to toss limp buckets into laps? Cuz you go from water in the face -> water in the lap or legs (bad) -> water in the face knocking the person backwards in the chair.

The key is: they only have ONE take. So if a team accidentally splashes too much (or too little) the following team will assume that's the correct amount. Same goes for the person falling out of the chair, or the cardboard cutout accidentally falling over.

If others were wondering the same thing I was: each team got to watch the previous video three times before making theirs. Frankly, I'm amazed some of them got as close as they did.
posted by ShutterBun at 1:49 PM on August 7, 2012


The words on the wall eventually degrade to just STUFF in big construction paper letters on the wall.

This is a pretty good representation of how my brain retains information some days.
posted by The demon that lives in the air at 4:17 PM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]


Where is the MTV for shit like this?

That would be 120 Minutes on Network Awesome
posted by codacorolla at 6:03 PM on August 7, 2012


There was no way to do this wrong.
posted by SPrintF at 7:15 PM on August 7, 2012


This left me with a big grin on my face.
posted by arcticseal at 9:18 PM on August 7, 2012


Also, waiting for autumn to kick some leaves around.
posted by arcticseal at 9:18 PM on August 7, 2012


It's definitely interesting to see what did and didn't make it; which bits of information were really "sticky". Everyone remembered key symbol changes (i.e. placards being raised, moved or lowered). The signs on the wall stayed, although their meaning changed over time (I thought it was interesting when Pizza became Pasta). But the visual elements changed wildly, at least until someone decided to write "Grouch" on the standup figure and then everyone wrote grouch. Having "Stuff" on the right wall was very sticky too.

What surprised me was the emotions. I would have thought they would remain relatively uniform, but some people played it over the top goofy, some friendly, some as if they were pissed off about something.

There were definitely some who clearly believed in sticking strictly to what they had seen before, which sometimes meant that they aped the goofy mistakes of those who went just before. So purposeful (or *maybe* accidental?) changes to the plot would have eddying effects as those trying to imitate would transform spontaneous unstructured movements into planned structured movements.

I'm not sure, honestly, if it was more enjoyable or more frustrating to watch. Like, okay, obviously the first two did not hug, but for a long section everyone else did, and then suddenly two guys decided they were not going to hug (opting o knock off he other guy's cap) and the chain was broken. I really didn't like that.
posted by Deathalicious at 10:05 PM on August 7, 2012


Okay, just watched again and although it was a divergence, I at least love the reason the hug gets introduced. It's like the guy is saying to the woman, "Look, I'm about to throw some water at you, okay? And I'm sorry. Let's hug so that we remember that we love each other." It wasn't really part of the scene at all. It seemed like something private just between them, but then it became part of the continuing sequence. And, in a way, the cap getting knocked off is an inadvertent tribute to that. Those two guys are like, "Look, at this point I am supposed to hug you. But I'm not going to do that. I can't hug you, that's gross. So instead, to signal that affection, I'm going to knock your cap off.
posted by Deathalicious at 10:13 PM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]


True Wasn't cake pizza Thrush
True Can't Don't Pizza Thrush
True Don't Pizza Time Thrush
True Don't Pizza Time Thrush
True Don't Pizza Time Truth Love (hugs introduced)
Tuor Don't Pizza Time Truth
Tuor Don't Pizza Time Truth
Team Dodo Pizza Time Stuff
Team Dodo Pizza Time Stuff
Team Dodotime Pizza Time Stuff
Team Dodo time Pizza Time Stuff
Team PooPoo Time Pasta Timeless Stuff
Pasta PooPoo Time Stuff
Pasta Poo Time Stuff
Pasta Poo Time Stuff
Pasta Poo Time Stuff
Pasta Poo Time Stuff
Pasta Poo Time Stuff
THEEN STUFF
posted by Deathalicious at 10:26 PM on August 7, 2012


Lovely
posted by ciderwoman at 2:04 AM on August 8, 2012


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