"Think Rube Goldberg meets the Wizard of Oz"
July 20, 2012 7:29 AM Subscribe
The Screamotron3000 is a converted boombox that takes a picture when people scream. Its creator, Billy Hunt, hopes to use it to "offer a window through the inherently artificial process of portraiture into real human emotion."
I guess it's screamier when you do it bare-chested. Anyway, this is neat!
posted by Mister_A at 7:31 AM on July 20, 2012
posted by Mister_A at 7:31 AM on July 20, 2012
I'm betting they came up with the actual device after the name.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:37 AM on July 20, 2012
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:37 AM on July 20, 2012
Billy Hunt, Billy Hunt, Billy Billy Billy?
posted by blue t-shirt at 7:51 AM on July 20, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by blue t-shirt at 7:51 AM on July 20, 2012 [2 favorites]
Because non-spontanious screaming is totally natural. He wants real human emotion he should have invented the Ballcrusher3000.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:54 AM on July 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by cjorgensen at 7:54 AM on July 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
Say hello to the Scream Extractor.
Kinda can't believe the artist didn't have any model holding a reproduction of this.
Some of these portraits are just fantastic. Others are not so great. I'd suggest to the artist: cut about half of these and showcase the very best, the most dynamic ones.
Two rock band t-shirts in the collection: Ramones and Slayer.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:01 AM on July 20, 2012
Kinda can't believe the artist didn't have any model holding a reproduction of this.
Some of these portraits are just fantastic. Others are not so great. I'd suggest to the artist: cut about half of these and showcase the very best, the most dynamic ones.
Two rock band t-shirts in the collection: Ramones and Slayer.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:01 AM on July 20, 2012
Sooo... I clicked through most of the links, but is there anything that explains why it's significant that it's a boom box? Or even shows a picture of the boom box?
Like I went to a haunted house in Niagara Falls that did a better job of this with a fake jeep.
posted by SharkParty at 8:14 AM on July 20, 2012 [4 favorites]
Like I went to a haunted house in Niagara Falls that did a better job of this with a fake jeep.
posted by SharkParty at 8:14 AM on July 20, 2012 [4 favorites]
Oh cool, Billy Hunt did our wedding photos (and did a fantastic job, too) and is all around a pretty cool guy. He's a Facebook friend so I saw his recent post about being on the Today show and all. Glad he's getting recognition.
posted by Deathalicious at 8:17 AM on July 20, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Deathalicious at 8:17 AM on July 20, 2012 [2 favorites]
cjorgensen: "Because non-spontanious screaming is totally natural. He wants real human emotion he should have invented the Ballcrusher3000."
I think his point is that for normal photographs, you compose your face, while it's almost impossible to keep your face composed when you scream.
As far as using a Boombox, Billy is just one of those shameless old-school proto-hipsters. He probably could have just used a sound sensor hooked up to a digital camera, but a boombox is just way cooler.
posted by Deathalicious at 8:21 AM on July 20, 2012
I think his point is that for normal photographs, you compose your face, while it's almost impossible to keep your face composed when you scream.
As far as using a Boombox, Billy is just one of those shameless old-school proto-hipsters. He probably could have just used a sound sensor hooked up to a digital camera, but a boombox is just way cooler.
posted by Deathalicious at 8:21 AM on July 20, 2012
For those of you wondering, this is Billy.
I'll stop threads[h]itting, but just wanted to answer this one:
flapjax at midnite: "Some of these portraits are just fantastic. Others are not so great. I'd suggest to the artist: cut about half of these and showcase the very best, the most dynamic ones."
Billy, for all his faults, is just such a nice guy. I imagine he wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by taking out a shot. You should have heard him during our engagement photo session. He made us feel like we were the most awesome people he had ever taken photos of.
posted by Deathalicious at 8:26 AM on July 20, 2012 [4 favorites]
I'll stop threads[h]itting, but just wanted to answer this one:
flapjax at midnite: "Some of these portraits are just fantastic. Others are not so great. I'd suggest to the artist: cut about half of these and showcase the very best, the most dynamic ones."
Billy, for all his faults, is just such a nice guy. I imagine he wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by taking out a shot. You should have heard him during our engagement photo session. He made us feel like we were the most awesome people he had ever taken photos of.
posted by Deathalicious at 8:26 AM on July 20, 2012 [4 favorites]
I imagine he wouldn't want to hurt anyone's feelings by taking out a shot.
That would explain it! And that's good to know: we need more nice people!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:29 AM on July 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
That would explain it! And that's good to know: we need more nice people!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:29 AM on July 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
showcase the very best
Always. Everything else detracts exponentially.
posted by jsavimbi at 9:05 AM on July 20, 2012
Always. Everything else detracts exponentially.
posted by jsavimbi at 9:05 AM on July 20, 2012
One Shakespeare t-shirt in the collection: A Midsummer Night's Scream.
posted by February28 at 9:14 AM on July 20, 2012
posted by February28 at 9:14 AM on July 20, 2012
Whenever I want you, all I have to do
Is screee-ee-ee-ee-eeam,
Scream scream scream,
Screee-ee-ee-ee-eeam,
Scream scream scream...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:32 AM on July 20, 2012
Is screee-ee-ee-ee-eeam,
Scream scream scream,
Screee-ee-ee-ee-eeam,
Scream scream scream...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:32 AM on July 20, 2012
Like I went to a haunted house in Niagara Falls that did a better job of this with a fake jeep.
Some great reactions in there. Really.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 10:27 AM on July 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
Some great reactions in there. Really.
posted by Ogre Lawless at 10:27 AM on July 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
I created the screamotron3000. These are interesting comments. I agree a tighter edit is nice. Although everyone wants to see their own photo, of course. The Installation is more the art then the finished photos. Obviously, it is fake. Everyone knows he act of observation changes the observed. But what I find interesting, is people's struggle with trying to be genuine, and also trying to control their appearance. In slow motion, you see the war going on in people's brains.
PS Here is the boombox. If I had known how popular it would get, I would have made it smaller for easier travel.
Screamotron3000
posted by billyhunt at 11:44 AM on July 20, 2012 [10 favorites]
PS Here is the boombox. If I had known how popular it would get, I would have made it smaller for easier travel.
Screamotron3000
posted by billyhunt at 11:44 AM on July 20, 2012 [10 favorites]
Hey, Billy! Welcome to MetaFilter! I hope you'll stick around and be part of our little family here.
posted by hippybear at 2:41 PM on July 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 2:41 PM on July 20, 2012 [3 favorites]
I always wanted to make a short film consisting only of close-ups of people's faces the moment they realize they've tipped their chair back just that little bit too far. Pure terror. Let me know if you want to work that, Billy.
posted by Kafkaesque at 4:30 PM on July 20, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by Kafkaesque at 4:30 PM on July 20, 2012 [2 favorites]
I didn't see anyone screaming for ice cream. I thought we all did that.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:04 PM on July 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:04 PM on July 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
I went out with a bear from the Klondike a few times. He was a nice enough guy.
posted by hippybear at 8:28 PM on July 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 8:28 PM on July 20, 2012 [1 favorite]
« Older "The FDA recalled more than 60,000 tissue-derived... | "They saw what they had to do" Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by GallonOfAlan at 7:31 AM on July 20, 2012 [1 favorite]