Chris Ware + This American Life
March 20, 2007 12:23 PM Subscribe
Chris Ware animates a segment of an episode of the new This American Life television show. [previously: Chris Ware, This American Life on TV, Chris Ware on This American Life’s radio program]
The camera really changed the way we behaved.
Errr...what? Have kids not always clustered around a fight? I don't get the "take the cameras away" response at all.
The stuff about the fake cameras was funny, though, and the animation worked very well.
posted by DU at 12:36 PM on March 20, 2007
Errr...what? Have kids not always clustered around a fight? I don't get the "take the cameras away" response at all.
The stuff about the fake cameras was funny, though, and the animation worked very well.
posted by DU at 12:36 PM on March 20, 2007
That was delightful, thank you.
posted by interrobang at 12:39 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by interrobang at 12:39 PM on March 20, 2007
Can we have an FPP about this show each time an episode of it airs?
Sorry. The animation is cool.
posted by roll truck roll at 12:44 PM on March 20, 2007
Sorry. The animation is cool.
posted by roll truck roll at 12:44 PM on March 20, 2007
Default Viral Title Player: Totally 100% Trend!
This is praise. Seriously!
posted by WolfDaddy at 12:54 PM on March 20, 2007
This is praise. Seriously!
posted by WolfDaddy at 12:54 PM on March 20, 2007
The animation and story complement each other beautifully. If the rest of the show holds together this well, I might even start to feel bad about dumping Showtime.
posted by maryh at 12:54 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by maryh at 12:54 PM on March 20, 2007
My hope is that the DVD will be available on netflix.
posted by Lady Penelope at 1:11 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by Lady Penelope at 1:11 PM on March 20, 2007
Errr...what? Have kids not always clustered around a fight? I don't get the "take the cameras away" response at all.
Seconded. Grade school kids will always watch, and never intervene in, a fight, even if it's fifteen on one.
posted by Clay201 at 1:18 PM on March 20, 2007
Seconded. Grade school kids will always watch, and never intervene in, a fight, even if it's fifteen on one.
posted by Clay201 at 1:18 PM on March 20, 2007
...I think the point was the further layer of abstraction from the actual events which was added by the fake cameras and microphones, y'all. While there were plenty of playground fights in my youth, none had "live" journalistic narration to go along with them.
posted by WolfDaddy at 1:21 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by WolfDaddy at 1:21 PM on March 20, 2007
It was entertaining, but they made much ado about nothing. K-12 kids almost never intervene in fights, but just circle around to watch the spectacle.
posted by clockworkjoe at 1:42 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by clockworkjoe at 1:42 PM on March 20, 2007
seems to me the props changed the teachers' perceptions of what , as others have said, is normal school kid behavior. The props made the kids look like vulturous adults and that adult behavior is what the teachers where truly appalled by.
posted by subtle_squid at 1:44 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by subtle_squid at 1:44 PM on March 20, 2007
However, now that I think of it, there is a lesson, but I'm not sure what it is. Think of how the adults (both the teachers and the american life commentators) became unnerved and blamed the cardboard media for the fight, when the kids' behavior during the fight was not changed. It seems we're still very uncomfortable with the media and blame it for things it is not responsible for.
posted by clockworkjoe at 1:45 PM on March 20, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by clockworkjoe at 1:45 PM on March 20, 2007 [1 favorite]
All I remember thinking when I watched a fight in grade school was "Glad I'm not in there" and "I wonder what's going to happen next?" Relief and curiosity, essentially. Nothing sinister or vulturous.
posted by davejay at 2:04 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by davejay at 2:04 PM on March 20, 2007
Aww... totally boss. I'd never heard or seen TAL 48 hours ago - now 2 mefi posts have me agog. Thanks.
posted by RokkitNite at 2:09 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by RokkitNite at 2:09 PM on March 20, 2007
Huh. I'm suddenly getting annoyed with myself for not having cable. Sigh.
posted by miss lynnster at 2:53 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by miss lynnster at 2:53 PM on March 20, 2007
This American Life? Is that that show by those hipster know-it-alls who talk about how fascinating ordinary people are?
But seriously, I want Showtime.
posted by DanielDManiel at 5:15 PM on March 20, 2007
But seriously, I want Showtime.
posted by DanielDManiel at 5:15 PM on March 20, 2007
The cameras took away your humanity? Anyone who's ever taken a psych class that mentions Kitty Genovese knows that that's simple human behavior. What was missing was the lofty ideal of "humanity" as some sort of noble savage, bereft of animal impulses.
I bet if only they'd banned toy cameras in Kew Gardens, no one would know who the fuck Kitty Genovese was.
posted by Eideteker at 5:22 PM on March 20, 2007
I bet if only they'd banned toy cameras in Kew Gardens, no one would know who the fuck Kitty Genovese was.
posted by Eideteker at 5:22 PM on March 20, 2007
Taking away humanity? These are children...you can't lose what you never had!
posted by jewzilla at 6:00 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by jewzilla at 6:00 PM on March 20, 2007
Argh. "Default Viral Title Player".. I feel so used.
posted by Dave Faris at 6:14 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by Dave Faris at 6:14 PM on March 20, 2007
This American Life? Is that that show by those hipster know-it-alls who talk about how fascinating ordinary people are?
My wife and I saw one of the live tapings of TAL in Boston and Ira Glass actually talked about this quote (from The OC, Summer Roberts to Seth Cohen, shutupmyfreetimeismyown). He apparently watched the show religiously as well and his reaction, wondering if each house had its own version of The OC piped in, targeted at their own unique demographic. Then the Mates of State played the theme song to The OC and I felt that three years of my life spent grudgingly, then willingly, on the couch at 9pm on Thursdays was suddenly validated by another hipster know-it-all.
We saw the Chris Ware animation too. It made me feel like I wasted my childhood digging holes and getting Andy Crumb to eat worms instead of doing something meaningful, yanno? Something that could change the world.
Like TV.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:17 PM on March 20, 2007 [1 favorite]
My wife and I saw one of the live tapings of TAL in Boston and Ira Glass actually talked about this quote (from The OC, Summer Roberts to Seth Cohen, shutupmyfreetimeismyown). He apparently watched the show religiously as well and his reaction, wondering if each house had its own version of The OC piped in, targeted at their own unique demographic. Then the Mates of State played the theme song to The OC and I felt that three years of my life spent grudgingly, then willingly, on the couch at 9pm on Thursdays was suddenly validated by another hipster know-it-all.
We saw the Chris Ware animation too. It made me feel like I wasted my childhood digging holes and getting Andy Crumb to eat worms instead of doing something meaningful, yanno? Something that could change the world.
Like TV.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:17 PM on March 20, 2007 [1 favorite]
My wife and I saw one of the live tapings of TAL in Boston
Lucky bastard.
and Ira Glass actually talked about this quote (from The OC, Summer Roberts to Seth Cohen, shutupmyfreetimeismyown)
Yeah, it was on this week’s radio show which I just heard yesterday (blessed be the podcast). Also (I notice upon review) mentioned in context in the other TAL thread from earlier today.
posted by DanielDManiel at 8:50 PM on March 20, 2007
Lucky bastard.
and Ira Glass actually talked about this quote (from The OC, Summer Roberts to Seth Cohen, shutupmyfreetimeismyown)
Yeah, it was on this week’s radio show which I just heard yesterday (blessed be the podcast). Also (I notice upon review) mentioned in context in the other TAL thread from earlier today.
posted by DanielDManiel at 8:50 PM on March 20, 2007
I've said before what bugs me about TAL. I'm definitely fearing that the visual component will scrap any semblance of objectivity, and make it a freak show.
posted by roll truck roll at 8:56 PM on March 20, 2007
posted by roll truck roll at 8:56 PM on March 20, 2007
I think the real message here is that the TAL team is feeling a little uncomfortable about being behind the camera themselves.
posted by Hubajube at 4:41 AM on March 21, 2007
posted by Hubajube at 4:41 AM on March 21, 2007
Cameras caused us to lose our humanity my arse.
What kind of a nirvana were these people growing up in where kids didn't stand around encouraging two kids to knock the stuffing out of each other?
Maybe spurious thinking like this is why people continue to shout 'TV IS TO BLAME!'
posted by Blue Stone at 6:00 AM on March 21, 2007
What kind of a nirvana were these people growing up in where kids didn't stand around encouraging two kids to knock the stuffing out of each other?
Maybe spurious thinking like this is why people continue to shout 'TV IS TO BLAME!'
posted by Blue Stone at 6:00 AM on March 21, 2007
Does anyone actually believe this little parable took place? I sometimes wonder if some of the stories aren't either jazzed up for the sake of storytelling, if not fabricated outright.
Nevertheless, I plan on tuning in. (Curse you, Default Viral Title Player!)
posted by Dave Faris at 8:59 AM on March 21, 2007
Nevertheless, I plan on tuning in. (Curse you, Default Viral Title Player!)
posted by Dave Faris at 8:59 AM on March 21, 2007
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posted by ijoshua at 12:27 PM on March 20, 2007