Orientated

Yes, I am almost officially done getting orientated! Being that I work at an institution of higher learning, AKA the College of Visual Arts, and go to an institution of higher learning, AKA the U of M, the week before school starts is packed full of orientation. Actually work hasn’t been so bad at work being that I am merely a lowly support staff (although I know the darkroom would fall apart without me… well at least the color processor would) there were several orientations and a staff meeting I didn’t need to attend.

The U, on the other hand, I am a prestigious grad, and the amount of meetings I need to attend is ridiculous! Meeting on Monday, meeting on Tuesday, 2 meetings on Wednesday, and a meeting on Thursday! Argh! I’m playing the game of going to work, then the U and back to work, tomorrow it will be that plus back to the U at the end. At least I will theoretically be properly orientated for the new school year!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

How else can one describe this except with one of the longest words in the English language. Someone forwarded this to me (because I don't surf the internet so never find things like this myself) and I was highly amused by it. Read the info first, then watch the clip... hopefully you have fast internet, otherwise it won't be very fun to watch.


There are no computer graphics or digital tricks in the film. Everything you see really happened in real time exactly as you see it. The film took 606 takes. On the first 605 takes, something, usually very minor, didn't work. They would then have to set the whole thing up again.

The crew spent weeks shooting night and day. By the time it was over, they were ready to change professions. The film cost six million dollars and took three months to complete including full engineering of the sequence. In addition, it's two minutes long so every time Honda airs the film on British television, they're shelling out enough dough to keep any one of us in clover for a lifetime.

However, it is fast becoming the most downloaded advertisement in internet history. Honda executives figure the ad will soon pay for itself simply in "free viewings" (Honda isn't paying a dime to have you watch this commercial!).

When the ad was pitched to senior executives, they signed off on it immediately without any hesitation - including the costs.

There are six and only six hand-made Honda Accords in the world. To the horror of Honda engineers, the filmmakers disassembled two of them to make the film.

Everything you see in the film (aside from the walls, floor, ramp, and complete Honda Accord) is parts from those two cars.

The voiceover is Garrison Keillor. When the ad was shown to Honda executives, they liked it and commented on how amazing computer graphics have gotten.

They fell off their chairs when they found out it was for real. Oh, and about those funky windshield wipers. On the new Accords, the windshield wipers have water sensors and are designed to start doing their thing automatically as soon as they become wet.

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/honda/php

Honda Accord anyone? Me, I'm still staisfied with my little Focus, even though it isn't hand-made!

Has Anyone Seen this Man?

I was out taking pictures (as I often do) about a month ago and had an interesting encounter. I just now got around scanning my film (yes I know, scanning, how unpurest). Anyway I wanted a little show and tell session to tell you all what happened. I was at the U (as I often am) in-between the Wilson Library and Carlson School of Business... I say this to state that I was in a "good" part of the campus, not that there are any bad parts of the campus, but one is more likely to run into strange people say... around the art/dance/theater buildings, but I digress. I was taking pictures with Viggo (aka my Hasselblad, and yes he does have a name, and no I did not name him, and yes I do use the name anyway), and you all know how sexy and irresistible Viggo is - and if you don't just humor me becausse for a camera he's pretty hot.

So I had just taken him out of his camera case, and was taking a meter reading in preperation for making a photo when this relatively normal looking man with no front teeth walked up to me and asked if I would take his picture. I paused thinking that it costs me about $1 per frame to shoot with this camera (film and processing you know), but then thought that the guy did have an interesting look about him so agreed. He took a step back, straightened his back, raised his chin and looked at me with a very picturesque stern face. I framed up the shot, waited for the right expression, and took the picture.

I was going to ask his name and expected that he was going to ask for a copy of the photo (which I probably would have made for him) when he started coughing, I’m not sure if it was on purpose so he didn’t have to talk to me or coincidentally, but between fits of coughing he was able to take a breath said, "Thanks, you're great, love ya!" and walked away still coughing a little. So now I have his picture...


Perhaps I should begin a new series, "People on the street who asked me to talke their picture."