author: DAVID KESSLER – duration: 02:40
AN INTIMATE LOOK AT A PLACE WHERE TIME IS MEASURED NOT BY THE MOVEMENTS OF THE SUN BUT BY THE RUMBLING OF THE EL TRAIN. PHILADELPHIA, FRONT ST./KENSINGTON AVE.
You are watching a short monologue from a woman who happens to be a crack addict and a prostitute. Her situation is sad but she ain’t. She lives her life under the northern El tracks of the Philadelphian subway, where David Kessler has been following the lives of many other people as well. He cut his material in 26 short, unpolished doc clips that are fascinating to watch. Or as our vlogbrother JAY DEDMAN says in a great article on both the project, the people, history and links to the best parts of the series (published by Philadelphia Weekly):
“Shadow World is such a great example of what Web video can be. It’s not TV. It’s not film. It’s uniquely suited to the Web with its short vignettes on life in this part of Philly. Kessler records people who’d go totally unnoticed. It’s a great counterpoint to the argument that Web video is just self-centered crap.”
“Before video blogs, you may have expected to see Shadow World in the form of a documentary film. This would force the creator to sacrifice years for the project and raise tens of thousands of dollars. The creator would hope to get the movie played in a couple film festivals. But now Kessler can explore this Philly neighborhood with an inexpensive digital camera, edit on his laptop and put it on the Web the next day, with a potential audience of millions.”
READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE (very much recommended).
This is the kind of neighborhood where Barack Obama once was a community organizer. Just crossed my mind! …& fingers…
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