skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I've assembled some interesting snippets of memorable places and experiences. Mainly this is for me, a way to remember things that stood out during my week in Tokyo. I know I screwed up one of the text overlays, but it is somewhat fitting with some of the mangled English I came across throughout my month-long tour of Asia. This may be my last video for a while. I want to work on new stuff here in Philadelphia. My work on these Asia videos has been an education and inspiration and I hope to translate it into better videos here back home. But I'm sure the nostalgia bug will get me and I will cull through my tapes of China and Korea for more fun little things to share. For my three regular visitors, thanks for your support. :)
I wanted a new soundtrack for this video. I should be doing my taxes, but so be it. Vangelis was more appropriate for a Carl Sagan documentary. So I picked Moby's "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters." If you recognize music, the track was part of the climax of the movie "Heat," one of my favorite films. The music fit the idea of movement much better (even the title suggests it). I changed the ending of the video to fit the music. I may play more with this video, changing the scenes and the editing. It's all educational and experimental - a learning process. I hope you enjoy it.
While in Tokyo, I tried to record every moment that showed masses of people in motion and other types of movements. I envisioned kind of a music video set to a particular piece that played in my head while I was there, "Jumbo" by Underworld. It's a techno track that has a bouncy, light mood but with a moments of epic sweep. I spent almost my entire Saturday assembling this video: culling four tapes, figuring out what scenes fit together, editing down to a 3-minute presentation. It was a bear. But then when I tried to add the Underworld track, I couldn't edit it properly. I found myself trying nealy a dozen tracks to find a match. I chose Vangelis. It's a bit bombastic, but it fit the video better than anything else I had. It's a track called "Spiral" that I believe was recorded in the 1970s or early '80s. So there you have it. A new video. I will try to keep putting up videos when I have time. I have nearly 13 hours of video, so I'll be playing around for quite a while.
I'll sporadically post remnant video of my trip now that I'm home. I hope you find it interesting. I certainly had an interesting time. For relaxing times, make it Suntory time!
Sunday afternoons are the time to check out the "cos-play" girls around the bridge that crosses the tracks next to Harajuku Train Station. "Cos-play" is costume play, where teens and 20-somethings dress up in sometimes outlandish outfits and parade for onlookers or just hang out. Tourists and suspect Japanese men hang out here to photograph the girls. Some of the exhibitionists relish the attention, but some don't. There's obviously a culture of outdoing one another or following trends. Only the girls truly know the code. Around and near the bridge were various performers, bands, and people high on life. It was definitely a fun time for all.
I'm leaving Japan in the morning, so that's it for my Asia trip. I've had experiences I will never forget and some I wish I could. For me, China was the most interesting. I had the luxury of two weeks there and friendly contacts who showed me what China was really about. Korea was a chance to discover my roots. Japan was a fantasy visit - and very expensive. I was hoping to do this trip on the cheap but my need for Internet access for this video-blog and my spoiled affection for comfort and convenience led me rack up some serious credit-card debt. It was worth it. I don't know when I'll get back. I know from being here how much I missed because I didn't have the time. I hope to come back and find my new friends once again. Thank you all.
Hollywood magic revealed! When I do my lame on-camera commentaries, I sometimes do several takes. Like in the movies! Today I spent more time in Shibuya collecting footage of people, then I took the subway to Asakusa. The rest I explain in the video...over and over.
