{"id":1738,"date":"2022-11-03T12:06:31","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T16:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/60-461\/f2022\/?p=1738"},"modified":"2022-11-03T14:15:08","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T18:15:08","slug":"bumble_b-personintime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/60-461\/f2022\/bumble_b\/11\/03\/bumble_b-personintime\/","title":{"rendered":"bumble_b-PersonInTime"},"content":{"rendered":"

CRYING ON CUE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Idea<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I set out to capture actors, who claimed to be able to cry on cue, to cry for me on camera. I\u2019m really fascinated by crying, and I wanted to see how they would go about it, from the moment I called action to the moment I called cut. The video of the woman from Andy Warhol\u2019s Screen Tests, who was crying from not blinking, inspired me.<\/p>\n

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Setup<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I used a Sony A7 III camera and a wireless lapel microphone to capture each actor. I tried to get them in front of a blank wall in the Purnell lobby, but there weren\u2019t many blank walls, so I sat them in front of a \u201cPush to Open Door\u201d button hoping their bodies would cover it, which worked most of the time, but not all the time (which you\u2019ll see). That one tiny detail really bugs me, actually. If I had more time, I would edit the videos in After Effects to remove the button, but I did at least edit the photos.<\/p>\n

Experience<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This experiment really sparked a sense of competition and challenge within the actors. I would go up to a group of them and ask, \u201cCan you cry on cue?\u201d and the conversations almost always went one of three ways: \u201cIt depends on the day, and today I had a good and happy day, so I don\u2019t think I can\u201d or\u00a0 <\/span>\u201cI can\u2019t, but you should ask ____! They can\u201d or (when I went up to the person they told me to go to) \u201cWait, who<\/i> said I can? That\u2019s so weird they said that. I can\u2019t, but you should ask ___! They can.\u201d It was an endless loop.<\/p>\n

To the few people who did say yes, I would say, \u201cGreat! Can I record you doing it then?\u201d They\u2019d always respond, \u201cWait, right now?\u201d And I\u2019d say, \u201cYou said you could cry on cue. This is your cue.\u201d<\/p>\n

At one point, I had actors lining up to try then chickening out then coming back then chickening out again. One person who ended up trying but couldn\u2019t do it even asked me to not use their video because they were embarrassed. They got really competitive (with themselves, not each other) about it.<\/p>\n

End Product<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I attempted to format the videos like so: 1) I would call action, 2) they would begin, 3) I would let them do it for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds, then 4) I would call cut but keep rolling to see how they got themselves out of that place. I got a variety of videos, from people who got themselves to a sad place but without tears, to people who got tears, to people who gave up because they knew they weren\u2019t going to get tears.<\/p>\n

Along with the videos of each person, I have a 3-photo series from when I called action, their saddest moment, and their reaction after the cut.<\/p>\n

Person 1 – P made it to the end but did not get tears<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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