A friend of mine posted a link to a video on Facebook the other day, I really liked it, and so I’ve decided to share it with readers of my blog too.
The concept is remarkably simple – “Go to a place. Ask fifty people the same question. Film their responses”.
I’m not going to spoil it…please click on the links marked London/Brooklyn to view the films and you’ll soon see the question that they asked:
LONDON: http://fiftypeopleonequestion.com/locations/4-london-uk
BROOKLYN: http://fiftypeopleonequestion.com/locations/3-brooklyn-ny
“What might happen when we venture far from home now? Will we find that London light around the corner? Will the rain hide all the dreamers out of sight? They might not want to play our little game this time – or we could look away and miss our chance. Or maybe just a bit of something out there will remind us why we take the time to ask.
It’s a simple question and the answers can lead us anywhere. So go ahead, ask yourself…”
I thought that the London fim especially was a beautifully crafted short film, and the music of Chaz Knapp has really added so much to it!
(There is a free download available of Chaz Knapp’s album,”Vie Comme un Parasite Faisant la Féte”, which contains music used in this piece available from THIS website (it is his management’s website – you want PHCH003). Chaz Knapp also has a MySpace page.
Such an uplifting piece of media – really well done to the creators and participants, it really did manage to touch me. I found it especially relevant as I usually have a love/hate relationship with London, though it made me realise that I wouldn’t exchange London for anything at the moment.
That said, if I really could choose just only one place to wake up, I think that it would be in an large modern apartment in New York, big full height glass windows on two sides, I’d be high above a bustling street below, it’d have to be in one of NY’s taller buildings or else slightly out of central Manhatten. I’d open my eyes, roll over and see such a magnificent skyline framed by my apartment, and I wouldn’t have to go anywhere, I could just lie there and look out for miles and miles…
It’s somewhat strange viewing the Brooklyn video and seeing people say that they dream of waking up in London instead of NY. I can’t fathom why someone would pick London over NY, and I think that this really does hit home the sentiment that perhaps it’s not just the person in NY who isn’t appreciating the fantastic city on their doorstep… perhaps they would think that I am just as strange!
Gari Wellingham 
lovely pics. Those city lights are so awesome.
nice twitter acct by the way 🙂
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Thanks re: twitter 🙂 Ditto.
Unfortunately the pics of NY aren’t ones that I’ve taken, though I really wish that I had! When I went to NY, I didn’t get such lovely views unfortunately! Still… one can dream! hehe
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A friend?! :-p
Every american I’ve met dreams of living in London one day. It’s weird, I am the total opposite, I want to live in new york. I get its relative, I already live here so have access to it every day, it gets dull, but we see new york on TV and in our newspapers every single day, so it can be nothing but appealing to us who love London.
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Sorry – I forgot, really I can’t stand you! I shall re-edit and pretend that I discovered the video myself then… 😛
It is really weird, New York would be my dream… it’d be really awesome.
Someone whom I’ve been chatting to online for like 8/9 years has just moved over to the UK from Australia for a few years, he seems totally enamoured with London – at times I was very mindful that I should try and bite my lip so as not to put a dampener on his enthusiasm. Really pleased that he likes it over here and it was nice to kind of ‘rediscover’ London and see it through new eyes again. I would agree that it is very easy for one to become a little de-sensitised to our surroundings. I forget how many ‘landmarks’ that I walk past on the way to work for example, and in conversation frequently and freely toss place names into conversation as if they mean nothing to me. That said, every few days I get a glimpse of something or a feeling that makes me very glad that I am in London and makes me sit up and take notice (such as the NY Fireworks on South Bank, going to watch a really good concert/West End show etc).
My favourite track from the London film was ‘Célébration à une Nouvelle Vie’ 🙂
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Oh, i much prefered the Chinatown track from the London film!
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Thank you for posting our project! We appreciate your wonderful comment about waking up in NY. We have just finished filming in Mexico City. What city would you like to see in our next video? We look froward to hearing your answer at:
http://fiftypeopleonequestion.com/locations/4-london-uk
Thanks again!
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Not a problem – the production quality on your work is fantastic, always a pleasure to watch!
Look forward to future content!
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