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Prying Art

Or: Binoculart
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Take an auditorium and plonk it outside with a clear view to an apartment block some distance away. In each seat rests a pair of binoculars with an attached earpiece. The earpiece is tuned via a directional gyroscope in the binoculars, so can be programmed to deliver the sound of what the binoculars are pointing at.

As evening approaches, the audience take their seats and are not told what to do. Most will begin playing with the binoculars, and soon, by chance or by word-of-mouth, they'll figure out the performance they've come to see is being played out in the building opposite, notably, in the rooms whose lights have just come on. The cheeky prying sods.

Scenes may occur at the same time, so the audience is free to follow whichever they find first or feel is more appealing. They can hear what the actors are saying when they are looking at them.

The actors won't be confined to a single room, but will move from one to another in confrontation/secrecy or whatever the plot desires.

The audience is encouraged to gossip afterwards in the theatre bar, discussing what they witnessed, as it will often be different – hopefully resulting in polarised opinions of the characters involved.

theleopard, Sep 10 2012

Earascope coin operated version without actors [xenzag, Sep 10 2012]

Rear Window http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear_window
A Hitchcock classic … [8th of 7, Sep 10 2012]

The Conversation http://en.wikipedia...ki/The_Conversation
also a classic. [calum, Sep 12 2012]

A bit like this http://www.sadlersw...ctric-Hotel/gallery
But less stylised, from further away, and with a plot. Also, binoculars. [theleopard, Sep 17 2012]

Crabs http://www.youtube....watch?v=pUBb9JhQ0nE
One scene from my Blog Movie idea, in which all dialogue is lifted unedited from the web and acted out. This particular one was a conversation between a pervert and a prankster. [theleopard, Sep 19 2012]

[link]






       Like a formalised version of "Rear Window" ?   

       <link>   

       Sounds interesting …   

       <later>   

       No gyroscopes needed. Put an IR emitter on each "window" and a directional receiver on the binocs. Simple, cheap and effective. Where you look, you see ... and hear.
8th of 7, Sep 10 2012
  

       //Binoculart// Rolls off the tongue nicely.   

       Have you tried a practice run?
Lesser Spotted Kiwi, Sep 10 2012
  

       Indeed he has. The case comes to court next month.
8th of 7, Sep 10 2012
  

       [+] Would love to do this.
leinypoo13, Sep 10 2012
  

       Just make sure than no-one sees you.
8th of 7, Sep 10 2012
  

       //Would love to do this//   

       I have a brown raincoat you can borrow.
Lesser Spotted Kiwi, Sep 10 2012
  

       Why'd you have to make it pervy?
leinypoo13, Sep 10 2012
  

       Because if it wasn't pervy it wouldn't be any fun?
8th of 7, Sep 11 2012
  

       //Because if it wasn't pervy it wouldn't be any fun.//   

       Speak for yourself.
Lesser Spotted Kiwi, Sep 11 2012
  

       We do. "Legio mihi nomen est, quia mult sumus."
8th of 7, Sep 11 2012
  

       Whoa. Quo Vadis?
Lesser Spotted Kiwi, Sep 11 2012
  

       .THE.ROMANS.DID.NOT.BVILD. AN.EMPIRE.BY.HOLDING. MEETINGS.THEY.DID.IT.BY. RVTHESSLY.SLAVGHTERING. ALL.WHO.OPPOSED.THEM.
8th of 7, Sep 11 2012
  

       Well in that case. MATE!!!
Lesser Spotted Kiwi, Sep 11 2012
  

       //Well in that case. MATE!!! //   

       Building empires on Argentinian tea? No, no, no, no. Indian tea, thank you very much.
theleopard, Sep 11 2012
  

       Great idea - reminded me too of 'Rear Window'
hippo, Sep 11 2012
  

       No need for actors; Informed and consenting subjects could be found for such an apartment building.
MikeD, Sep 12 2012
  

       As anyone who has ever spent extended periods of time peering through binoculars will tell you, real people are in fact very dull and uninteresting, so yes, they do need to be actors.
8th of 7, Sep 12 2012
  

       Please confirm you're not writing from experience.
Phrontistery, Sep 12 2012
  

       <HAL9000>   

       "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."   

       </HAL9000>
8th of 7, Sep 12 2012
  

       Naughty peeping Borg. All of you, come down from that tree and watch out for mr McFly's car when you do.
theleopard, Sep 14 2012
  

       Awwwww … you're no fun any more.
8th of 7, Sep 14 2012
  

       (Of course, I meant Mr Baines's car, for those of you tutting at my erroneous film reference.)
theleopard, Sep 14 2012
  

       An Agatha Christie style audience participation weekend might up the action a little but then again there isn't much one is able to do with a bunch of dead bod.......
Lesser Spotted Kiwi, Sep 15 2012
  

       ^Since that Court Order came through.
AusCan531, Sep 15 2012
  

       With appropriate animatronics and back lit shadows on a curtain surely this could be setup as a regular paid for event, the script could be randomly generated using a mixture of existing sitcoms and soaps. Heaven knows this could even be scripted on the web using a crude algorithm.
PainOCommonSense, Sep 17 2012
  

       Are you saying make everything automated? Like watching an animatronics scene at the museum?   

       Or just having the script randomly generated to keep it as obscure as real life?
theleopard, Sep 18 2012
  

       Yes both or either if you like, what would I know?
PainOCommonSense, Sep 18 2012
  

       //this could even be scripted on the web using a crude algorithm //   

       Incidentally, I started composing a film script a few years ago that took various forum conversations as its dialogue. The idea was to film them being spoken aloud in person, to portray how absurdly people interact with each other online. I quite liked the idea of a scene in a cinema, at which people in the audience scream their bigoted opinions throughout.   

       One of the scenes I shot, actually. It's online somewhere...
theleopard, Sep 18 2012
  

       did end in a discussion about Hitler and Jesus?
PainOCommonSense, Sep 18 2012
  

       Was it lost in translation?
Lesser Spotted Kiwi, Sep 18 2012
  

       No, it was about crabs, and didn't have Scarlett Johansson in it.
theleopard, Sep 18 2012
  

       //and didn't have Scarlett Johansson in it// That's a shame.
hippo, Sep 18 2012
  

       Mmmm, Scarlett Johansson's crabs...
theleopard, Sep 18 2012
  

       Found my Crabs. It was in my computer, so did a Youtube [linky].
theleopard, Sep 19 2012
  
      
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