"Being there" in the flesh was no distinction for me as a filmmaker; anyone who visits this center of the Occupy movement at Zuccotti Park can see it: for every three people raising their voices in protest, one person is pointing a camera/camcorder/smartphone at them. This park (some signs call it a Zoo) has stimulated hundreds of short films ranging from slick, funded activist productions to shaky, jello-y smartphone clips on YouTube. They either edit around the whole experience, building up pretty inspiration, or they ramble around the inevitable mess of congestion with mocking inelegance. I saw room for something in-between.
Armed with a large-sensor camcorder that has stunning low-light sensitivity, I went into the Zoo after sunset (when most other gawkers had gone home) for a more cinéma vérité-style documentary approach. It shows everything just as it was, but builds to a climax that is worth waiting for.
[For my companion piece -- a short music video juxtaposing time-lapse and slow-motion footage -- see vimeo.com/hpmoon/occupy.]
Filmed and edited by H. Paul Moon / Zen Violence Films | zenviolence.com
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