So you were born with a camera instead of a head. And you can’t help recording everything you see. And you get a reality show of your life as it happens. And anyone who watches your show becomes a television zombie and can’t leave their house. And the only way to save the world is to electrocute yourself in the bathtub while watching reruns of your own birth. It’s what you get when you’re the boy with a camera for a face! Hit the jump to watch the video.
The Boy With A Camera For A Face
This award winning short film from writer/director Spencer Brown is a satirical fairy tale about a boy born with a camera instead of a head, whose every moment is transformed by the fact he is recording it.
The boy with a camera for a face is treated as an outsider by his family and friends and has a tough time finding love until he finds a girl whose face is blurred so she doesn’t mind being recorded every time he looks at her. His unusual talent lands him a reality tv show where his life is played out in real time but the show turns its viewers it into tv zombies who can’t leave their house. When his girlfriend is trapped by the show’s spell he decides to take his own life to save the world.
A little depressing but oddly entertaining at the same time.
You can find out more about The Boy With A Camera For A Face and other films by Spencer Brown on his website at:
StreetShootr’s Take
The film raises some important questions about a world that is constantly surveiled. What does it take to survive if you’re the camera that can’t help recording everything you see?
It’s easy to draw a connection between this and the life of a street photographer. While we may not bring our cameras to bed with us we tend to constantly look at the world as if it was a photograph waiting to happen. And who hasn’t been confronted for taking pictures in public?
In a world where surveilance is everywhere street photographers face the judgement of strangers who see a human observing them as an injustice whereas countless security cams are just the faceless price of security. Like the boy with a camera for a face we have to find a way to navigate the unrealistic opposition that can crop up at anytime. But unlike the boy with a camera for a face I don’t recomend any of us take a bath with a tv/vcr combo!
At the end of the day this short film is just a happy little romp and a fun way to spend 15 minutes of your day.