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Hopefully part of the project is to make an electronic video that is shown at 16fps instead of 24fps (i.e. the speed the silent original was shot at) and then play some appropriate music from the time - maybe some ragtime - on the sound track. Or dub in some genuine tram sounds instead. At least there isn't a know it all voice over.
Posted 16 months ago.
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I see that 100 years has not dampened Vancouverites' spirit to cross Hastings St. without regard for oncoming traffic.
Posted 16 months ago.
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There's absolutely no cars on the streets. Only pedestrians, horses pulling wagons, bicycles and streetcars!
Posted 16 months ago.
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I heard about the attempt to re-create the 1907 route, including closing Cordova so the camera crew can head west, the wrong way on what is now a one-way street. Hopefully that can be a closer approximation of the 1907 film vs. the then-and-now photos in the second link above.
Anyone else notice that the streetcar is on the left-hand side of the road? IIRC, traffic switched to the right side in the 1920s.
Posted 16 months ago.
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good find!
Posted 16 months ago.
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I remember one of my Flickr contacts was part of the filming of the re-creation last year. Can't remember who though.
This was great footage. Very cool to see all the changes in the city. That music was horrible though.
Posted 16 months ago.
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I read somewhere that the original footage was 7 minutes long and was silent. Yeah, the background music was bad. Best viewed with your speakers turned off!
I'm guessing the switch to the right side in the 1920s was to accommodate increased automobile traffic from the United States. I think other Cdn provinces switched years earlier before BC did the switch.
Posted 16 months ago.
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Thanks for posting the links!
Posted 16 months ago.
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I checked it a couple of times and didn't see even one car, was that usual for 1907? I thought there would have been a few by then, especially in a busy downtown.
Thanks for the links
Posted 16 months ago.
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@chowitt - in fact, there was a single car that appeared in the film, but it was parked on the side of the road! That would have been typical for the time, as the first gas powered car appeared in Vancouver in 1904, but the first gas station only opened in June of 1907, so figure that out!
www.vancouverhistory.ca/archives_gas_station.htm
It's good to see some interest in this historic footage, and the anniversary date approaches (next Monday) when the Harbeck film turns exactly 100 years old.
(It is the oldest surviving motion picture film shot of Vancouver - older films where in fact shot here, but have not survived.)
On Monday, look for a special story in the Vancouver Sun - Chuck Davis of Vancouverhistory.ca has been asked to make a contribution about the film, and the group involved in retracing the route (myself included) are looking to film this Mother's Day! (Sunday, May 13)
We're also looking for 6-8 production assistant volunteers on the morning of May 13. If you'd like to lend a hand, flickrmail me, and I can send you more info. We would really appreciate a collaborative approach on this project, and we look forward to retelling the story of the film!
I'm also going to post a photo appeal to coincide with the project, where photos tagged with vancouver19072007 can be reviewed for possible inclusion in our video production! [more details]
Originally posted 16 months ago.
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jmv edited this topic 16 months ago.
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The finished film called 'City Reflections' screened last night at the Planetarium. I found out short notice, or else I would have posted it here. It was interesting to see it projected (the full 6+ minutes of original film) fluidly on a large screen as opposed to youtube, where quality is lacking. The DVD will be for sale at www.johnatkin.com/harbeck/project.htm.
The new footage was good, although I would have liked to have seen more attention paid to the perspective in the shots approximating the 1907 footage a little more closely. The flow of traffic was most likely a large factor here. Nit-picky, I know, but its all in the details. They did an outstanding job pulling all sorts of historical information out, including the lineage of a lot of landmark buildings.
The most interesting thing for me, was watching the film with people who had not previously seen it. When the lights went down, and the first frames flickered (without the cheesy youtube accompanying music - there was only the dubbed sound of a mechanical projector) there was an audible gasp in the crowd, and a larger gasp when the Robson Street footage was identified by the sparse narration.
The society who produced this was so overwhelmed by the turnout they added a second screening immediately after the scheduled first screening. It would not surprise me to hear of this project being screened again in the future; it would also not surprise me if there was an admission next time. The demand certainly would justify it.
Originally posted 3 months ago.
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The Scale Gallery edited this topic 3 months ago.
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Oh, yeah...
Traffic switched to the right-hand-side on January 1st 1922 (they cover that in the film when talking about that single car and Canada's 1st gas station). That must have been a difficult adjustment; made even more confusing on the foggiest-mined of all days.
Originally posted 3 months ago.
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The Scale Gallery edited this topic 3 months ago.
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As to the perspective, the team tried it's best to get as close as possible but there were limitations, not least of, the switch over to the other side of the road. The camera truck stuck as close to the centre line as possible.
Posted 3 months ago.
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