Version two

Pictureman visiting the Mediapark in Hilversum. Center of old media productions.

Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.

This is the second edit. Version one, by Matthijs Treurniet, is here.

Pictureman says

Camera and edit: Matthijs Treurniet.

Texts for voice-over Pictureman, based on an interview with Akbar Simonse.

Sometimes I feel lonely.
But not when I’m behind my computer.
A picture can be company, you know.

Writing comments.
Being social.
Making connections.
I know them.
I’ve met them.
They know me.
So that’s it.
When I freez, I socialize.

I like documentaries.
And… the Simpsons.
But that’s personal.
I almost never look at movies.
I hate dramaseries and soaps, I don’t care.
I don’t understand.
Games and shows are not for me.
Don’t even talk about it.
I just don’t understand that kind of fun.
I never watch television on my computer.
I need a big screen.
My eyes are getting tired very often.

I’m a very tolerant person.
The only thing I hate are intolerant people.
It would be a nightmare for me, if my pictures would be used for something I can not identify with.
Identification is important.
I love my pictures.
I love people.

I love to learn.
But I hate manuals.
I never read them.
When I bought my camera, I read the first twenty pages.
Then I stopped.
I thought: when I need something, I’ll look it up.

When something goes wrong with my computer, I call someone to help me.
Technique has to be easy.
Technique should make me feel comfortable.
Most of the time it makes me feel stupid.
I don’t want to feel stupid.
It has to be simple.

Look at me.
Just an old man with a camera and a hat.
This is how I look, late at night.
This is me.
I never try to look like someone who isn’t me.
These are all parts of me.

Privacy doesn’t exist anymore nowadays.
Not in this society.
Don’t touch the internet, they say, for it will touch you.
But I don’t want to stay at home all the time.
Why should I?
The moment you walk the street, you lose part of your privacy.
There it starts.
I don’t care.

I have a mobile phone.
I call and sms.
That’s it.
Once I took a picture with my phone, but I don’t know where it is right now.
It’s gone.
I have my camera, so why should I take pictures with my phone?
Internet on my phone? I don’t think so.

I will become an old, maybe a bit worried man.
I’m not very enthousiastic about my own health.
My health bothers me.
Being alone bothers me.

How did it change me?
Did it change me?
It’s hard to say.
(Silence)
I have to think about that.
(Silence)
Well, I look things up.
If I want to know something, I look it up.
I’m in charge.

I read newspapers.
I watch the news.
But I never search for news on the internet.
I don’t have to know everything.
Most of the time it doesn’t interest me.
Maybe it will interest me in a few years.
I can wait.
I’m not in a hurry.
I don’t want to be informed about anything.
I just de-connect from information.
I’m glad I’m not a news addict.
I’m addicted to people.

I like comments.
Sometimes it becomes a story.
I upload a picture, give it a title, and people start to comment, just like that.
They start to interpret.
Sometimes they see things I didn’t see.
It makes me laugh.

Sometimes I love to be offline.
As if it is not there.
Time flies when you’re online.
I also love to stop.
A few days, a week.
And now something completely different.

I consider it a world.
Strange, yet common after a while.
It’s all about how quick you get used to certain habits.

The making of King Pictureman

Photographer: Marco Habanero.
Akbar Simonse as Pictureman / King
Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.

The making of Superman

Photographer: Marco Habanero.
Akbar Simonse as Superman with iPhone.
Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.

The making of Astronaut

Photographer: Marco Habanero.
Akbar Simonse as Pictureman / Astronaut
Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.

The making of Yogi

Photographer: Marco Habanero.
Akbar Simonse as Pictureman / Yogi
Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.

Portrait Millstonecollar

Photography: Marco Habanero.
Akbar Simonse as Pictureman with millstonecollar.
Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.

The Attic

During the photoshoot with Akbar Simonse we did an improvisation in the attic of the building with photographer Marco Habanero.
Here Akbar walks the stairs as a King, transforms into a Pierrot and poses.
Music and text will be added in a later stadium.
Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.

Music by John Cage

Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.
Akbar Simonse: Pictureman.

Found this clip of John Cage: Dream.
Can be played during the film.
(Start music and image at the same time.)

Watching TV, going to bed.

Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.

Voyeurism #1

Camera and edit: Ronnie Griens.

Pictureman Photo Booth

Camera: Matthijs Treurniet. Edit: René Willenborg.

Pictureman visits studio’s at Mediapark

camera: Matthijs Treurniet en Ronnie Griens (edit).

Close up

Akbar Simonse as Pictureman.
Camera: Ronnie Griens.

When I look at this clip, I don’t miss text, nor music. Would it be possible to make Media Me a silent movie?

Act as if you’re not there

Akbar Simonse, Matthijs Treurniet.

At this moment Matthijs is at Akbars place. Filming.
It’s his last day on the project. He worked one month on Media Me.
This was the deal.
Lots of material he shot is still waiting in the editroom.
“When you’re at Akbars place, film everything he does”, I wrote to him. “But act as if you’re not there.”

They are in The Hague, I’m in Amsterdam.
I sent them YouTube movies and links to explore.
Now Akbar sends me pictures while playing with his webcam.
The search for Media Me material continues and Akbar is Pictureman, the narrator of the story about The Digital Revolution.
How it affects us, what it means.
Next week Ronnie Griens and René Willenborg will take over again with their videocamera’s.
(Very curious for todays material. Still working without a script.)

Akbar Simonse as Pictureman in Media Me.

Route #1

Camera and edit: Matthijs Treurniet.

Sound, music and text will be added later. Silent images first.

Woman with mobile #2

Camera: Matthijs Treurniet.

Streetportraits #2 (with extras)

Streetportraits #2. Featuring: Akbar Simonse as Pictureman, Maurits Burgers, Mariëlle Ernst, Bas Bogers, Roel Wijnants, Pieter Musterd and others.
Camera and edit: Matthijs Treurniet.

Woman with mobile #1

fragment Streetportraits #2.
Camera: Matthijs Treurniet.

Version one/part one

Pictureman: Akbar Simonse.
Camera Matthijs Treurniet (train) and Ronnie Griens.
Edit: Matthijs.

Version one/ part one of Pictureman visiting the Media Park in Hilversum Noord. Here are all big  and small broadcastorganisations of The Netherlands located. In part two of this scene Pictureman ends up in some big, empty TV studio. Voice-overs and music will be added in a later stadium.