Author: Phoebe Taylor-Vuolo

https://vimeo.com/258013983

For the visual poem assignment, I’d like to do a kind of “visual portrait” of Port Authority terminal. While stations like Grand Central and Penn Station (more so the old Penn Station) are often seen as emblematic symbols of the city, Port Authority is often dismissed. In many ways it is a chaotic, messy, badly designed station, but it has a great deal of character. Bus travel, the people waiting for greyhounds going far out of state, or upstate, as well as the job of working at a place like PA, have always really interested me. I would love to make a short “visual poem” documenting the strange world of Port Authority terminal.

There are two major concerns when it comes to this idea: one is light, I’m not sure if the light quality of the station will be easy to work with. More importantly, I’m worried that the police and security in the station won’t be happy about me filming. It’s very possible that this idea isn’t feasible because of these issues—but I’d like to do a couple of test visits/shots to see. I have a backup plan, in case this doesn’t work. I should know by the end of the week whether this plan is workable.

https://nyti.ms/2EqEKMn

I’m not sure this is the greatest video I’ve ever seen. I’m not even sure if it qualifies for this assignment, since there’s almost no B-Roll (or is it all B-roll?)

In any case, I do think it’s worth looking at, not only because it examines a somewhat relevant topic, at least one relevant for a lot of women, but also because it’s an interesting way of telling a story. The use of sound is really well done, in my opinion. I don’t usually care for super-edited, artsy videos, but this one didn’t feel heavy handed. It felt creative, and it seemed like an interesting way to pull viewers in. The use of sound, the imagery, the quick cuts, it all feels very intentional, which is why I think it works and doesn’t come off as completely heavy-handed. There’s something about the sounds and the images that actually makes you feel it, it conveys a feeling with all symbolic imagery. It’s a fascinating use of language and sound and picture, all together. The creator uses these kind of image-simales and metaphors to convey feelings that are otherwise very difficult to convey. And all of this from what is really just an interview, a one-voice narrative.