The Sandpit

When I was thinking of things to blog about, my housemate directed me to this video.  Created by Sam O'Hare, this is not actually a video that was filmed, but a compilation of 32,000 different photographs of New York City that were arranged to give an illusion of a miniature city. Through time lapse and tilt-shift photography, O'Hare was able to leave the viewers questioning whether what they were watching was life-sized or miniature.  Time lapse photography is when the film is recorded much slower than it will be played back, so that when it is played at normal speed, it appears to be moving faster and lapsing time.  Tilt-shift photography is when the focus of the lens is tilted to give off a feeling that what is seen is miniature.
The video challenges the viewers to think about the line between reality and fantasy because the effect of the photos and the way it is compiled turn something very real into something fantastical.  On first watching the video, I was unsure of whether it was a small miniature city, or if it was real.  I constantly switched my opinion of the city from being real to being fantasy.  Through the presentation of the city through photographs and techniques in compilation, O'Hare was able to create an optical illusion in film.