The City That Never Sleeps

Описание: Shot and edited by Carly Caplan and Mallory Goodwin

This short film was made as a final project for a class at NYU Tisch.

The City That Never Sleeps translates the experience of being in a city and all the noise that comes from it. A girl is doing her typical night routine; brushing her teeth, reading and trying to fall asleep. Her frustration begins with the noise she hears from her neighbors and the nearby elevator. As she begins to doze off, she tosses and turns, being reminded of the loud scenery of the city. We use overlays to convey the state of sleeping while your thoughts are still stirring. She finally gives up on attempting to fall asleep and goes to the window to fuel her fascination with the city. Looking out of the window, she sees streets, people, and cars. We also add split screens and super impositions in this sequence, alluding back to material such as Christmas on Earth, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm, and Chelsea Girls. These techniques add to the avant-garde aspect of the film and give it a new creative dimension. The city becomes a character in The City That Never Sleeps; as it is always moving and ever-changing. The girl can try to fall asleep and forget about where she is, yet she will always be pulled back to the wonder tied to New York City. The music added to the window sequence further explains the comfort between being in one’s room while seeing the world below the building. In the end, she releases herself to a meditative state, viewing the cityscape, before she can begin to fall asleep again.