I hope they had a multitude of psychologists on-set for the duration of the project to collect and analyze all the social interactions coming out of what I can only explain as... the biggest game of "Let's play soviet Russia!" I could ever imagine.
It wasn't just the social engineering of this that has me floored, it is the funding and absurd level of attention to detail that I can't believe; e.g. custom-sized pipe used for the real-flushing toilets in the fake apartments because the director felt it sounded more authentic. Or the real food in the fridges of these fake (Real?) apartments that actually had the real 1952 expiration dates printed on them.
This would be like the sets of Mad Men not being CG-enhanced 1, 2 and 3-room constructions, but instead being an honest to god city block of high rises with working apartments and people living in them for years at a time all forced to act/talk/dress like they lived in the 1960s again.
This is truly impressive... I don't know if that is the right word. Scary also comes to mind.
I am also concerned that so many people signed up to live in this environment willingly for 6 years. It doesn't bother me that the director had this passionate vision, it bothers me that so many willingly and happily followed suit; even the ugly aspects necessary to fulfill their rolls.
I don't know what that says about the human condition, but given the eerie similarities between this and the classic Stanford "The Experiment", I feel a strange tingle in my stomach.
People lived in this environment (Soviet Russia) for a lot longer than 6 years. And as the author points out, it doesn't take long for some people to acclimate. Snitching on friends and the other "ugly" aspects are part of human nature. Even if we can avoid some of them most of the time, just think what crazy things you're doing to other people today without it even bothering you.
Interesting story and well-written article. Thinking about the massive amount of footage this project has generated, I'm hoping they've spent the money to store all of it. I would love an interactive movie or a full-on video game (anyone remember the Tex Murphy series?) based on this.
The description of the fake town is reminiscent of the set made by the troubled director in Charlie Kaufman's brilliantly skewed film Synecdoche, New York (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383028/)
I don't think that's true. It appears the production for Dau started in 2005 or so ("Dau, by comparison, is entering its sixth year..."), and Synecdoche was released sometime in 2008.
It wasn't just the social engineering of this that has me floored, it is the funding and absurd level of attention to detail that I can't believe; e.g. custom-sized pipe used for the real-flushing toilets in the fake apartments because the director felt it sounded more authentic. Or the real food in the fridges of these fake (Real?) apartments that actually had the real 1952 expiration dates printed on them.
This would be like the sets of Mad Men not being CG-enhanced 1, 2 and 3-room constructions, but instead being an honest to god city block of high rises with working apartments and people living in them for years at a time all forced to act/talk/dress like they lived in the 1960s again.
This is truly impressive... I don't know if that is the right word. Scary also comes to mind.
I am also concerned that so many people signed up to live in this environment willingly for 6 years. It doesn't bother me that the director had this passionate vision, it bothers me that so many willingly and happily followed suit; even the ugly aspects necessary to fulfill their rolls.
I don't know what that says about the human condition, but given the eerie similarities between this and the classic Stanford "The Experiment", I feel a strange tingle in my stomach.