This video features a day in the Life of Sigg. This special type of water bottle just so happens to have a very melancholic attitude towards its own existence.

Although there are people in the video, their identities are never made apparent to the viewer. The video is intended to connect the viewer to Sigg the water bottle and every effort is made to ensure that no other significant objects/people are to be connected to instead.

Throughout the day’s journey, viewers are transported to another world of emotions that they have probably never considered a water bottle to share.

Life of Sigg

Dave Freedman
FA/YSDN 3009 Sec G
York/Sheridan Joint Program in Design
Franci Duran

Special Thanks to
Kyle Pakeman, Amy Stubbs, Justin Lawrence
and Sigg the Water Bottle

DaveFreedman©2008

Narration:
it’s been exactly 8 hours and 13 minutes since i’ve last seen the light of day
awake in here i lie, my dreams held deep, and tucked away
when finally i’m lifted, my cold steel warms to the jogger’s stay

he takes a sip from me, no time to yawn
almost as quick as he has come, now he is gone
left out on the counter, i feel… withdrawn

it’s a school day for him, and it’s me he’ll rush to snag
we make our way to the bus, and while there he’ll clip me… very carefully… to his bag
alone, i’ll hold on… and on the bus.. i wag

walking into the class, i’m held out like a prize
only to be set on the table next to him, and cast aside

what’s this? another bottle left all alone
no, don’t take me away, i wanted to moan
put me back on the table, i say, before my chances are blown

i’d say something to it, if i wasn’t so meek
the female’s noticed me, she’s begun to speak
she notices my tall slender body, and how it’s so sleek

comparing my form to hers, the female leads
ignoring me, the jogger falls for her tease

listening to the both of them swoon, i assure you, was a bore
when we’re back on the bus, i’m clipped on once more
alone dangling again, so close to the floor

when we get home, maybe i’ll just end it all
no reason to fight it, off the counter i’ll take my fall
but in runs the jogger, answering my call

from his heart to mine, maybe he’s building a bridge
alas, i have spoken too soon, for now i’m back in the fridge

Written by Dave Freedman
Narrated by Justin Lawrence

2. Overview
The premise of this video is a day in the life of my Sigg waterbottle. To make things more interesting, the point of view of (most of) the movie is told from the position of the waterbottle. When camera shots are from the waterbottle’s POV, they will be cell-shaded to provide that extra level of fantasy.

Although the length of the video will go from sunrise to sunset, it will mostly be told through the actions and happenings of the waterbottle on a typical day. In addition to the POV shots of the watterbottle, there will be many close-up and extreme close-up shots of the waterbottle as it undergoes the day’s trials.

Whenever humans are shown in the video, the tops of their faces will not be seen. The camera will be so low so as to actually cut off the heads of the humans who are being framed. This will add to the surrealism and intrigue of this video while helping it focus attention on the waterbottle itself. Additionally, any human speech will be inaudible (kind of like a murmur) and written narration will be placed underneath. A narrator will describe the elements of the video as they unfold.

A final element that has been added to the video is that the human owner (a Jogger) will be ironically and paradoxically looking for a significant object in which to make a movie about. The goal of the waterbottle on this particular day is to show off its usefulness in the hopes that it will be chosen as the significant object to be showcased.

3. Audience / Context
The intended audience of this project is my Time-Based Communications class and any viewers who would enjoy a creative approach to a day in the life of a significant object; my water bottle.

4. Key Message
I want my audience to learn about how even seemingly insignificant objects can have even eventful days than we could possibly imagine.

5. Content Planning
I plan to have the video shot from an omniscient narration point of view and the point of view of the water bottle. When POV shots of the water bottle are used, I hope to include animation / cell shading / rotoscoping.

6. Bibliography
The only external content to be used in this video is the instrumental music played underneath the narration. The music is from a royalty-free music cd from Seneca College Corporate Media Production department.

7. Visual / Conceptual References
No specific work was used as an initial reference for this project; but I am sure that many years of cultural films have influenced my composition and editing choices.

Eternity Cologne Bottle
Used almost exclusively since the year 2000, this cologne bottle represents a symbol of quality and professionalism that I’ve tried to exude ever since discovering its scent. Although other cologne’s have been tried, this particular one is always brought back as the best combination of synthetic and natural smells to combine with my skin.

Lonely Planet Italian Phrasebook
Purchased in May 2007, this little phrasebook maintained a short lifespan of usefulness. Since I was going away on a 6-week trip to Italy, it seemed like a good idea to prepare myself by acquiring an easy to use phrasebook. The book itself is quite useful, but my fellow travelers who were of Italian decent were even more useful. The book did provide an extra level of assistance when I found myself looking for toiletries alone in an Italian groceria and added humour when my fellow travelers discovered it had a ‘relationship’ section.

Ray Ban Sunglasses (knock-off)
Although almost every pair of sunglasses I have ever purchased have been quickly damaged or lost, this cheap and fragile pair have managed to last through the ages. Purchased on my summer 2007 Italian trip from a street vendor looking to make a quick buck off tourists, it is surprising how these glasses have managed to remain intact despite the negligent care they often undergo. On occasion, I have stopped into Lenscrafters to pick up a real case for my fake glasses or to have them professionally tightened for free despite the representative questioning whether or not they were originally purchased in that location.

Knitted Hacky Sack
A constant reminder of my limber early high school days where each lunch hour and sometimes after school some of my friends and I would attempt to play hacky sack. Despite how often we played, a triumph of 10 hits was often cherished and the ability to perform advanced maneuvers through some gymnastic showoff was always applauded. As a side bonus, the ability to never have my ankle rolled since it became so flexible from the gameplay was something I have grown to appreciate each time I trip off of the sidewalk.

Sony Ericsson HPM-80 (Radio Remote, 2nd pair)
One of my favourite pieces of technology, this little radio remote has allowed me to pretend enjoying music while still being lazy of actually acquiring it myself. I often used this little device in conjunction with my cell phone while going for early morning rollerblade rides. Since it connected to the radio, the talk radio show of 103.5 became an enjoyable way to start each of my mornings. The 2nd pair aspect of this device came when I had to find a friend willing to scour eBay for a new version of this device. (I had lost the old one that came with the phone and by definition, this device only did come with that phone it was made for.)

Motorcycle Key
The key to my motorcycle is what allowed it be driven the 5000 km I’ve managed to take it during the few short months I have owned it so far. Although I have never actually lost the key, I have often considered how terrible it would be to accidently lock the key inside the storage compartment at the back or to just lose the key in general.

Silver Bracelet
I have been wearing this bracelet almost consistently for the past 8 years. Although purchased for myself, it was picked up on my trip to Acapulco Mexico and reminds me of a time when our family went on our last big trip together. I enjoy the cool feeling of the bracelet on my skin and when I put it on each morning it helps symbolize a feeling a of finalizing my morning ritual / routine of getting ready for the day. A day without the bracelet is a day not started off right.

Silver Ring
This ring is a fairly new addition to my daily outfit. Although new is a relative term (it is about 4 years old), it is new compared to the above mentioned bracelet which it compliments. Although the ring is often taken off and on throughout each day, it is a ring that symbolizes many years of my life. For it is a ring from my last year of high school and features symbols of academia and student council which by far were the most important aspects of those years for me.

Watch
I have had this watch for about 3 years now. Being quite punctual, I had wanted a nice watch to wear for many years and was quietly hoping that someone would notice my desire for punctuality and my lack of object to quantify it. After waiting for a few years and never receiving such a functional gift, I decided to pick it up for myself. I went with a strapped Fossil watch to add the benefit of swap-ability for when I decide to finish with one style and take on another.

Sigg Waterbottle
The final addition to my collection is my cherished Sigg waterbottle. Although only in my possession for less than one month so far. It has become one of my most favourite objects because of the many areas of my life it can symbolize. Bringing together my desire to have a convenient liquid container (which I have attempted to pick up many times and never successfully been satisfied), a clipable top (since it adds that extra level of convenience) and a style which demands respect and durability. This waterbottle will not only keep me healthy for years to come, but has aspirations of opening up conversations with many acquaintances who could become something more.

In my video, I asked for as many people as possible to help me by opening and closing umbrellas in the perfect sequence to form the shapes of the numbers.

(The music is from Gene Kelly’s musical number, ‘Singing in the Rain’.)
I would also like to thank everyone who helped out with the production of this video.

2. Overview
For my interpretation of a 10-Second Countdown, I decided to gather a bunch of people into a large space and have them open up umbrellas in a synchronized pattern. The idea would be that the tops of their umbrellas would form the shapes of numbers as the movement is being filmed from high up above.

3. Audience / Context
The intended audience of this project is my Time-Based Communications class and any viewers who would enjoy a creative approach to displaying a 10-Second Countdown. The project is meant to appear somewhat impromptu with regular people opening up umbrellas in a partially-organized pattern.

4. Key Message
I want my audience to learn about how a large scale version of a small project can capture one’s imagination and open up possibilities they may not have thought about.

5. Content Planning
I plan to have the video shot in both video and photographs to give lots of options for post-production. Whether or not the final project will include both video and photographs in any combination will have to be decided within the editing stage once the footage can be viewed.

6. Bibliography
I have decided to include an acoustic section of audio from the ‘Singing in the Rain’ sequence featuring Gene Kelly. This video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkEvy-9yVyQ. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kyle Pakeman, Amy Stubbs and all of the actors for their assistance with the filming and photographing process.

7. Visual / Conceptual References
No specific work was used as an initial reference for this project; but the ‘Singing in the Rain’ sequence featuring Gene Kelly with an umbrella was probably a cultural inspiration for the idea of this piece in my subconscious.

The final part of the sequence has yet to be determined, but one idea could be to have all of the umbrellas in a pile and explode outwards.

Essentially, the sequence would look like this:
10 (1 second) – people moving and umbrellas opening
9   (1 second) – people moving and umbrellas opening
8   (1 second) – people moving and umbrellas opening
7   (1 second) – people moving and umbrellas opening
6   (1 second) – people moving and umbrellas opening
5   (1 second) – people moving and umbrellas opening
4   (1 second) – people moving and umbrellas opening
3   (1 second) – people moving and umbrellas opening
2   (1 frame) – people moving and umbrellas opening
1   (1 second + 29 frames) – umbrellas exploding outwards

- elevator + elevator door and buttons
- lighting up Assinaboine residence buildings
- lighting up Pond Road Residence buildings
- numbers on a rotary dial telephone
- umbrellas opened up by people
- cars in the parking lot
- shining large search light
- hockey scoreboard
- leaves floating; then a branch falling
- urban numbers
- movie theatre popcorn machine
- dice rolling
- playing cards, card tricks
- sand washing away
- alphabet soup
- crop circles/marks
- stadium crowd signs
- fuse burning

Ideally, I would like to work on an idea that’s really big in scale; but we’ll see what becomes accomplishable…