Project Mirror

An intimate view of the lives of average people.

Background

This project was inspired by Jenni-cam. It will press users into thinking about how they feel about being seen a they are when others generally aren’t looking, and will allow viewers of the project to understand that the outward projection of someone isn’t exactly what you’d expect from them.

Explanation

Project Mirror is a self portrait of an individual created by the subject filming them for a few seconds each hour, on the hour, while they’re awake. The finished product will be a compilation in a 2×2 grid of four individuals who agree to participate as an intimate view into four different individuals’ lives. If I’m unable to find three other individuals do work with, this will be a solo project. The goal at the end is to have the subjects think about how they felt when filming themselves during the project, and to have viewers of the project understand that other individuals have lives that are as complex as their own, and are not exactly the person the subject portrays themselves to be on social media.

Credit

While this project is heavily influenced by Jenni-cam, but also the word “sonder”. Coined by John Koenig in 2012,  it means “the profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passed in the street, has a life as complex as one’s own, which they are constantly living despite one’s personal lack of awareness of it.”¹

Budget

Personal Rate: $17.5 hour

SOFTWARE

• Video Editing Software: $20/month

HARDWARE

• Smart Phone(s): ~$700 ea
• Computer(s):  ~$1,500 ea

PRE-PRODUCTION PLANNING

• ~10 hours

FILMING

• 5 sec x ~16 hours x 5-7 days: ~10 minutes per subject

POST-PRODUCTION

• ~448 uploading/downloading/importing/editing raw footage and rendering/uploading finished product: ~20 hours

MARKETING/PUBLISHING

• ~10 hours

Total: (Less phones & computers) ~$723

1 https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sonder