Thanks to Peter Ruprecht of Ruprecht Studios for putting together another amazing stop-motion animation. Music by The Scumfrog. Peter created this from more than 22,000 still photographs that he took this year. He says:
“I left it full length so people can use it as a set they listen to by Scumfrog and have visual eye candy behind it”
Enjoy…
Apparently the YouTube one works better on mobile:
[Update 10/25/15 11:43pm]
This video has got a lot of Likes and Shares on Facebook, but has drawn a small amount of criticism here and there. Some Burnier-Than-Thous complained that the people in it are too good looking and not dusty enough. I mean, really? That’s next on the Ban list, hot people? Well, according to burningman.com for the last few years they have been actively trying to get fewer celebrities to attend. That hasn’t really worked out very well, given The Simpsons, Katy Perry, Oprah and Dr Phil. So who could they want to ban next…?
The idea that the way to make Burning Man better is to promote uglier Burners sounds ludicrous to me. But some seem to feel very earnest about it.
Anyway, here is a response from the artist:
…its sad to see yet another comment disparaging the “art” being created about experiences on the playa…i believe i have an opinion about this piece that merits attention..since this is the video I created. … i am going to use that liberty and write …well until i feel i have written enough of a response to yet ANOTHER unfounded statement by righteous people…
Lets get a few things cleared up here…as far as the video goes…THERE IS FAR MORE TIME TO EVERYTHING OTHER THAN PEOPLE POSING THAN ANYTHING ELSE….but now that you have attacked me by attacking what i have made i feel inclined to respond…AS a photographer that is known for taking photos at Burning Man, my work and my motives have been challenged and scrutinized many times over the years. Any negativity I have received over the years was continually due to the “type of woman or man” I would display in my photographs.
I have been accused of only photographing beautiful people. That all had to come to an end as I started to make my “Playa Gift Photo Shoots” for anyone to come and be photographed more publicly known.
I have gone out of my way to “give back” and give ANYONE the ability to come and be photographed under studio lights on the playa in the hopes that they take home a treasured memory that captures them in a nicer light than their cell phones will allow.
I have also NEVER said no to anyone who has asked for a photo and asked for my email other than RUDE people.
Beautiful girls or boys are NOT the problem. Uneducated, uninspired, lazy, entitled, conformist and mean people are the problem. To tell anyone to mind their behavior at burning man because it might be misconstrued since they are pretty is LUDICROUS. The only thing we have to curb are MEAN, shallow, entitled attitudes but some times worse…RIGHTEOUS ATTITUDES.
And the BEST thing we can do is inspire those people to become better people. Maybe teach one of these “wallflowers” YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT that they can create art, that it is liberating to be inspired. I feel much more sorry for the “wallflower” that doesn’t “Get” burning man than the “average looking” person that gets it and is sharing in the playa magic.
Human Beauty has been idolized since the DAWN of man. Were the greeks and romans wrong to sculpt the way they did. Should Michael angelo have made the david look fat? Should the venus demilo be regarded as an affront on our Burning Man Culture because its proportioned in an aesthetically pleasing manner?
Simply preposterous.
I think everyone should stop worrying SOOOO MUCH about the people around them and focus on their own shortcomings and work on those.
WE ALL HAVE them.
The righteous judgment should be sidelined and if critique is to be made, make it specifically on the issue, NOT on the generalizations that lump people into groups like “the beautiful people” or the “ugly people”
Make the groups something that can be representative of your interactions with them. The nice people, the inclusive people, the inquisitive people, the shallow people, the mean people, the entitled people.
AND THEN DO YOUR BEST TO HELP THOSE LATTER TRY AND GET IT!
Oh yeah one other thing pretty much everyone I photographed close up. Is a personal friend. And I know and see them off of the playa. So you are right it’s not representative of the playa. It’s MY experience on the playa with my real friends. And honestly you DONT know them to judge them. And quite frankly you shouldn’t judge at all. But you have already passed judgement of this piece as having to conform into some form of a documentary. For you to be ok with it this video HAS to include some arbitrary group of strangers Iso that includes some arbitrary 98% For you to deem it worthy of existing. Guess what. It’s not a documentary. It never was. It was simply my burn experience through my camera. No one asked you to like it And as a matter of fact you are welcome to hate it. Hate it because it sucks. Hate it because the photos are terrible. Hate it because you hate my point of view. But please spare me the tired argument that it’s not authentic or real because it doesn’t include he people YOU want to see in it and only your concept is authentic. And the saddest thing of all is if all you saw are hot girls.
You missed the best parts of the video. Which are the sunsets. For your own piece of mind. Here is what I wrote about those and what they mean to me:
I am often asked what my favorite part of burning man is. I try and explain to people, that, while it is an amazing party, my favorite times have been during the blessings the universe has sent me while completely ALONE on the playa.
There have been several moments now over the years when i have felt a bolt of electricity curse through my body, knock the wind out of me, and reduce me to my knees shuddering pools of tears.
Bringing me to the realization that i am in the presence of UNIVERSAL LOVE, GOD, ENERGY, HUMANITY, NOTHING, EVERYTHING, you take your pick, BUT, there is something out there definitely palpable and communicating with us.
I am a photographer and every year i find myself in a situation where i look at what is happening in front of me and via nature, not our LEDs or music or sounds or parties or friends, but nature’s simple beauty knocking me over and bringing me to tears.
While i sat looking at the sky, it was all i could do but lift my camera through the tears i shed for the beauty that was presented to me and snap a few shots. I looked around during this sunset expecting to see ALL of burning manas professionals out there with tripods getting FAR better representations of GOD painting the skies for us, and once again i found my self COMPLETELY ALONE. OFF of the 10 o’clock side at the trash fence.
This was on wednesday at the end of the dust storms, and it was me and one jester looking like completely naked german woman maybe of 60 years. She was jumping up and down in circles thanking the heavens laughing hysterically and drawing a circle in the ground which she sat in and kissed the playa. While she looked completely out of her mind, she looked at me ran up and wiped the tears of of my face, so i realized that there was really no difference between laughter and crying. Both opposite ends of the spectrum on a circle touching each other.
We both sat there in complete silence in her circle and i kissed the playa with her, reminded that the universe provides FAR more than we can create by ourselves. For there is no BY OUR SELVES. we are within the universe and the universe is with us. Neither exists without the other. This photo is dedicated the the stange german woman who helped me raise my camera and shoot some of my favorite photos of the burn. Here are two…ill post more as i get to them and give them the love and attention they deserve
Thank you wherever and whoever you are!
I suppose a large part of the objections to this and all the “beautiful people,” is that it is characteristic of a commercial promotion, which of course it is, for the maker of the video. From seeing so many commercials, you are keyed to the surreal artificial beauty. Just like selling toilet paper, your guard goes up.
Of course that is why decommodification is one of the Tin Commandments – a list which has turned into a game plan for how to exploit the NV Burn. I wonder if Larry was sufficiently far-sighted to make the list as a setup for the rube burners to be exploited, or if he just cashed in when given the opportunity.
video aside.. who knows where its possible to down load this mix by “the scumfrog” please?
thanks.
On the internet.
Either: a) the NV burn had deteriorated into this model shoot; or, b) these people missed the experience and thought it was a model shoot. When I went, there was so much more to see, and even video. Are these people missing it, or is it gone?
I think it is both. I don’t recognize burning man in that video. I wouldn’t go to the event that is depicted. It’s sad.
Private photo shoots instead of having fun?… Looks and no substance!
I guess that’s the difference between rich people and artists?
These people are having fun, and most likely did a lot of other things aside from posing for the camera. I’m just sick of videos ONLY showing literally model-level good-looking people prancing around to a techno soundtrack. As others have said, I would have had zero interest in the event as depicted in these kinds of videos.
Have you ever hung out with people like that? Particularly women who measure their value primarily by their looks? Pretty empty experience, regardless of what they are doing. And if they have NPD, like most do, they are always seeking narcissistic supplies, be it from a camera or a fawning fan. And they freely admit it, though they call themselves “high maintenance.” < That little piece of experience advice has saved me from wasting my time many, many times since I learned it.
I’ve hung out with some really good-looking people, sure. Most of them were, you know, normal people. Did the people in this video contribute to a project? Probably not, but then that could be said about most burners since forever. But yeah, this is the techno party crowd, and good-looking or not, I’ve never had fun with that bunch.
It’s not “some really good-looking people,” it is people who consider their greatest value their looks, and frame their life in that context. Very sad, particularly as they grow older.
Would the really good-looking people you know, if they were in BRC, choose to pose for pictures instead of experience the event?
They’d probably stop and pose if a photographer asked them, and then continue on their way, just like I’ve done and many others I’ve seen. Are you saying because these people are hamming it up for this video that it can only mean they did nothing else?
No, I am saying: It is people who consider their greatest value their looks, and frame their life in that context. Would the really good-looking people you know, if they were in BRC, choose to pose for pictures instead of experience the event?
Some of those really good-looking people that I know happened to have been camp mates at BRC. A group of us was asked by a photographer with fancy looking gear if he could take some shots of us. We spent about 10 minutes posing and goofing around for the photographer, then went on our merry way.
Honestly, I’m baffled at why you think a person couldn’t both pose for pictures AND fully experience the event. Even a good-looking person can manage that.
I should add, I’m in no way one of those “really good-looking people,” it’s just that the photographer in question didn’t discriminate, and so included us fugly folks in there with the beautiful people.
If you are talking to me you have to respond to my post not to yourself.
Please read his comments. And watch the whole video.
I responded directly to this question of yours:
“Would the really good-looking people you know, if they were in BRC, choose to pose for pictures instead of experience the event?”
With this:
Some of those really good-looking people that I know happened to have been camp mates at BRC. A group of us was asked by a photographer with fancy looking gear if he could take some shots of us. We spent about 10 minutes posing and goofing around for the photographer, then went on our merry way.
Not sure how much more directly I can respond to your post. You seem to be saying that people can either pose for pictures or “fully experience the event,” but not both. I disagree, and gave a real-life example of how posing for pictures is both fun and quite brief, and does not interfere with other, more participatory activities.
Look up the word, “instead,” and watch the video.
Oh boy, OK. So it’s either/or. Stop and pose for a picture or fully experience the event, you can’t do both. The 10 minutes you spend posing for picture is 10 minutes wasted where you could have been fully experiencing the event.
You must have been EXHAUSTED after each burn you attended.
Since you have not been paying attention and want to talk about what you do, this photographer’s “gift” was to take pictures of people on the playa. People went there and waited in line to have their picture taken. (I guess they got to meet other narcissists in line?) They were also supposed to be dressed in white – or maybe that was last year… you know, dress up for me as my gift to you. Sorta like pissing on their leg to mark territory, but more golden-showers-fashionable.
So, JV, are you saying that you and your pretty people just happened to stop by and wait in line to get your picture taken? …Or maybe he just happened to take pictures of you while you had a private photo shoot with your own photographer, tripod, posing and all? Are you saying that you would rather do that instead of exploring BRC and the playa? And just how is that pre-planned posing challenging your boundaries and finding new aspects of yourself? Do tell!
Of course if what you do had nothing to do with the video, you are more than welcome not to reply.
I wait in line for nothing at Burning Man, but some people do. Maybe it takes an hour or two. Does this exclude them from the possibility of “fully experiencing” the event? Is your criteria for such that all waking hours must be spent “challenging boundaries?” Look, I hate this video and think people waiting in line for waffles or art cars or photographers are wasting their time. But, I also realize that one can engage in different types of activities throughout the week.
Not even port-a-potties? Ice? A drink at Distrikt?
Ha, I guess I meant I don’t wait in line for events. Porta potties and ice is about it. Certainly not drinks at Distrikt, that’s gotta be the busiest bar on the playa. I bring my own if I’m there.
Shit…Burning Man’s great leveller
How quaint. Seems you have not been paying attention. Gone are the days when the Black Rock regional was just space and porta-potties. Now, for your $5,000+, you get private toilet facilities. And I suppose for an extra $5,000 they will provide a sherpa to eat your food – at your table of course, to make Marion happy – and will also crap it out for you.
Now here is the question…. Does the sherpa get to use the CCamp toilet, or do they have to use the porta-potties like the peasants? I am sure it is a closely-guarded secret. …Don’t tell Marion, it will break her heart.
They’re missing it. Peter is a pro who hangs with the beautiful people. They don’t get dusty.
You have to get your boots just dusty enough, and then head back to your RV for a shower. (…And using up all the frakking water!!)
Looks like the Playa is going through a typical “neighborhood” gentrification cycle….
– the original hippies and artists create the “cool factor” of the Playa with their art and lifestyle throughout the years
– the “cool factor” attracts the techie hipsters that bring the money and media attention which starts to push out those of lesser means
– the media attention brings the “see and be seen”, aka eurotrash crowd, which brings more even more money to the event
– the “beautiful” crowd attracts the uber wealthy which brings more of the default world of exclusivity, self-importance and even more money to pay others to work for them on the Playa; be they as camp staff or an artist patronage system.
Eventually, no one recognizes the original “neighborhood” and a new one will be created somewhere else; and the cycle will happen again like any other city in America.
Bingo.
Very astute, Bob. Maybe we need to make downtown Detroit the new BRC.
Really? Those are the choices? Twenty-something, perfect body model or “ugly?” No room for any variations, everyone else is “ugly. ”
Thanks for clarifying.
What 2015 Burning Man video do you prefer? Please share with the rest of us, post some links.
Honestly, none.
I know this talk has been going on since on forever and blah blah blah… But I really do think burning man has departed so substantially from the intended form (at least the form I loved) that I really do think it’s over. Sadly.
I would never go to the event depicted in that video, or in anything I’ve seen from 2015.
Did I mention that Burning Man is NOT a music video? Post links to videos that have sync track sound, and/or a narration by a person who was there. Those are not music videos.
Lest we forget how much the added music colors these videos… https://vid.me/pb5k
https://vid.me/e/pb5k
Hate this. Again. Why keep posting this slick boring shit?
Uhhhhh… could it be that the Borg faithful gripe that he never posts anything positive?
(Yes, the irony is purely intentional.)
Oh boy, more videos with hot young models. That is the essence of Burning Man, for sure. Hot, scantally-clad twenty-year-olds with professional photographers. Thanks for sharing, just can’t get enough of that.
Luckily we have no diversity to celebrate.
Agreed
It started out promising, then after like a solid minute of that rich lady posing for her private photographer – I couldn’t watch any more. It looks exhausting to be a poseur and try to look neat to impress others, instead of… Actually having your own genuine experience. Whatever. Blond rich lady, if you’re reading this, stop trying so hard and freaking relax.
It is pretty clear that she is trying to get on top of this whole daunting NV burn experience by slicing out a small part that she can define, dominate and control. Pretty much makes getting the most from the experience utterly impossible.
If you never get pushed outside your boundaries, you never grow or expand. Burning man used to be good for growth. Not any more, if you keep your little bubble firmly in place. Like that lady.
I’ll be on the lookout for “Ugly Burning Man people” videos for you.
name of music please?
Post elevator
please clarify