Super Night Shot


Gob Squad
Latitude Festival

This is one of those shows which impresses with its technical achievement as much as it entertains with its material.

Having said that, it isn't exactly a display of cutting-edge technology, just clever use of old technology. It basically consists of four people with camcorders with tapes in them—they offer an explanation of what tapes are for younger members of the audience— who all press record at the same time and then press play at the same time to show the results on a screen divided into four.

The skill is all in the planning and the set-up. Around 45 minutes before the show starts, the four performers press record and set off around the site in different directions on a mission. One is asking festival-goers how he can be a hero in the film. Another is searching for locations for the final kiss of the hero. Another looks for someone for him to kiss. The final one—I'm not sure what he was doing exactly.

Everything is recorded in real time with the only synchronisation coming through their watch timers—I didn't see any earpieces for prompts. A clever touch is that every so often all four would stop at the same time to do the same thing, such as a dance, or spinning round and filming themselves against a blurred background. Very impressive.

For the ending, the performers are seen being driven past the queue at the theatre arena to see them and then entering the theatre for the final speech to camera.

The audience comes in to see nothing but a screen on which the footage from all four cameras is played at the same time. The only editing carried out is to select which audio from the four sources is heard at any time.

It may not have any deeper meaning, but it's very impressive, funny and great fun. I don't know how the performers felt, but I was breathless by the end of it.

Reviewer: David Chadderton

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