The Suburban Times

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Experimental Short Film: Tacoma Avenue From End To End

By

Submitted by Donovan Wilson.

This experimental short film is about how things change from one end of Tacoma Avenue to the other. This film is was shot out of a car window on a recent rainy day.

I tried to edit the film in a way to challenge the viewer to make connections and associations between different images of the city. I hope you can watch it from beginning to end and I am curious what you thought about during it.

Tacoma Avenue End To End

Comments

  1. The tents right on the curb are troubling to me. News today was a drunk driver jumping a curb and injuring a man waiting for a bus. The tents on curbs are an accident waiting to happen. Where is our concern for life? We hire our government to solve complex problems like this and they have no plan. Please, Please get these tents into a safe place.

    • People picking their spot is up to them. This is what they chose. I learned a long time ago you are responsible for your choices and actions. Not everybody else. The film was good. But then I have been here a long time. (1969) I recognize a lot of Tacoma Ave. All in all it looks pretty much the same just a lot more people. The people are still good and The City of Destiny does not follow the crowd. I have grown to love it. Rebels until the end. Your film needs a little consistent speed but when in a car it’s hard to do. A Hodge Podge of our town?

  2. That was about half of Tacoma Ave. There is still the south part going down to S. 43rd street but okay, I still get the message: Whitey bad.

  3. A pretty cool movie showing how it is these days and setting the mind thinking to what it could be like. An unpolitical survey that speaks to the mind and soul. At least, that’s how I perceive it.
    I liked the slower camera better than the fast pans at the beginning which made me a bit dizzy. And I loved when the wipers opened a window to what was out there. The music was a perfect component of the work. Thank you for sharing this.

  4. Having never seen the length of a street being used to illustrate the differences, if not separation, along today’s social, architectural, and economic realities, I thought the film’s premise was novel. Where I thought it broke down was in its execution: the quick panning and frequent cuts were to my mind (I’m an older person) jangling, and distracted from the film’s core message. I would have appreciated longer cuts and steadier camera work focused not just on the physical environment but on those living within and along this street. The instances where the camera stopped to focus on individuals whose activities were suggestive of their circumstances were, to my mind, the most evocative parts of the film.

    It is to your credit that you are seeking feedback for your efforts. I appreciate the opportunity to comment.

    • Tacoma Ave has mostly old architecture. This is a very old area and is set upon a high overlook. In the film it is the same today as it has been since I have lived here. (1969) I do not know what the message is because Tacoma is full of mostly ordinary people living ordinary lives. Tacoma tore down and rebuilt a lot of this area. The thing is someone has to pay for making it beautiful. Taxes. Seattle redid their city a few years back cleaned it up ran people out who could not afford their new rents. Today I would say I wouldn’t go to Seattle it’s such a mess. I love Tacoma just as she is and I love her history. Tacoma is a working man/woman town. We know who we are.

  5. Thank you all for commenting and sharing your criticisms. Its fascinating to hear what people see and how the film was able to communicate my concept. I think the points about execution are valid. The challenge will be how to capture my intention in a way that keeps the focus on the subject and not distracting from it.