Show and Tell: Mirror Prank
October 24th, 2007 by Dan Meyer
This is one of the best pranks I've ever seen, but then I'm a sucker for anything that requires rigorous rehearsal and planning. ¶ This is entirely in German, no subtitles, but, on the evidence, math ain't the only universal language; outright befuddlement translates pretty well too. [via Coudal]
Two thumbs up. That’s hilarious.
That is pretty doggone funny. And a LOT of setup to build an second room for “behind the looking-glass.”
Lately I’ve been into videos which demonstrate the value in rigorous though unsexy preparation. Exhibit A right there. 90% preparation. 10% execution.
So the “Tony vs. Paul” video would be another good example of 90% preparation…. agree? I must have watched it 20 times but I still enjoy it.
No disrespect to Tony vs. Paul, but theirs is a triumph of execution. Aside from a shot list or perhaps a plot outline, everything that made that video difficult is immediately visible.
What I’m talking about here are construction workers meticulously placing and leveling the elements of the second bathroom or the two girls rehearsing their mascara-”what time is it?”-perfume-repeat shtick tirelessly. So much happened before the camera started rolling, so much of what makes that prank great happened off-screen.
My pick up on inventive special effects like stop-motion without much prompting but they usually miss the appeal of a video that demanded hours of prep work.
Hmm, well I’ll disagree slightly – a lot of their (Tony’s and Paul’s) shots required a good bit of thought and preparation and rehearsal before the actual shooting. Of course with any film, a substantial amount of planning occurs before the actual shooting. But I’d still assert that Tony and Paul had to do as much rehearsing as the two twin women did in the other clip.
In any case, I still enjoy watching both clips!