Another post for the film & graphic design blog I don’t have. Been seeing lots of daddy blogging lately, though, so I’m inclined to indulge.

And, especially, because: wow. Such a piece, this one.

You see a lot of montage like this in action movies, lots of quick cuts, heavy on the close-ups, a particular undercranking of the camera that slows down the film and then speeds it up, all aiming to intensify the scene but usually just confusing the viewer.

But this right here, what first seems like more of the same spastic cinema, is like rejecting a sledgehammer for a chisel.

The visuals punctuate the narration in such a slick way. At :20 notice how the quick close-up functions as a period for the line before it, “… I’ve pushed myself to do what normal people would consider impossible.” I get a sense of security from the piece, a conscious feeling that the experience was engineered from start to finish for my understanding.

(Aside: that engineering is also what I dig about teaching.)

Frankly, I could turn the picture off and just listen to the narration, which is a sublime ode to human achievement, really a syringe-full of inspiration for you boundary-pushing teacher-types.

I should just make with the disappointment right now, though: it’s an Xbox ad and kind of a lousy one, only an effective marketing piece in the same way that scribbling the Xbox name below a Picasso would be. Do yourself a favor: close it up at 1:12, get back here, and get me some reasonable explanation for that confounding first shot.

Here’s the transcript, just for fun:

“Can you do it,” they asked.

“Well anyone can do it,” I said. I don’t think they believed me though.

You see, for as long as I can remember, I’ve pushed myself to do what normal people would consider impossible.

You’re always on the edge. Dancing the blade of perfection. There really is no room for error. To lose control, it’s game over. You’ve got to think beyond the walls, beyond boundaries, push your mind to accept that there are none.

It’s only impossible because you’ve been told it is.

You need to be a master of your environment, not a servant to it. When I realized this, everything changed. What was down became up, long became short, liquid became solid. These days nothing’s what it seems.

That’s when I did my first slip. Yeah I was looking at where my hand should’ve been … and it wasn’t.

Like I said, I’m not special. Anyone can do this.

[last line redacted ’cause it’s totally stupid]