Project 2x1 is a 2013 American

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

about the

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

and

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''), the term ''West Indian'' in 1597 described the indigenous inhabitants of the West In ...

residents of Crown Heights,

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. It is shot in part using Google Glass. Project 2x1 is directed by Hannah Roodman, and produced by Lisa Campbell and Jaqueline Ratner Stauber.About. ''Project2x1.com''.
/ref> The film is produced by a diverse group of Crown Heights residents; the ''Project 2×1'' film project was initially founded by Mendy Seldowitz, Hannah Roodman, Celso White and Ben Millstein.Video: 2 Communities, 1 Neighborhood. ''CrownHeights.info''. Oct 4, 2013.
/ref> The use of Google Glass in the production of Project 2x1 allowed the film to harness the medium's storytelling capacities. The two distinctive cultural communities inhabiting the Crown Heights neighborhood (Hasidic and West Indian) and are each represented by the perspectives of community members. Both differences and similarities between the two communities are presented to the viewer, who is tasked with assuming multiple perspectives regarding culture, communal issues, and civic engagement.

Film

Project 2x1 is styled as a documentary film covering the daily lives of the

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

and

residents of Crown Heights,

. Both cultural as well as religious events are captured in the film. Footage is shot, in part, using Google Glass. The film project is named "2x1" after the two mile by one mile radius of the Crown Heights neighbourhood.Sarabia, Alexandra. Through a Different Lens. ''TheGenteel.com''. Oct 25, 2013.
/ref> The film focuses primarily on the iconic Hasidic and Caribbean residents, to the exclusion of other demographic groups living in the area. Aside from the film "documenting day within the neighborhood", the film examines "the way interpersonal relationships form between members of divergent communities all living within blocks of each other."Hampton, Matthew. Crown Heights 'Google Glass' Doc Premieres Next Month. ''prospectheights.patch.com''. November 26, 2013.
/ref> The makers of the film have stated that their aim and stated goal is to promote tolerance and understanding between the Caribbean and Hasidic residents, by releasing a documentary of the day-to-day lives of Crown Heights locals from their respective communities.Could Google glass help mend community. ''LoweCounsel.com''. Oct 8, 2013.

Use of Google Glass

The film is shot in part using Google Glass, a pair of glasses frames with video capturing film in a kind of "first-person point of view".Brooklyn filmmakers use Google Glass technology to document long-standing tensions in Crown Heights. ''NYDailyNews.com''.
/ref> The film is cut from scenes shot by residents themselves. The scenes are collected by filmmakers who " alkaround the neighborhood of Crown Heights, giving Google Glass to people to record what they see." The Google Glass concept for use in the film was conceived by project co-founder Mendy Seldowitz who was chosen as a "Google Glass Explorer".Evans, Lauren. Intrepid 20-Somethings Examine Crown Heights Through Google Glass. ''Gothamist.com''. Oct 7, 2013.
Reid, Alastair. How Google Glass captured two very different communities. ''journalism.co.uk''. Accessed January 10, 2014.
/ref> Google Glass is not available to the general public, instead, there are 10,000 "Google Glass Explorers" who received the device for initial use. Prior to the film project, Seldowitz had experimented filming local scenes in Crown Heights using his pair of Google Glass.Video: A Tour of Crown Heights on Google Glass. ''CrownHeighs.info''. Aug 14, 2013.
/ref> Seldowitz cited the advantage of using Glass as it "removes the influence of the filmmaker". The Crown Heights documentary claims to be the first ever to be shot with Google Glass.Sharp, Sonja. Crown Heights Documentary Claims to be First Ever Shot With Google Glass. ''DNAInfo.com''. Oct 7, 2013.
However, the documentary is not filmed exclusively on Google Glass; some scenes were filmed with DSLR videography in an interview format.Andrei, Riciu. The World's First Documentary Created With Glass Premiered Last Week. ''googleglass.gs''. Dec 17, 2013.
/ref> The battery life on Google Glass was a "major issue" for the filmmakers, forcing them to shoot for short periods before recharging Glass.

Screening

The film was initially screened in Crown Heights, on December 8, 2013. The

Brooklyn Historical Society The Center for Brooklyn History (CBH, formerly known as the Brooklyn Historical Society) is a museum, library, and educational center founded in 1863 that preserves and encourages the study of Brooklyn's 400-year history of Brooklyn, history. Th ...

and Brooklyn Film & Arts Festival partnered in a later screening the film, on December 13, 2013.Brooklyn Film Arts Festival: Screening Brooklyn Realities Documented. ''eventbrite.com''. Accessed January 6, 2014.
/ref>

References

External links

Project 2x1 official website
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Project 2x1 page on Kickstarter.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Project 2x1 2013 films American documentary films American independent films 2013 documentary films 2013 independent films Films about Orthodox and Hasidic Jews Films about Chabad 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language documentary films English-language independent films

Film

Use of Google Glass

Screening

See also

References

External links