Mar'08
19

Core Themes

These are some of the core themes I think the iMovie should cover:

  1. Dwell Time for bus transit - Like everybody else is saying, dwell time is definitely a issue that many people fail to recognize as a problem.
  2. Tardiness - I know that the trains are scheduled to come every some odd minutes, but rarely have I seen reliable performance. The buses are even worse: they get stuck in traffic, etc.
  3. Breadth of options - NYC is lucky to have such an extensive transportation system. For example, during the MTA strike (2005?), I was forced to take the PATH from 33rd Street to Wall Street to get to school because the subway wasn’t running. It was definitely a lifesaver for those 3-4 days.
  4. Environmental benefits of mass transit - The numbers that make NY one of the most energy efficient cities in the world should be a part of the movie. A lot of people only look at the cost benefit of mass transit.
  5. Future - After all, the class is about the planning of New York. We should make an attempt to emphasize future growth of transit in NYC.

The script will be up in a day or two.

Mar'08
19

5 Core Themes

Here are some of my ideas for core themes:

1. Modes of transportation for different boroughs/ neighborhoods.

We can show that the way people travel really depends on where they are from. (People from Brooklyn and Manhattan can easily to take mass transit because it is available to them, whereas people from Staten island and New Jersey really have to depend on their cars.)

2. Safety 

I was thinking about showing how certain bus stops are not really that safe or great. Some are literally at the side of the road (such as in Staten Island) and have no benches for people to sit on or awnings for people to stay under when it is raining.
I was also thinking about showing how certain streets are so wide and have so many lanes that they are not safe to cross while walking to a bus stop or subway station.

3. Dwell Time (Especially at Bus Stations)

I think it would be great if we could actually film someone dropping their money right as they board the bus and then hold up the whole line as they pick all of it up. I don’t know however, if other passengers would be too pleased with us if we actually set this up to be done on purpose =) 

4. Mass Transit VS Automobile

I liked Vishal’s idea of showing the pros and cons of both.  

5. Traffic and Congestion

I think we should compare how long it  takes people to get to where they need to go based on their mode of transpotation (car vs. subway vs.  bus).

Mar'08
18

5 core themes

1) excessive car use because of haul length to subway

2) inefficient bus stations

3) long dwell time at subway and bus stops

4) passenger boarding time increases dwell time

5) street traffic lengthens travel time

Mar'08
18

Structure + Suggested Scenes

Intro should be letting everyone know whats going on in the film.

Intro scene - we could each get a 30-45 seconds. There could be a moving image of us in color, then a black and white still shot of the same picture, with writing on the side telling the audience our name, where we are, where we are going, and how we are getting there.
Something like when in the movies they show the bad guy/girl walking and then freeze it and give some information on them.

From there, we could could start by showing one person at a time, and switching it to the other people periodically.

Also, I think it would be really cool to put a ‘24′ theme in there. When switching scenes, all of us could be shown during our travel at that instant, with a ticking yellow clock in the center. If you guys have seen 24, you will know exactly what I am talking about.

When we show the how we each are getting from home to the Macaulay building, we would have to highlight our core themes, so we could point them out in an indirect way. For example, I could be shown buying my ticket at the metro north desk in New Haven and asking how long it will take (Showing cost vs time). Someone who takes the subway could be showing buy a metro card then waiting for the subway to come.

We each could have a few brief scenes like that.

The ending should now blatantly highlight our core elements. We have a few options with this. My idea is to write a core theme, then show a brief scene depicting that theme. That will reinforce the idea into the audience’s head.

That’s all I could think of now. I will try to blog later with some more scene ideas.

Mar'08
18

5 core themes for the i-movie

These are 5 elements that I believe would be important to highlight:

  1. Showing the difference in time vs cost (i.e. Metro North is quicker, but more expensive)
  2. Highlighting the option in routes that each of us can take
  3. Mass transit vs driving (pros and cons of each)
  4. 600 ft rule
  5. possible improvements that could be made along the trip
Mar'08
14

End of Semester Project

Ok, let’s go!

Start posting ideas, thoughts, anything.

Feb'08
29

Another reason to not ride the bus…

I told my friend, who is a transit fanatic and knows the train’s model numbers, about the trip we had today. Soon, he sent back this photo (they’re buses in Canada).

SKIDDING FRENZY!!!

Yes, one bus is almost at a 90 degree angle.

Feb'08
09

My Commute from Urban Suburbia

Well, I thought I posted on the blog, but I was wrong.

My commute from New Haven, CT isn’t as bad as one would imagine. I drive from my home to the train station (about 4 miles, and takes 20 minutes on average). From there I catch the metro north train to Harlem 125th Street. Its a little over 70 miles and take an hour and half, sometimes an hour 45 minutes to get to the 125th stop.

In the spring, or when its good weather, I walk from the station to City College/the Dorms. Its 6 avenues across, and 13 blocks up.

If the weather is bad or I have some luggage, I can take the m101 or 100 that drops me off right in front of CCNY on Amsterdam.

The last option is just to take a cab.  :)

Feb'08
08

NYC 2030

Here’s a link to PLANYC2030