

The Movie Set That Ate Itself - Titanous
http://www.gq.com/entertainment/movies-and-tv/201111/movie-set-that-ate-itself-dau-ilya-khrzhanovsky

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rkalla
I hope they had a multitude of psychologists on-set for the duration of the
project to collect and analyze all the social interactions coming out of what
I can only explain as... the biggest game of "Let's play soviet Russia!" I
could ever imagine.

It wasn't just the social engineering of this that has me floored, it is the
funding and absurd level of attention to detail that I can't believe; e.g.
custom-sized pipe used for the real-flushing toilets in the fake apartments
because the director felt it _sounded_ more authentic. Or the real food in the
fridges of these fake (Real?) apartments that actually had the real 1952
expiration dates printed on them.

This would be like the sets of Mad Men not being CG-enhanced 1, 2 and 3-room
constructions, but instead being an honest to god city block of high rises
with working apartments and people living in them for years at a time all
forced to act/talk/dress like they lived in the 1960s again.

This is truly impressive... I don't know if that is the right word. Scary also
comes to mind.

I am also concerned that so many people signed up to live in this environment
willingly for 6 years. It doesn't bother me that the director had this
passionate vision, it bothers me that so many willingly and happily followed
suit; even the ugly aspects necessary to fulfill their rolls.

I don't know what that says about the human condition, but given the eerie
similarities between this and the classic Stanford "The Experiment", I feel a
strange tingle in my stomach.

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sp332
People lived in this environment (Soviet Russia) for a lot longer than 6
years. And as the author points out, it doesn't take long for some people to
acclimate. Snitching on friends and the other "ugly" aspects are part of human
nature. Even if we can avoid some of them most of the time, just think what
crazy things you're doing to other people today without it even bothering you.

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bobds
Interesting story and well-written article. Thinking about the massive amount
of footage this project has generated, I'm hoping they've spent the money to
store all of it. I would love an interactive movie or a full-on video game
(anyone remember the Tex Murphy series?) based on this.

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icebraining
From the author's (Michael Idov) Twitter:

 _Heh. Khrzhanovsky claims to be shooting Dau's "last scene" on Nov 8,
announces wrap party with DJ Spooky and Peaches._

<https://twitter.com/michaelidov/status/133186128684658688>

Am I the only one who feels bad about its end despite being the first time
I've heard of the project?

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sp332
NSFW (if the GQ domain didn't tip you off) for the nude models in the ads and
the topless actress on page 2.

Also, awesome story!

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mapping-babel
The description of the fake town is reminiscent of the set made by the
troubled director in Charlie Kaufman's brilliantly skewed film Synecdoche, New
York (<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383028/>)

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jaryd
eerily reminiscent of the Stanford Prison Experiment
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment>)

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anigbrowl
O_o

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regehr
Somebody watched _Synecdoche, New York_ too many times...

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oldstrangers
I don't think that's true. It appears the production for Dau started in 2005
or so ("Dau, by comparison, is entering its sixth year..."), and Synecdoche
was released sometime in 2008.

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bad_wolf
Which makes me wonder if Khrzhanovsky has heard of it, and if not, what his
reaction will be on finding out.

