Trying to find a link for a spooky illusion video

November 6, 2013 7:12 AM

There was a video posted to the blue a long time ago which featured a person at a table showing off items. At the end (spoiler) it turns out one of the items is not real; the camera shifts to show that pretty much the entire set has pieces that are fake or misplaced and spooky music starts playing. I feel like the name of the film was a single odd word. Any thoughts?
posted by Deathalicious to MetaFilter-Related at 7:12 AM (35 comments total)

I thought for a second you were talking about anamorphic illusions (hence e.g. this post by taz), but then it clicked what you were talking about—the whole coherent-scene-composed-of-bits-and-pieces-thing—and I totally remember that too but don't immediately recall the name or anything.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:17 AM on November 6, 2013

Is it this?
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 7:19 AM on November 6, 2013

I think it's this.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:19 AM on November 6, 2013

Apparently I was not the only person thinking of that.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:20 AM on November 6, 2013

Bonus gifset.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 7:23 AM on November 6, 2013

Actually, if you look at this post from an angle, you can see that we are only images of users posting to an even-flatter-than-internet version of MetaTalk.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:24 AM on November 6, 2013 [3 favorites]

It was not the anamorphic illusions thing. And yeah, cortex, whatever it is you're thinking about is the one I'm looking for.

The guy was wearing a weird outfit.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:25 AM on November 6, 2013

Also, the object was peeled off of the table if I remember correctly.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:25 AM on November 6, 2013

The table may or may not have been floating off of the ground.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:26 AM on November 6, 2013

But, yeah, it was basically a static shot of a some sort of collection of objects in a room, a tableaux of actual 3D stuff, and then later in the video the camera dollies off to the left a bit from its initial position and it becomes clear that e.g. a plain sphere in the foreground was actually a hemisphere in the foreground plus a third of a much larger sphere in the background plus a very small pony in the distance or whatever the hell, all these things lined up just right for deceptive composition as a whole in that specific camera angle. (Not actual objects, just don't remember the specifics.)
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:28 AM on November 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

And I'm continuing to fail to find the post after sifting a bit more manually under possible search terms, but I did at least turn up this 2002 post that's nothing but "download this Windows executable. Oh, the good old days.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:39 AM on November 6, 2013 [4 favorites]

speaking of the wild west days of metafilter - this post that is one older is also eye opening - Yasmine Bleeth only gets two stinking years probation.
posted by nadawi at 8:32 AM on November 6, 2013

God, this is gonna drive me fucking crazy. I have no idea how to search for this thing.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:34 AM on November 6, 2013 [2 favorites]

Yasmine Bleeth only gets two stinking years probation.

Aww, that thread even has a comment about the appropriate use of the phrase "begs the question." Memories!
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 8:38 AM on November 6, 2013

Not that, no; the one me and Deathalicious are thinking of is from a few years ago, and the video was very much the finished product, not a behind the scenes.

But that approach to fixed-camera-view compositional trickery is very much in the right spirit of the thing.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:01 AM on November 6, 2013

The joke's on you, d-lic and cortex; the video never actually existed.
posted by Anything at 9:07 AM on November 6, 2013 [3 favorites]

I REMEMBER THIS VIDEO TOO AND NOW THAT I'VE BEEN REMINDED OF IT SOMEONE MUST FIND IT FOR ME.
posted by tigrrrlily at 9:10 AM on November 6, 2013

Is it the one where at the end there's a quick 'making of' and they show how there's a ladder suspended horizontally from the ceiling and a guy on top of it handing down items to the subject in the video?
posted by komara at 9:15 AM on November 6, 2013

Wiseman's been featured on the blue?!

Oh. Never mind.
posted by jjwiseman at 9:19 AM on November 6, 2013

Maybe my only satisfaction from this thread will be driving cortex crazy.
posted by Deathalicious at 9:35 AM on November 6, 2013

Cortex, I would not be surprised if this was a one word post, consisting of just the link to the video. Making it harder to search normally, but if it's possible to filter through one word posts that might narrow it down.
posted by Deathalicious at 9:43 AM on November 6, 2013

"Posts that only have one word" is an interesting rainy day search project idea, yeah.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:44 AM on November 6, 2013

"Rainy day" project!?!? I want my spooky video now!

I am now remembering, and can confirm: dude was wearing something like a suit and old fashioned gloves.
posted by Deathalicious at 9:47 AM on November 6, 2013

It was one word that came up on the screen at the one point of the video; I guarantee if we can remember that one word we'll have it.

It was a spooky ominous word like "horcrux" or something.
posted by Deathalicious at 9:48 AM on November 6, 2013

CHOP CUP!!!!!!!!!

There is a fault in reality. Do not adjust your mind.

Had to search Google for site:www.metafilter.com peeled video and limited the results to 2005-2009.

I was wrong about it being one word, and it was a multiple word submission so that would not have worked either.
posted by Deathalicious at 9:54 AM on November 6, 2013 [7 favorites]

Thank God. Back to work for me now.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 9:59 AM on November 6, 2013 [2 favorites]

I stand by my assertion though; "chop cup" sounds pretty ominous to me.
posted by Deathalicious at 10:01 AM on November 6, 2013

YESYESYESYES
posted by tigrrrlily at 10:21 AM on November 6, 2013

YEEEEESSSSSSSSSS
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:27 AM on November 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

aww yiss
posted by komara at 10:38 AM on November 6, 2013

I thought the video was pretty cool; but, wow, did it get a harsh reception in the thread.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 4:13 PM on November 6, 2013

Oh yeah! I posted that here. I forgot that most people seemed to hate it at the time, I remember being SO AMAZED. Anyways. Carry on.
posted by lazaruslong at 5:14 PM on November 6, 2013

I remember this being posted, but I honestly mostly remember *not* liking the video for United Way, which it seems several other people in the thread did like. I liked chop cup, so, uh, thanks for posting it so long ago, lazaruslong.
posted by nat at 8:58 PM on November 6, 2013

Metafilter: I thought the video was pretty cool; but, wow, did it get a harsh reception in the thread.
posted by empath at 9:16 PM on November 6, 2013 [2 favorites]

I stand by my assertion though; "chop cup" sounds pretty ominous to me.
posted by Deathalicious at 6:01 PM on November 6

A chop cup is a classic bit of conjuring kit. /magic geek
posted by Decani at 12:22 PM on November 8, 2013