WE LIVE IN PUBLIC was also screened simultaneously in LA, Vancouver, Denver, Chicago, and Atlanta. Following the film was a nationwide web cast Q&A with film director Ondi Timoner and the subject of her documentary, Josh Harris, live from their Chicago pod. Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was linked into the web cast from LA.
Among the red carpet guests included actress Paola Mendoza, recording artist Charlie Ward, and some of the original 1999 bunker pod members.
The 90-minute documentary follows 1990s dot com kid, Josh Harris, founder of the web cast site, Pseudo.com. Over a decade, film maker Timoner captured over 5,000 hours of footage as Harris goes from the innovative multimillionaire, turned obsession with living under the public scope.
According to Harris, the key to WE LIVE IN PUBLIC was sparked after watching ‘The Truman Show’. He became fascinated by Truman’s relationship, “the moment Truman looked at his wedding album and noticed his pseudo wife had crossed her fingers.” It became a part of Harris’ process.
Harris’ first experiment took place in a NYC bunker, “Quiet”, in December of 1999. Residents lived a similar life to cast members of the TV show Big Brother, except without the reward of money and interference from producers.
Q: (Atlanta) How much of the bunker life was created and how much of it was exacerbated by the cameras?
A: (Josh Harris) “It’s the Heisenberg principle. It’s like reality television, when you introduce airwaves to the experiment it changes the experiment, but in this case we were trying to insert that into the action.”
Grenier then asked the audience if they had the opportunity to spend a month as a citizen of “Quiet,” would they? After a few hands were raised, Grenier suggested, “Josh, you might consider Quiet 2, the sequel.”
Harris’ most recent project with living in public was during his 6-month “pseudo relationship” with Tanya. Every part of their lives were web cast for all to see. The audience became a part of their living situation as their comments on everything from whether they washed their hands after using the bathroom to weighing in on fights.
Q: (Josh Harris) “The only man in the world who can truly understand the concept of a fake girlfriend; have you ever had a fake girlfriend?”
A: (Adrian Grenier) “Every week on Entourage, a couple of them usually.”
An LA audience member asked where Harris’ risk taking and lack of fear comes from? Timoner, as someone who has studied him over the years, answers for Harris. “Josh [Harris] is raised on electronic calories and so for josh everything is a show. His lack of fear is that it’s all a game. It’s quite refreshing in a lot of ways and its also scary.” She further explains that it comes with a trade off. Timoner has observed over the years Harris’ “inability to maintain intimacy because of [his views] or to find love.”
While technology has increasingly effected our daily interactions, Harris was before his time in demonstrating the price we pay for living in public. Grenier takes a moment to inquire about Harris’ vision. “How well are we doing as a society in fulfilling the vision of the future? Are we doing okay or is there more to go?”
“2010 is the year,” said Harris. He compared Net TV to what Facebook has done for the publishing world. “The most powerful medium up until now has been TV and Net TV is taking over in 2010.” Harris declares that “this is only the first year and in 5 years from now it will be clearer. Net TV will do to broadcast what broadcast did to radio.”
Former bunker resident Mike asked Harris what his opinion was on the latest sensation Chat Roulette, which matches people randomly via video chat.
“What it is demonstrating to me is that there is a pent up demand for interactive communications. It’s like when AOL came out, the most used part of AOL was the chat. Chat roulette is a good example of the people’s interest and really their pent up demand as it manifests in communication with each other.” – Harris
Timoner questioned celebrity host Grenier about his “personal experiences living in public and how this movie resonated with him.”
“The attention that people and celebrities get are being dispersed more evenly these days and you really have to work for it. I think it’s definitely changing my whole experience. The democratization of the internet will be a good thing for all of us in general and I’m up to the challenge.”
WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is an eye opening documentary that serves as a warning to everyone living during this technologically consuming age. Part of the reason why Timoner decided to make this film was because it “serves as a double cautionary tale” about balance in one’s life. “Don’t raise your kids on technology alone,” she says. “Make sure you hug them a lot and bring them outside.” While Harris appeared to disagree, Timoner went on to say that she believes “he’s done well adjusting to society.”
“I’m an artist,” explains Harris. “I made all that money not to be a rich person, but as a part of the process to the art.” He explains that “money is like sands through the fingers of time. Everything I did along the way, it all seemed very natural.” Harris’ next project is called Wired City.
March 2nd was the official VOD/DVD release of WE LIVE IN PUBLIC. For more information, check out weliveinpublicthemovie.com.
For more exclusive photos and footage from the ‘We Live in Public’ premiere, check out OLV.me.
Nice job, Melissa!