Two fun little videos from Burning Man

Comedian, video curator, and filmmaker Mark Day of YouTube went to Burning Man this year on a last-minute whim, and shot some neat video vignettes:

About this video, he explains, "At Burning Man 2012, the Mayan TRIcycle brings the workings of the Mayan calendar to life with human powered gears-within-gears."

And about the video below: "The return of last year's big hit installation, the Pier, with the welcome addition of a derelict Spanish galleon sinking into the playa."

Mark also has a YouTube playlist of Burning Man videos shot over the years.

• [Erik Denning]

  Good ol’ Burning Man. It’s been a few years, but I’ll be back, with wife and kids in tow. Sure Burning Man has changed. It’s supposed to.

• [trackofalljades]

  How do you go to Burning Man on a last minute whim and get permission to shoot video?  I thought that was fairly restricted…not the case?

  • [Erik Denning]

    I don’t know how people can pull off last minute for it either. It usually takes a lot of preparation and budgeting of time and money. I’ve seen people show up with little more than a backpack though with a “It’ll all work itself out, somehow” attitude, which happens more easily if you are a woman. Anyone can get permission to shoot video. You just need to sign a little agreement to be respectful and not turn your footage into a commercial release, and you need to have the permission tag hanging from your camera. A lot of people don’t get permission. They’re not going to frisk you when you enter and they’re more focused on a lot of other things by Friday and Saturday.

    • [trackofalljades]

      Interesting, filming issues and gender inequality aside I thought to get to Burning Man you had to have your vehicle inspected and they made sure you were carrying enough water and supplies?

      • [Erik Denning]

        They only inspect for stowaways, people who try get in for free by hiding in the back of vans, etc. They’ll never question your manner of preparation. As for gender differences, yes, it’s true, there is a preponderances of penises and vagina on the playa, but they often make nice connections and get along quite well.

    • [Mark Day]

      As the last-minuter in question, I’d been camping the previous weekend so knew more or less where all my stuff was.  As I was only planning on staying one night, I felt like “that takes care of a ton of decisions on what not to bring”  I brought a tent, some requires-no-cooking  food (most of which I didn’t eat) and some equipment.  I knew where some people were going to be but I had enough to do fine on my own, and camped on my own.  I am as amazed as you at the “I’ll just show up in the Bay Area without a ticket or a ride there and just make it up as I go along” types.  I gave someone a ride back to the Bay Area which helped keep me focused on the drive home.  I was very tired.  As to filming….. I’ve shot plenty of clips for “personal use” (i.e. posting to my YouTube channel in the past) and have had one clip licensed for broadcast with the expressed permission of the artist and the BM press folks.

• [theophrastvs]

  i’m going to regret this (hell, i’ll just pre-regret it and save some time), but…
  “At Burning Man 2012, the Mayan TRIcycle brings…”
  i count only two wheels (a wheel within a wheel Ezekiel) so “TRIcycle”?  not bi…?

  • [Mark Dow]

    Two cycles combine/interfere to make a longer third, between times when a tooth of each is aligned in the same way. This is analogous to a beat frequency in acoustics.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beat_(acoustics)

• [BunnyShank]

  I like when burning man happens, because its a little bit of a vacation from having to hear about burning man.

  • [nixiebunny]

    True; the phone reception there sucks. And those of us who value our iToys leave them safely wrapped up in dust-free cocoons.

    • [BunnyShank]

      never fear, on their way soon will be burning man time-shares

• [BombBlastLightingWaltz]

  Toronto’s Island Burning Man  celerybration last night was moot and cliquish. Some  bongo’s and a few fires. Word was performers and buring Effigy which I missed or never appeared. Was much beer swilling and some other stuff being past along by sun down.

• [Ladyfingers]

  I see “curator” is the new “artisan”.

• [Gruff Guano]

  After the hamster, humanity discovers the joy of the treadmill.

• [Multibot]

  Awesome

• [Roy Edward Truax]

  This calendar doesn’t look OSHA approved… 

  • [nixiebunny]

    Safety third!

• [Halloween_Jack]

  The galleon reminds me both of various derelict ships in World of Warcraft and also the landlocked wreck in the desert level of Diablo III. The playa used to be a big lake, right? 

  • [Erik Denning]

    Yes, a giant ancient lake. It’s all flat playa now, a big empty canvas. There is no plant or animal life live where the even takes place.

    • [Thomas Terashima]

      There is a three-eyed brine shrimp that lives in the brief (shallow) spring lake, the triops.

    • [C.M. Gonzalez]

      I personally spotted no fewer  than 20 dragonflies, and a bird. And was told of people seeing rabbits and other “little yellow birds”. 

      If a few thousand squirrels moved into the tree outside my dining room every week and blared dance music nonstop, I might bug out while they came to visit.

    • [nixiebunny]

      It’s a lot of fun to get a ride on a pirate ship art car and go sailing across the dry lake. And there are several real 60 ft long boats on wheels out there.

• [Thomas Terashima]

  After the Mayan TRIcycle burned and fell over, the wood gear teeth looked like the ribs of a beached sea creature. #BurningMan #BRC2012