Be Part of the Longest Scream in History with Primal

Primal. Screen shot. Primal. Screen shot.

What’s got you down?

Exams? Papers? Work? Your parking ticket? Your parents? Your children? Not enough money? Noisy neighbours? Construction yet again on the street? Getting laid off? Not getting laid off? Not getting laid? Siblings? Friends? Lack of friends? Language politics? School board elections? Taxes? Long lines? No signal? No emails? Too many emails? Boredom? Ebola? Isis? Holiday season? UberX?

A good loud scream is cathartic.

Trust me on this one.

If you want to scream, the NFB (Canada’s national film board) and Argentina’s Ministry of Education channel Encuentro, give you the perfect opportunity with Primal. This interactive project allows you to scream your head off on your webcam. Your uploaded video becomes part of one of the longest screams in history.

Primal. Screen shot.

Primal. Screen shot.

Once the collective scream is amassed, DJ Poirier will add a musical score to accompany the agony. The project will appear at Amsterdam’s IDFA DocLab in November as well.

Going to the website allows you to first hear some screams by others and then gives you the choice to listen to more screams or to record your own. Activate your webcam and a screen opens up with your big ugly face staring back at you.

Primal. Screen Shot.

Primal. Screen Shot.

A page of effects appears. These effects will overlap your own face and include animated pointing fingers, talking mouths, buildings, cars, babies, a man wrapped in a sheet. They’re all pretty creepy actually.

Primal. Screen shot.

Primal. Screen shot.

Then you scream.

After screaming, you choose an emotion to go with the scream: joy, anger, fear, etc. I was annoyed that annoyance wasn’t a choice, as that is usually my main reason for wanting to scream, but there we are. Frustration came a close second, so that’s what I picked.

Primal. NFB website. Screen shot.

Primal. NFB website. Screen shot.

Are you ready to participate? Click HERE and get in on the action.

Primal launched on October 30.

About Rachel Levine

Rachel Levine is the big cheese around here. Contact: Website | More Posts