My friend and artist Michael Kellner put me on to this video project my noted artist Omer Fast. He has a range of project, but this specific video project entitled "5000 Feet is the Best" sparked my interest due to the recent phenonemon of using drones in supposed combat situations.
"The video is based on two meetings with a Predator drone operator which were recorded in a hotel in Las Vegas in September 2010. On camera, the drone operator agreed to discuss the technical aspects of his job and his daily routine. Off camera and off the record, he briefly described recurring incidents in which the unmanned plane fired at both militants and civilians - and the psychological difficulties he experienced as a result - before breaking the interview off. Instead of looking for the appropriate news accounts or documentary footage to augment his redacted story, the video is deliberately miscast and misplaced: it follows an actor cast as the drone operator who grudgingly sits for an interview in a dark hotel. The interview is repeatedly interrupted by the actor's digressions, which take the viewer on meandering trips around Las Vegas. Told in quick flashbacks, the stories form a circular plot that nevertheless returns fitfully to the voice and blurred face of the drone pilot - and to his unfinished story." ---OMER FAST
Check out more of his work here and try to be more aware of the world around you:
OMAR FAST - artist link
http://www.gbagency.fr/en/42/Omer-Fast/
5000 Feet Is The Best (preview)
http://www.gbagency.fr/en/42/Omer-Fast/#!/5-000-Feet-is-the-Best/site_video_listes/88
