CCTV finally put to good use: filmmaking

What's better than sticking it to the man with your anti-consumerism, pro-recycling commercial? Why, filming it with "video sniffin'," the practice of tuning in wirelessly to public and private security camera footage and recording it for fun and profit. The movie was sponsored by Mediashed, who also produced a movie involving free-running in a shopping movie using similar CCTV filming techniques. Of course, Mediashed takes the rebellion edge off a bit by asking permission to use the footage, but we like the quasi-optimistic stance of having a good time with all that CCTV in England, instead the standard vandalism or mugging forms of dissent. Videos are after the break.

[Via WMMNA]

[Martin @ Oct 1st 2007 11:09AM]

dam i never knew that you can do something like that. will be doing some research for undisclosed reasons. o to all you iphone haters IPHONE KICKS ASS!!! back to 1.0.2 thanks to kmac!

[Ben @ Oct 1st 2007 11:12AM]

British humor makes me snicker.

[Rususeruru @ Oct 1st 2007 11:14AM]

Is it just me, or would that work perfectly for a Resident Evil (game) parody. I mean you've got the fixed awkward camera angles and everything!

[Alan Metcalfe @ Oct 1st 2007 11:27AM]

As a point, this was done as early as 1995 in Ireland.

An IRish band called The Frames used the cctv in a post office to record their music video - it was the cheapest ever music video (it cost like 98 p or something).

check it out...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dN7yK9qKuxo

[Jon @ Oct 1st 2007 11:29AM]

Is this really the first time someone has done this? I can't believe it took us this long to come up with. Both vids are pretty darn cool.

[Jon @ Oct 1st 2007 11:30AM]

Oh.

[Piers Brown @ Oct 1st 2007 12:02PM]

Manchester Arndale Centre eh? How on earth they did this without getting arrested I'll never know... (and don't want to know, for those smarmy ones who have nothing better to do than tell me...)

[Christopher @ Oct 1st 2007 1:12PM]

Evidently they sought permission for it. (as the article says ;)

[GameboyRMH @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:55AM]

The cameras are pointed into public areas, and they didn't ask permission to film anyone. If public surveillance is going to be a free-for-all why shouldn't it be free for the public too?

[Shane Reustle @ Oct 1st 2007 3:41PM]

thats pretty cool... i wanna learn how to get into security cameras

[Joe @ Oct 1st 2007 3:56PM]

Data protection laws in the UK require CCTV operators to supply footage of an individual to that person, IF the person so requests it. The operators can take a few weeks about it, and charge a maximum of ten quid admin fee, or something, but the images have to be turned over in the end. (This was true last time I checked, which was probably a couple of years ago -- as featured on a Mark Thomas show.)