By Corinne LestchThe Daily Northwestern
Someone in gym shoes and black dress socks was standing on the tables in a McCormick Tribune Center classroom.
Internet users around the world can see the proof, as well as a man waving a bill with his teeth at the figure, in a film called “MTC Strip Show” posted on YouTube, a video sharing Web site.
But the 36-second movie isn’t YouTube’s only representation of the North Shore.
On the site, Evanston residents and Northwestern students can contribute to an ever-growing mural of clips showing business, life, jokes and art from the city.
Just type “Evanston” into the search box and more than 100 videos pop up.
Film majors can show off their masterpieces and Evanston Realtors can present master bedrooms.
“It’s like putting your art on display,” said Communication freshman Rob Runyeon, a film major who participated in the first annual 48 Hour Film Challenge held two weeks ago by Studio 22 Productions, a film group on campus.
Four groups of five or six people each participated in the challenge. They were given a theme and had to incorporate both a common line of dialogue and a prop in each video. Runyeon’s group’s theme was “sci-fi.” Studio 22 provided participants with the premise on a Friday and they had to submit films about six minutes long by Sunday night.
“If you make a movie, the immediate follow-up question is, ‘Is that on YouTube?'” Runyeon said.
Communication freshmen Benjamin Singer and Weinberg freshman Scott Olstad have collaborated on five films together and participate in monthly film competitions within their dorm, Communications Residential College. If they show a film that matches a month’s theme, they can get points for housing next year.
Their first film, called “Matt Baker Eats It,” was done in October and can be seen on YouTube. The theme, which is decided by CRC production chairs, was “an animal must die.”
In their film, the roommates “kill” a stuffed animal squirrel by feeding it pizza from Willard Residential College’s dining hall.
They later received a film grant from CRC to make a music video, which they are working on.
“Any film I make I put on YouTube so my parents and any interested friends can see,” Singer said.
Students also can post links to their videos on Facebook.com, an online social networking tool.
“It will show up on the mini-feed and other people can find out about it that way,” Runyeon said.
For some students, it is a serious way to get involved with the film community, while others post a cappella performances or jokes.
Among the newest trends is the use of YouTube to host business videos.
Erik Lee of Design Within Reach, 1710 Sherman Ave., filmed a tour of the studio and put it on YouTube for officials at the company’s headquarters in San Francisco to see.
All of the Design Within Reach studios are undergoing renovations, and everyone was instructed to e-mail various measurements.
“We just kind of took it a step further and sent them the full video to give them the real impression,” Lee said. “The basic idea was to give the general idea of what the average consumer would think when you walk into our studio.”
Although Lee did not post it for public purposes, he had a few people comment on the video and ask him questions about the studio.
ChicagoRentals.com, on the other hand, aims to attract potential buyers with videos such as a virtual tour of the neighborhood and interior of a Hinman Avenue apartment.
The non-profit Women’s Club of Evanston also has taken advantage of YouTube to promote its programs and causes.
But the Web site isn’t limited to videos styled after the content of traditional commercials and feature films. Most users just catch a quick snapshot of their own lives.
Joe Zekas was walking down an Evanston street when he noticed a homeless man.
“I thought, here’s a side of Evanston that not everyone sees,” said Zekas, who lives in Wilmette.
He held a short interview with the man in the film, and it has more than 400 views on YouTube.
“I’m just intrigued by the incredible variety of ways that people are using it,” Zekas said.
Zekas links his films to a Web site called YoChicago, which gives “a fresh look at Chicago homes, apartments, and neighborhoods,” according to the site.
“It’s a great way to get people’s attention,” Zekas said. “More and more people are searching for video, and they want to watch offbeat stuff.”
Reach Corinne Lestch at [email protected].
