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Resources

California Department of TransportationCaltrans Photolog Sample

This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: California Department of Transportation
Audio/Visual: silent, color
Keywords: need meta

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

Individual Files

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Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - September 11, 2006
Subject: Hey, Wasn't That a Cop Car Back There?
You may find this silent driving footage to be oddly familiar-looking if you took driverâs ed in high school. Thatâs because this is film from the driving simulator, circa mid-80s. Only itâs as if the person operating the simulator was putting the pedal to the metal. Landscapes, small towns, curvy mountain roads, roadsignsââeverything whizzes by at top speed. This has a slightly trippy feel after awhile, especially the curvy mountain roads, which seem to undulate sensually under their own power. Normally, I donât review films in the educational category that are more recent than 1980, but when I found out that this was a simulator film, I just had to have it in my collection.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.

Reviewer: Uncle Cieslak - - July 21, 2005
Subject: short ride in a fast machine
I hear that CalTrans has gone completly digital--I cannot wait to see what Director Bob Brink can do with this new medium. This work definelty rivals the severely under-appreciated underground films of Tennessee's mountain passes, in circulation for some years now. This approaches perfection in its simplicity.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - February 17, 2005
Subject: More Twists and Turns than you can possibly imagine!
While I was awfully critical of this film being included the first time I saw this, like "what is this doing in the archive??" (ooh nasty). After reading the actual description of this, and viewing the film again, I appreciated this film a lot more. It was sort of fun watching them drive crazily all over the place, not really stopping for anything. At the speed they were going, I was waiting for them to careen off a cliff..

Reviewer: timdrage - - February 15, 2005
Subject: Timelapse is always good!
This clip reminds me of Mike Jittlov's amazing film "The Wizard of Speed and Time"!

I too would like to see more of this kind of raw scientific/industrial footage in the archive.

Reviewer: 1973 Dodge Polara - - September 26, 2004
Subject: Caltrans
Have To Agree With Everyone.Great Film.Definatly Worth A Five Star Rating.

Reviewer: Jaibo - - April 30, 2004
Subject: Did you see a hitchhiker?
That's what I kept looking for. I have to admit I like this film too.

Reviewer: Ryan Schweitzer - - June 15, 2003
Subject: Very interesting film.....
This would definitely qualify as an orphan film, and I would be delighted to see more films like these here. Basically, films that aren't produced for audience viewing, unlike the majority of films on this site, but super-specialized ones like this. Films that are along the lines of scientific/industrial/medical/technological, (i.e., industrial x-ray cineflouroscope films of metal fatigue tests, ultra-slow motion test films, thermographic FLIR films, even flight simulator films, etc.) Most films like these would probably sound boring to some, but I would love to see these, due to their obscurity and orphan-ness, and for the fact that they would also make for some very interesting visuals... This driving simulator footage is definitely a step in that direction...

Reviewer: Wilford B. Wolf - - May 26, 2003
Subject: The Ultimate in Ephemeria
The Prelinger Archive has long been known for bringing ephermerial films to the masses. But this piece is just a quirkly little jem. This film, shot between Santa Cruz and San Jose, California some time in the mid-1980s (circa 1986 going by some of the car models and designs), is the film for a driving simulator. The best part is how the film is shot; rather than smooth motion, it is done with a rapid stop-motion, giving the drive along state routes 9 and 135 a surreal feeling. Add the time code at the bottom (for the computer to choose the best scanerio), and you have great bit of source material.

Segments

Sample of Caltrans documentation of state highways. Camera-equipped vans travel all state highways at regular intervals and shoot still images, which combine into films like these. They now have an official website, at http://video.dot.ca.gov/photolog/, where coverage of the full state may be seen. This sample was transferred from a 35mm copy of documentation made in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties that was given to a film producer for use in her film.