Apr 6, 2010

Treasured Trash

Today, I saw a guy filming a dumpster.

Not some nice, West Hollywood/Beverly Hills dumpster. A seriously filthy container full of garbage. Like, just off the freeway, before you pass the Coroner's office and the thrift shop (wonder where they get those clothes?) and after the line up of auto glass chop shops.

We're talking a legit trash can here. Filled with God knows what for however many years. Banged and dented. Covered in graffiti and worn-away stickers from bands who really don't know how to market themselves.

This dumpster was... beautiful.

Which is why the guy was filming it in the first place. He had a pretty nice camera, from what I could tell. It wasn't some Flip thingy or a cell phone. It had to be propped on his shoulder and it wasn't because it used VHS tapes (though, that would have been cool, too).

No, he was obviously working. Picking up some b-roll to set a scene for some larger project.

Or, he really dug dumpsters, but I don't think so.

I think he was tasked with finding some random “urban” stuff, and wandered around the skeevy part of town looking for the perfect dumpster, and there it was. He found it. He filmed it. And, he probably felt pretty good about his excursion off the freeway today.

Life is like that, sometimes. We get lucky and run into a beautiful dumpster.

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