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Two actors, man and woman, a cameraman and an assistant are located in the underground car park. The camera has a link to the projector in the auditorium. The actors are equipped with two small microphones (linked as well to the auditorium). In the hall itself a speaker for voice over is standing behind a public that is already watching films on the screen in front. A technician is doing the screening, having a script in his hand and a CD with different music pieces. Via walkie-talkie he is in contact with the assistant in the garage. 2nd German-French Shortfilm-Rendevous, digital video screening program.

The credits of the last film are on; Vaudeville is on its starting point. "Title is on line." The technician starts the first music piece. Still twelve seconds. "You are on line, go!" A wide shot of the parking garage is on screen. The actor enters the scene. He starts talking. No sound. "Fuck, his mic is not switched on! - What? - There is a second button that must be turned on! - Pass over the walkie-talkie. Listen, Sebastian, tell Birk to go into a close shot. Than you crawl to the actor, you search for that button, switch it on and clear off again. Don't stop the action. Repeat the music. - OK. Sound is there. Clear off." The film goes on. Nobody notices the speaker staying in the back of the hall reading the voice over into the microphone.

The live-film comes to its end. The actors run away from the camera that follows them. Credits. July 29, 2001. The crew enters the auditorium, and - joint by the speaker - is racing in front of the audience. The public is slightly surprised by the energetic and theatrical ending. Salutations. The next film is starting. Only at the end of the program, the audience is informed about the fact that Vaudeville was performed life. Hardly anyone has noticed it, even with the concrete date in the credits of the very same day of the screening. But what is more: People have seen cuts in the film. They would not believe that it was a plan-sequence.

Credits

Jan Speckenbach / Birk Weiberg
Vaudeville

featuring
Katrin Strauß and Mathias Wendel

Speaker
Jan Speckenbach

Camera
Birk Weiberg

Assistant
Sebastian Drost

Performed at ZKM Karlsruhe, Germany
Thanks to Margit Rosen and Peter Weibel