Life-sized chess

There was a street festival outside my apartment last month. It featured a large vinyl chessboard with large plastic chess pieces. When I went by, some children (in teams? advised by parents, a little) were playing chess. I liked that the kids were only a little bit taller than the pieces.
This post's theme word: schwerpunkt, "The point of focus; an area of concentrated effort, especially in a military operation."

Filming on campus

It often happens that an entire block of campus will be lined with fancy movie-star trailers. I've never seen them filming, but I've seen the prop cars and the trucks with filming permits in their windows.

Prop truck with German markings for a movie

Last month a scene for a Disney show (I forget which) was filmed outside the corner of my building. They blocked access to my favorite stairwell, and I had to go around to the main door. I guess that U of T has a generic university look, and maybe filming in Canada is cheaper than in the US? Or perhaps the city of Toronto is more amenable to large urban disruptions than other, similar-looking cities.

Yesterday, as I was walking along King's College Circle (where many recognizable shots from The Incredible Hulk were filmed!) when this truck drove by me, cruising at 2 mph:There was a long metal arm extended from the truck, holding a large, fancy camera. I waved right into the lens from a distance of only a few feet, ruining whatever shot they were trying to get. There were two men atop the truck, plugged into headphones and microphones and staring intently at screens. What's getting filmed now? Maybe just stock footage, or second-unit background shots. Maybe my silly smile and overenthusiastic wave will make it into a movie!


This post's theme word: hypergelast, "one who laughs excessively."