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08 November
Firework Displays
Fireworks exploding, children excitedly pointing to the skies open mouthed as sharp and fevered colours light up the sky. An old couple look on, smiles on their faces with the comfort of knowledge that some things don‘t need to change.
Then there’s a bloke in his mid-forties, with his Sports-Action fleece, eye firmly fixed on the view finder screen of his skywards pointed Sony Cam-Corder. His wife reaches into her bum-bag and brings her Oakley Sunglasses sliding them onto her overly tanned face.
Then suddenly silence. Four seconds of it as people turn their heads from the skies to each other, with a look that asks ‘Is it finished?’ It is, and everyone cheers then walk away happy with what they’ve seen. Except mid-forties guy, who replays a short excerpt of his recording, smiles, nods his head and flips the screen back into the camera. He smiles at his wife as if to say ‘A job well done’.
But when, will this video ever be used? How bad would television have to get before, your best choice would be to watch a video of the 2004 Fireworks on the Downs?
I’m sure as soon as he got home he carefully burned it onto a DVD. Then created an animated menu system, with Director’s Commentary and trailers for his other features such as “Decorating the Lounge” and “Assembling Ikea Furniture”.
He sits watching fireworks on a 60 inch television, never contemplating it would have been better in a million light-year sky.

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