Shake it – a modern Polaroid love story

Can you hear it? Click, whir, wait, shake – ahhhh! 

Listen Thursday night at 9 p.m. on West Virginia Public Radio, Shake it- a modern Polaroid love story.

Taking a Polaroid picture is a totally sensory experience. But it is more than just the sensation of a snapshot; there is something special and social about seeing, giving & receiving that white-framed photo.

Taking and sharing instant digital photos these days is second nature. But what is it about that white-framed, square pic that survives in our digital lives (hello, Instagram)?  Does it make moments more special? Do the vintage-y filters make our art history?  Or our history art?  Why has the Polaroid design so clearly marked current digital photography apps and photography memes?  This nostalgic devotion is simply amazing – and Polaroid is seeing a recent resurgence in popularity, even as a Polaroid Museum opens in Las Vegas in Spring, 2014.

We look at these human and visual connections in “Shake It”, an hour-long public media documentary. We weave personal narrative with interviews with experts and enthusiasts in the world of art and film, Polaroid history & digital photography, technology and design. “Shake it” has rich and diverse music, sound effects and sound beds – including shutter clicks, a vintage Eames Studio ad for Polaroid, a pop music parody and more.

Hear vox pop and short interviews with Polaroid photographers and enthusiasts, such as polaroidsf.com . We talk with Christopher Bonanos , author of  “Instant: The Story of Polaroid.” And with Dave Bias, who created savepolaroid.com and now is Vice President of The Impossible Project , a company that saved hundreds of thousands of vintage Polaroid cameras from extinction. And we sit with Gus Van Sant , noted film director and Polaroid photographer, to talk about how he used Polaroid photos in his creative process.

Author: Teresa Wills

Teresa is the host of West Virginia Morning and Morning Edition, heard Monday-Friday from 6 a.m.-9 a.m. When she’s not on the air, Teresa produces the traffic logs used by radio hosts for the program schedule, promos and donor announcements. She also does some voice promotion work on our television channels. Teresa grew up in St. Albans, West Virginia and graduated from West Virginia State University with a degree in Communications.

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