The One With Vladimir

Tonight in class we were assigned to go out and practice shooting video with the camera... something that would have been useful two weeks ago, before I had to teach myself filming at Oktoberfest for my other class project. Needless to say tonight was an easy night but it took an unexpected and entertaining turn when my group and I ran into these guys playing an early Halloween trick on people on the street.

We were shooting some footage of a large group of pigeons picking at the sidewalk, I got one even trying to cross the street, when a man (well, more like a boy because he was probably younger than me or the same age) in a bad black wig and fake facial hair and sideburns approached us and started speaking in a Russian accent. "Vladimir" and his friends work at a haunted house in the suburbs and were visiting a new Halloween store on the same street. Two friends dared the third to put on the wig and to do or say "crazy stuff" to people. His accent was pretty good and a lot of people bought it. He asked things like "Where can I find the Chicago Packers?" and even hailed two cabs to see if they would give him a free ride to the corner of Wabash and Jackson, which was the next block over. He was turned down both times.

I was filming the whole thing, and it was very challenging to keep the camera still on my shoulder because it was shaking from me laughing so hard. I even snorted once, when "Vladimir" transformed into an Idaho man whose car broke down and he needed a lift. No one would help the poor man. Probably because he looked so ridiculous. We didn't have to turn in our tapes, but I'm pretty sure other people would get entertainment out of what happened. I know the three of us did!