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3-Seconds-A-Day Film Project Shows Captivating, Everyday Moments in Chicago

By Kyla Gardner | September 10, 2014 5:27am | Updated on September 10, 2014 9:40am
"How We Got Here" Part VIII: August
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Joyland Films/Justin Harenchar

CHICAGO — The shadows of window washers' ropes crisscrossing a building's side could be an image from a sunny, summer day in any skyscraper city.

But the simple image, and others like it, work together to give "How We Got Here" — a video project celebrating everyday moments in the city — a true Chicago feel.

Filmmaker and editor Justin Harenchar, 24, has been recording small portions of his daily life since the start of the year. He compiles each day's best 3-second clip into a monthly retrospective.

Kyla Gardner says the videos highlight the good and bad aspects of Chicago life:

The videos are shot with his iPhone and set to music ranging from the mellowness of Bon Iver to the bouncy hip-hop of Childish Gambino — whatever mood the month calls for.

 Justin Harenchar, 24, puts together stunning videos of Chicago each month, combining 3-second daily video shots of architecture, strangers and friends in the city.
Justin Harenchar, 24, puts together stunning videos of Chicago each month, combining 3-second daily video shots of architecture, strangers and friends in the city.
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Justin Harenchar

And the shots — from snow-covered statues to Mardi Gras revelers grabbing fast food — are whatever Harenchar happens upon that day.

"I tend to like the ones that are unique things that I know only will happen once," said the Wrigleyville resident. "I wanted to make something more cinematic or more theatrical ... and I think Chicago is one of the best cities [for] that."

His favorite clip, for example, was a laugh shared between a couple sitting across from him during his commute.

"It was a happy couple on Valentine's Day, sitting on the 'L'. They shared an innocent moment for 10 seconds. It was tailor-made for what I wanted to do," he said.

Harenchar got the idea for the project — which sets out to answer the question: "What events, both big and small, led us to this moment?" — when he found himself wondering about his own path.

The University of Dayton graduate moved from his tiny hometown outside of Pittsburgh to Chicago in September of last year. Just two weeks before he knew the balance in his bank account would force him to pack up for home, he scored an internship at postproduction house Optimus, where he now works.

"I was a small-town kid my whole life," he said. In Chicago, "I had these moments — from a big music festival like Lollapalooza to something crazy happening Downtown — that I was always asking myself, how did I get to this point?"

The filmmaker hopes that when his fellow city dwellers contemplate similar questions, they can recognize a bit of themselves in "How We Got Here."

The highest praise for the videos, he said, is "when Chicagoans like them, people who have lived here forever really like them."

Watch the rest of the videos below, and find September's video, to be released at the end of the month, on Joyland Film's Vimeo page.

Part I: January

Part II: February

Part III: March

Part IV: April

Part V: May

Part VI: June

Part VII: July

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