MALL CITY
It's where I want to be! 38,000+ views. 800+ comments.
The Song
Mall City recorded by The Rawtones, an art-punk band from New York City.
The Documentary
Began as a music video, evolved into an NYU film project and found new life as a documentary.
The Legacy
Rebuilt from the original footage, the definative cut of the film lives on to delight viewers today.
MALL CITY
Was it the curiosity of exploring another world, much like the the early adventurers making contact with another civilization? Or it was the pursuit of a new form of journalism, breaking away from the documentary film norms of the time. Or maybe it was experimenting with a totally new hybrid; a song inspires a documentary that inspires a music video.
The documentary film Mall City has become an internet phenomenon and a favorite among fans of cultural studies and 80’s nostalgia. Directed and produced by Hugh Kinniburgh, a native New Yorker, this film has an amazing longevity.
Mall City was originally a short twenty minute film that included only a few interviews and concluded with a music video based on the song of the same name. Now, over three decades since the original footage was taped, Kinniburgh took the entire stock of raw footage from ancient betamax video tapes and brought new life to the film. Based on the previous shorter version, he expanded the film into a full length feature that is a time capsule of a particular moment in our culture. Today, we have the opportunity to step back in time and be immersed in a day at the mall, circa 1983.
It was the challenge to break barriers that drove Kinniburgh, then a film student at New York University, to take a safari into the depths of Long Island venturing out to study the culture of the people of the mall.
“I was in a band at the time and recorded a song called Mall City. It was a reflection of my experience hanging out at my local suburban mall. I wanted to make a music video for the song. Around the same time I had to produce a documentary for my film class at NYU. I thought, let’s combine the two and actually go to the real Mall City. My classmate David lived near the Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island. At the time it was known as the purest example of a suburban mall, at least on the East Coast”. So the safari team loaded up the gear and headed to the Eldorado of malls.
“I was a big Hunter S. Thomson fan and understood the basis of Gonzo journalism. It’s quantum physics. The observer influences what they are observing. To me, it was a simple step to have myself and my crew on camera as part of the experience” tells Kinniburgh.
The natural, conversational style of interviewing was practically unheard of at the time. “I wanted the viewer to feel like they were with us as we explored this environment. The casual, familiar tone came naturally to myself and my crew.” By using this technique, the team captured honest responses from real people. “Remember, back then people were not used to having a camera in their face. We were really way ahead of our time.”
Teenagers hanging out at the mall playing video games, meeting potential dates, shopping for record albums - all seems like ancient history. Old folks and youngsters mingling. Taking in the styles of times just by watching other people. Smoking indoors. Meeting friends face to face. Mall City is a film that is a unique time capsule and a document of a period of American Culture that we may never see again.
The film has been a huge hit on Youtube. The comments are all positive, encouraging and above all nostalgic.
“I wonder where all those people are now,” muses Kinniburgh. “The kids must be in their late 40’s and 50’s. The old folks are gone. Record stores, the music store, video arcades..all just memories now. I’m glad we captured an essential part of east coast American life.”
And we are thankful as well. Be sure to check out Mall City on YouTube.
VIEWERS COMMENT
The community speaks. Love and Nostalgia.
ABOUT
The journey through time and back again.
The Crew
An Urban Safari
The RAWTONES
Art/Punk Noise from New York City
Johnny Raw
Vocals + Guitar
Jeff Fahringer
Vocals + Bass
Bill Fahringer
Drums
Dave Yaphe
Vocals + Guitar
CONTACT The Director for more information.
We respond to questions regarding film festivals, repertory cinema, press interviews, etc.
If you were one of our subjects in Mall City - Please reach out to us!
We would love to find out where you are today!