1stAveMachine Slow Berg | STASH MAGAZINE

The Slowest (and Funniest) Rube Goldberg Machine Ever

The crowded Rube Goldberg-inspired video genre gets a much-needed kick in the funny bone from 1stAveMachine director (and Rube Goldberg specialist) Bob Partington who, over the course of six and half weeks, employs molasses, a turtle, melting Popsicles and sprouting grass to create “Slow-Berg.”

Bob Partington: “I have a love-hate relationship with Rube Goldbergs; while they can be super-fun, they can also be super-tedious and confusing — after all, they’re considered exceptional simply by virtue of being needlessly long.

“That is the jump-off point for the Slow-Berg. I thought it would be fun to flip that concept, make it as slow as possible — so slow, in fact, that some of it could only be watched in time-lapse.”

“I like to think that this could be engaging to everyone — that’s always my goal anyway. When a Rube Goldberg is successful, it’s because people can understand and be engaged by the action and then at the end they share a little of that sense of accomplishment.”

Behind the scenes:

The finished film

Production Company: 1stAveMachine
EPs: Andrew Geller, Garrett Fennelly, Alexander Schepsman, Serge Patzak, Sam Penfield, Arvind Palep
CD: Jordan Stone
Director: Bob Partington
Production Design: Bob Partington
DP: Tim Cruz
Editor: Jordan Stone
Producers: David Kornfield, Matthew Snetzko
Associate Producer: Bridget Gallogly
Music: Kanye West “Drive Slow”

Immediate Byte