This footage was most likely shot in a residential neighborhood of Chicago, where JoAnn Elam lived most of her life. The camera pans over the houses and the trees on the streets, revelling in their striking fall colors. As many elements from this collection demonstrate, Elam filmed her house, the places she visited, and the
Similarly to a portion of “E1 A&W F Print,” “El” focuses on the Chicagoan locomotion via CTA trains. A static camera idly sits passenger, recording the swiping cityscape. Scampering atop rooftops, visual markers identify (for at least a portion of the footage), in particular, the Blue Line’s peripherals. A short portion of footage depicts the
Elam’s “El Shots,” sharing footage and theme with Elam’s “El,” sketches travel in Chicago. From people scurrying across intersections, to cars blurring down pavement, to watching buildings whizz by from an El-situated vantage (seemingly the Blue Line), Elam outlines how people orient the city as well as juxtaposes said locomotion with meandering individuals, e.g. children