Raise the Hammer
View Matt Jelly's new short film, Welcome to Hamilton. (You are being watched.).
By Matt Jelly
Dec. 14, 2004
Welcome to Hamilton. (You are being watched.)
View the Movie 
in QuickTime.
Welcome to Hamilton. (You are being watched.) is a new short film written and directed by emerging activist video artist Matt Jelly. This ten minute video takes a critical look at the specific application of public closed-circuit video surveillance in downtown Hamilton, Ontario.
It both answers and asks several important questions about this pilot project, and any future expansions which may be planned: Were public consultations conducted properly? Are these cameras truly effective in achieving their stated objectives? Does this type of surveillance have a negative impact on a community’s image? Is this behaviour the symptom of an emerging global erosion of social trust and civil liberties? Do surveillance cameras actually work in the deterrence of crime, or merely displace it to another street or neighbourhood?
Posing these questions within the context of the increasing global debate of public surveillance, interviews include two Hamilton city councillors, Terry Whitehead and Bernie Morelli, and Dr. Henry Giroux, an internationally renowned author of 40 books and the Global Television Network Chair in Communications in the Faculty of Humanities at McMaster University.
Running time: 10 Minutes. Hand Made in Canada by Robots.
View the Movie in QuickTime.
Jelly is a multi-disciplinary artist, fledgling cable-access pundit, former Mayoral candidate, and part-time cook living and breathing in Hamilton, Ontario. Jelly makes regular appearances on Cable 14's The Opinionators, and finds the whole experience rather bizarre. Jelly was a devout catholic once in Mexico, but only for four days. Currently, Jelly is working closely with his bandmates in LASERFIST to record their first album, to be expected in Spring/Summer 2007.
It is appropriate to launch my Arts Alive policy at the historic Tivoli theatre, a place that has contributed to the advancement of arts and heritage in our community for many years. ... I will pledge to do all I can to preserve heritage buildings and provide funding for facade restoration for our landmarks in the New City." -- Larry DiIanni, from his mayoral campaign website
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