Burning Man 2012, Day Three: Fragments from the Playa

The footage opens with quick greetings and what sounds like a gift exchange. Someone hopes the recipients will like the items and points out "the one that's like in the cardboard, little cute." The camera operator then asks "May I shoot?" and gets a relaxed "Yeah, go for it." Asking before filming someone happens several times in the video.

In one segment, someone explains a piece they are standing near. The work was "partially funded by the Burning Man organization," and its creator is from Amsterdam. An artist statement is shown and attributed to Daniel, "also known as orange." What the piece is or what it asks of visitors is cut off in the audio. Nearby, someone mentions "the pier last year," and people react with "Wow" and "This is the best."

Later, someone asks the crowd whether anyone was there in 2010 and saw them before. The people around them chant "Speech. Speech." The exchange that follows is hard to make out. It includes the words "noir," "devastation," and "mystery," and someone asks whether they want "the film."

Next, the camera is handed to another person, who asks, "Do I have to press a button?" They are told it is already recording. They admit "I can't see nothing, but it's working." What happens in front of the lens is unclear from the audio. There are jokes about someone "sucking his thumb," and one person complains that "when you make them all tight and hard, it hurts more," and is told to relax. The scene ends with "Now it's done," followed by applause, laughter, and thanks.

A later encounter shows the gifting side of the event. Participants are offered alcohol, then salty nuts, which get spilled ("I'm sorry. I'll pick it up later." "No problem."), and later strawberries. Each offer is met with a quick, cheerful thank-you.

The last part of the video centers on a performance with music, cheering, and an announced "grand finale." The audience responds with "Hallelujah," "Amazing," and applause. Afterward, someone mentions lobster in connection with a "show dinner." A brief, partly inaudible conversation follows, about someone who "hopped it to the south." The video ends with people arranging where to stand.

The recording gives no overall commentary or conclusion. It ends as it began, as an unedited string of moments from the third day.