Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LAS VEGAS — On an overnight layover in Las Vegas, lighting designer Richard Dunn found himself virtually alone in the McCarren International Airport.
But instead of playing slots in the airport or making a quick jaunt to the Strip, Dunn got a little more creative. And a lot more sad. Channeling his native Canadian, Dunn spent over three hours making a lip-synced recreation of Celine Dion’s version of “All by Myself.”
Dunn used luggage tape given to him an airport employee to secure his camera to makeshift stands and dollies, including his luggage, a wheelchair and the handrail on a moving walkways, according a comment Dunn made on Vimeo.
He filmed himself in creative locations that make his situation more melodramatic — in a hilarious way. To truly illustrate his “loneliness,” he clutches at the “hand” of a giant women’s bathroom icon and sits under a sign that reads, “Need help?”
But the pièce de résistance is the drama of the escalator shot. Dunn taped his iPhone to his computer bag and set it the escalator steps. As the shot tracks up and away from Dunn, he falls to his knees, overcome by the crushing despair of being alone.
Related Story
Have You Seen This? 'Billie Jean' via bottles
It's always a risk to cover a well-known and beloved song, but a band from Copenhagen has made a version of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" that will "blow" you away. (Pun intended.)“I had to sprint up the steps after I got my shot so the computer bag didn’t his the top and fall back down,” Dunn said on Vimeo.
Toward the end of the video, Dunn is truly falling apart and his body language gets more desperate, including holding his head in his hands, rocking back and forth and stumbling over his own feet.
The video perfectly ends with Dunn in the fetal position under that same giant women’s bathroom icon, finally accepting his sad lot in life. Well, at least until he gets on his 6 a.m. flight that will take him home to Georgia and his wife.
