I watched a guy film every Augusta in America and it was weirdly great

So, is The Augustas worth your time today? If you are the kind of person who likes looking through old photo albums at a thrift store, then yes. Absolutely. 🚗

If you need a plot, or characters, or even dialogue, you are going to hate this. You should probably go watch The Salamander instead if you want a real movie experience.

This is just... a guy and his camera. Scott Nixon II had this weirdly specific obsession with the name Augusta. He didn't just visit one or two. He went to all of them.

The film is silent. There is no music. It is just the flickering of 16mm film and a lot of road signs.

I found myself staring at the background more than the signs themselves. You see these old gas stations that don't exist anymore. You see cars that look like big heavy tanks chugging down dirt roads.

It feels very personal. Like you are sitting in the passenger seat of Scott's car while he fumbles with his lenses. 🎞️

There is a moment early on where the camera shakes so hard you can barely read the sign. It is imperfect. That is why I like it so much.

Modern documentaries are so polished and shiny. They try to tell you how to feel with loud music. This movie doesn't care if you feel anything at all.

It is just a list. A visual list of places. Some Augustas are big cities with tall buildings. Some look like they are just a post office and a couple of dogs sleeping in the street.

The Vibe of the Road

I kept thinking about His Private Life while watching this, mostly because of the era. But while those movies were trying to be art, Scott was just documenting his life. Or his hobby.

One scene lingers on a train station sign for way too long. Like, we get it Scott, you're in Augusta, Maine. But then you notice the people in the corner of the frame. They are wearing those big 1930s hats and looking at the camera like it's an alien.

It is funny how much the world has changed. The roads look so empty. There is so much space between things. It makes me want to buy an old camera and drive until I run out of gas.

• The film quality changes a lot.
• Some parts are in color, some are black and white.
• The transitions are just abrupt cuts.
• It's very raw.

I wonder what Scott would think of Google Maps. He probably would have hated it. It takes the mystery out of the hunt.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Augustas (1930) through its definitive frames.

You can almost feel the heat of the sun in the Georgia scenes. The film has this warm, yellowish tint that feels like a summer afternoon. ☀️

It is much more interesting than something like What Happened to Jean because it's real life. No actors. No scripts. Just Augusta.

I did find myself getting a little bored around the halfway mark. There are only so many signs you can look at before they all start to blur together. But then he hits a new town and the architecture changes and you're back in it.

"A movie about a name, made by a man who just wanted to see it all."

The pacing is totally off. He spends five minutes in one town and ten seconds in the next. I bet he just liked some towns more than others. Or maybe he was running out of film.

It reminds me of Penrod in a weird way, just that feeling of old-school Americana. But without the kids and the comedy. Just the scenery.

Things I noticed:

• A dog that looks very confused in the middle of a street.
• A sign for a soda brand that doesn't exist anymore.
• How many people used to wear suits just to go to the store.
• The way the light leaks into the side of the film reel.

If you are looking for a masterpiece, this isn't it. But if you want to turn off your brain and just drift through the past, it's perfect.

I wish there were more movies like this. Just people filming things they love for no reason. No influencers, no sponsors. Just a guy named Scott and a bunch of towns named Augusta.

It's better than Second Honeymoon if you ask me. At least this is honest. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than a travel log. 🗺️

I think my favorite part was seeing the different types of trees. You can tell where he is in the country just by looking at the leaves. The North looks cold and gray, even in the summer. The South looks heavy and humid.

Anyway, give it a look if you find it. It's short. It's sweet. It's Augusta.

Maybe don't watch it all at once if you have a short attention span. But it's great for having on in the background while you do something else. Or just for staring at the screen and wondering what all those people in the background were thinking about that day.

It’s a nice little slice of history that didn't know it was history yet. 📽️