Quest for Christmas: Introduction

The dawn of the Christmas season is upon us, it's a time for merriment and cheer. But each year, I feel more and more numb to the festivities and I'm worried that Christmas doesn't mean as much to me as it used to. Maybe it's just a part of getting older, but Mark Kozelek's opinions on Christmas time hit closer to home each year for me:

'I think there must be something wrong with me,
Christmas is coming but I'm not happy,
I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel,
I just don't understand Christmas I guess,
You know I get the presents and Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that,
But I'm still not happy.'

I'm not quite that doom and gloom about it all as he is but each year I feel like I look more like this around the holiday period: 

So for the next month I want to dive right into all that good stuff that makes the season feel so magic. I'm go on my own little 'Quest for Christmas' to try and find out what gives me the warm Christmas feelings. Each post will be dedicated to something that helps me get in the Christmas mood, be it a bit of food, a movie, a song or an experience. Some of them will be broad, others much more specific and maybe personal, but hopefully it'll give me an incentive to find the holiday cheer and if you're lucky, some of it might rub off on you.

So, if this were a bumper for a Channel 4 celebrity holiday special I'd say something like this in my best Paul Hollywood voice:

'So join me, as I go searching for the holiday cheer.'

Charting a Course for Applications

Plotted a course for the next few days, I've got another video idea brewing and I started renewing driving maneuvers in my mind for my lesson tomorrow. I also applied for a local journalism and social media job, sold myself quite well too but we'll see how far it takes me.

Mini December blog announcement tomorrow by the way, got a something special planned for the coming month so watch this space.

Productivity and Wolfenstein

Hit a fairly productive stride today and ended up applying for 2 jobs, both of them office positions but hopefuls all the same. Planning on keeping up this momentum tomorrow too and get some serious work done this week.

Started playing the new Wolfenstein game too and I'm really liking it so far, its playing around in a fun alternate history space and its always satisfying to kill some video game Nazis.

Could be a Copywriter?

There's a junior copywriter position available nearby that I spent the afternoon applying for. Typically these placements want someone with 3 years experience but this time round they just want someone shoes worked in a creative agency, basically I'm the ideal candidate. Cracking out the charm in this covering letter too, sure that will really sell it.

The Special Beer

My brain was half convinced that I was sleeping in Bristol, but reality told me that I was very much in London after I Woke up to the sound of Tooting's Church bells. The scrambled egg breakfast Rebecca and I were promised was off the cards since we all over-slept and we had to make a quick trip back to Twickenham for a Birthday lunch for Rebecca's Nan, we were also meeting some friends of her family who I've only met on a handful of occasions but they have always been very welcoming to me. We got went out to Lock Fyne, like last year for Rebecca's Nan's Birthday and it was a lovely meal and evening.

Towards the end of the meal the conversation shifted towards a funeral the family friends recently attended. The Dad of the family buried his Father a few months ago, but everyone round the table remembers the funeral very fondly despite it being an sad time. The Dad continued to describe the events after the wake and how he went into a Supermarket looking to get a few more beers to take home, he was shocked to find his late Father's favourite brand was prominently on sale there. He took the beer home to share with his son and they both continued to drink and chat into the small hours of the morning. He described that moment by saying 'You could feel my Father looking down on us then.' As he said that, I noticed his eyes were glassy and he begun to rub tears from his eyes, but he continued to talk as if nothing happened. That little moment really stuck with me, it was lovely to think that these beers played such an important role to him during the funeral, and you could tell he valued drinking them with his own son that day. The dinner was great, but that fragment of the evening is likely to stick with me.

Megabusing Home for Christmas

That blog title sounds way better with a bit of context:

Travelled down to London on a highly delayed Megabus so I could get to a Christmas dinner hosted by some of my old course mates. The bus arrived an hour late and was another half an hour later during the actually journey. Went right through Newbury funnily enough though and got stuck in a huge traffic jam. Went past my secondary school, my scout hut and the house I grew up in while going at 3 MPH. It was a literal trip down memory lane in slow motion.

Just about got to London though, and I stuffed myself silly with meat and gravy to get my energy back up after such a long trip.

Our Fruitful Relationships with Villains

After yet another lengthy upload process, I am pleased to present my latest video 'Our Fruitful Relationships with Villains'. It's a quick look into how a game's baddie can inspire us, even when they are putting us down.

Was on a shoot from 3pm til midnight tonight, think it all went ok but I'm absolutely shattered now. Early start tomorrow for a different shoot, then I'm off to London just moments after that wraps - guess I'll catch up on my sleep while I'm on the coach.

Long Day of Edits

Crickey, spent the entire day working on my next video but its finally getting uploaded as I write this. Took me way longer than expected editing it all down, think its because I didn't have quite enough footage. I also started doubting how clear the central point of my argument was at times, but I think it kinda cones together by the end so I'm generally happy with it. Its been sitting in my brain for ages this one so its good to finally eject it so I can work on other topics.

Toy Cars

Practised a few driving maneuvers in the comfort of my own living room. At first I thought about using an office chair to wheel myself around on, but I settled on using models and toys instead to simulate the techniques required for a turn in the road and parallel park. It paid off too! When it came down to today's lesson my confidence was much better and I even got a word of praise from my instructor!

Came back home and got cracking on some editing bits for my next video, had to collate a fair amount of footage from several different games this time round so its taking a little longer. If I'm lucky it'll be done and sorted by tomorrow, if not I'll be close to finishing then. Eager to get it out there so I can work on other stuff.

Louis is Back in Bristol

Got a sudden message from Louis this afternoon, he was asking if he could use my printer to get a hard copy of some tenancy thing. I said sure and invited him and Rachel for tea seeing as they'd have to come over anyway to get the print outs - I was making quesedillas too so they were ideal for sharing. It was only a bit after they arrived Louis told me that he and Rachel got the flat they put in for, he just forgot to tell me - if I had known I would have cooked something a little more special! Well done that pair though, their new home is literally just down the road from us too so it'll be really homely.

Making me Look Good

Spent the day sprucing up my online persona for job application websites, specifically LinkedIn which now features some trailers for the projects I've worked on. Makes the whole thing feel a bit more like a showreel. In addition, I signed up and created a profile for an attractive little site called Cahootify which people mostly use for crew calls for small projects around Bristol - seemed worthwhile signing up.

I'm slowly thinking more and more about creating a dedicated website to sell myself, like an online portfolio or equivalent. Don't know if there are any folks out there advertising themselves as a 'Runner Extrodinaire' maybe I could be the first?

Barn Dancing

Busted out my inner redneck at a barn dance last night. A friend of mine got engaged and the dancing was our little way of celebrating, we had oodles of fun too! Turns out that barn dancing is glorified walking, but by golly, it takes the wind out of your sails when you're done!

Just got back to Bristol after spending another quiet weekend in Newbury. We went out for a quick walk to Combe Gibbet to drink in the sights of the countryside. Rebecca was absolutely smitten by the sheep and the nature, she told me after what a good stroll it was - city girl talk, but I'm glad she had a nice time. Followed it up with a nice lamb roast, as prepared by Dad, its the kind of cooking that makes you glad to be home and a little sad to leave.

Monument Valley 2

Had the entire day to myself which was a little strange. Rebecca was back at home today so I just cracked in with some work, first and foremost being a rather promising job application. I know I use the word 'promising' a lot when I refer to the job hunt, but so far they have already got back in touch and asked to see some more examples of my filming work and I think I shot over some nice stuff.

I'm all packed up, ready to go back home over the weekend. Already wishing I booked a slightly later train, but I thought its best to get the travelling out of the way as soon as possible so I can have a nice time back home. On top of that, I finally got around to playing Monument Valley 2, AKA: the sequel to the only mobile game worth playing. First few levels were absolutely enchanting, it still had the same magic of the first but with a thicker atmosphere, not to mention one of the best soundtracks I think I've ever heard - seriously, go listen to it. The game kinda hits its stride after the first 20 minutes and never really tries to do anything too drastic with its new characters. Its just more Monument Valley, which I guess is a good thing.

Clutch Control

Went on yet another driving lesson today and it went rather well again. I realised that I spent more of my hours not really knowing what clutch control was, but now I got it set a bit more in my brain, I feel like I'm getting there when it cones to performing those maneuvers.

Outside of that, I've started up on the job hunt again and I've already got a handful of good options lined up.

Fantastic Pho

Tried my hand at making Pho, the Vietnamese equivalent of ramen. It occurred to me that I have never made a soup or broth before in cooking, nor had I ever really used ginger root before so it really was a lot of firsts for me. Slow cooked everything until my flat smelt amazing and ended up with something pretty tasty. It was quite fiery thanks to the extra bit of ginger I put in, but its something I'd defo be interested in trying again and fine tuning. At least Rebecca was impressed - she took this little picture of it that does it a bit more justice than it deserves:

Self Designated Day Off

Past few nights really took it out of me with long days, traveling and late nights in London so I gave myself the day off and take it a little easier. Did my expenses forms and then watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a movie that I would have loved if I saw it five years ago, but as it stands now I think it's just pretty good. Really sharp dialogue though, I constantly had a smile on my face thanks to the speed Downey Jr. managed to rattle off all his lines. I think it gradually lost momentum as it went on though since the central mystery wasn't strong enough to maintain my interest, although it was a good excuse for several amusing scenes.

What Currency do we use Again?

Just got back to Bristol after filming again all day in Slough and that is now a wrap on Together! Same old jobs today, wrangled some extras and made a few teas. This time in the arctic temperatures that November has hit us with so I wore my scarf on set for the entire time.

Had a bit of a funny mishap after printing out a bunch of letters for art department. In my haste to get some props printed, I copy/pasted a large chunk of text for printing. I proof read it of course... Or so I thought as instead of pounds, I had dollars printed out. No-one spotted it til right at the end if the day though and apparently its not a huge deal - everyone else saw the humour in it but I sure felt like a Muppet though.

Reshoot Madness

Amazingly busy and great few days. Went down to Slough, back to Stoke Court for the reshoots for Together, the film I was working on back in July. Did a full days work of prep yesterday and then headed into Central London to meet up with some uni friends. I'm going to horribly misquote this from 'Everyone's Free to Wear Sunscreen'

'Work hard to breach the gaps in geometry and lifestyle to keep up with old friends.'

The last time I saw my coursemates was for graduation last year, there have been other meet ups, but for me, they clashed with other commitments. Last night was the first time I could go to one. It meant I would get a few hours less sleep, but I can say in hindsight I am immensely pleased I made the effort to meet them. It was like no time had passed, everyone was doing really well for themselves too which was so lovely to hear. Rebecca and I had to literally run through London to catch the last train though and I got 5 hours sleep for a big filming day, but again, it was worth it.

Today's filming was effortless though, smashed through everything and ready to hit the last ever day filming on Together.

Nerf Dealings

Met up with Mark ever so briefly to do a dodgy arms deal by the park. He wanted to have a nerf war with his Brother over the weekend and wanted to borrow some of my guns, it felt very shady passing over nerf guns in such a public place though, even if they were ridiculously colourful.

Rebecca and I are in London now and I'm getting ready to go out on my prep day in Slough tomorrow. Got some nappy clothes I don't wear much to do some painting in - should be a fun day!

Brother on the House Hunt

Had a little admin day to myself, sorting out my expenses and my movements over the weekend. I'm going back on a shoot Saturday through to Monday in Slough and I have struck up a decent means of getting there now (with Rebecca's help). After clearing those jobs from my list, I met up with Louis and Rachel for pizza to see how they were doing. Their house hunting efforts are going ok, and Louis has started his own driving lessons which is cool. Its interesting seeing them both trying to find a place to live, only a year ago I was in exactly the same situation.

Off One Shoot, Onto Another

Returned home from the shoot laaaaate last night. Stumbled into bed at about 2:30am and slept most of the morning away today. Driving instructor called me up to make a speedy lesson adjustment, I went on one today to fill his empty gap and it went ok. Not as good as last week, but I get a few bits down pat so I'm pleased.

Braced the cold tonight on a separate film shoot in Stokes Croft, I dusted off my sound gear and boomed for a small production. It was an absolute mission to start with since they wanted to do 9 wide shots, and anywhere I went, my boom was in shot or cast a shadow. Hope I did OK in the end.

Curveball - Day 1

What looked like an impossible schedule, only compounded by the fact we were an hour behind, I was amazed how smoothly today went. It was almost like a little reunion for all the folks I met on the shoot in July, lovely to get back in the think of it with such a tight team. Got to do a bit of extra work on top of the usual running, I sat down in the background of a restaurant and had a mime conversation for about 45 minuets.

Belted Up

Enjoyed a very chill morning / afternoon combo at home, had a really good breakfast and lunch too. That probably explains why it was harder than usual to work up the effort to hop on my London coach. That and I always get a bit anxious before a shoot, tomorrow sounds like it could be a real doozy too, but if I go in working hard I'm sure it'll GI fine.

Modified my belt a bit too. For ages its literally been letting me down and my trousers were certainly rocking the low-rider look. No more though! Rebecca's parents own a belt punch, some kind of funky tool you can make new belt notches with. It looks like a torture device and I was totally sceptical as I set it up, but it worked wonders. Now my belt hugs my waist again and I'm ready to hit the set tomorrow with real trouser confidence!

Answering the Call

Got an impromptu message from the 1st AD of the feature film I was working on on July asking if I could be in London on Monday to help with some filming as a runner. Snapped up that offer and bought my coach ticket already, this cat is headed back on set! Albeit for a day or two, but it's still a great opportunity.

Rebecca and I went out for dinner as a little treat to ourselves. Zero Degrees was the name of the place, while it specialises in brewing beers, they serve food to go with it which was actually really good - great beer too!

Chugging Along with Writing

Continued writing up the script for the next video and it finally coming together. Its not a review like the others so its structured a little bit more like an essay which just takes me a bit longer. I get flashbacks to writing essays at uni which always used to take me forever, but I'm genuenly trying to get my writing speed and focus back up. It all comes with practise.

The Driving Click

Went out for my 5th driving lesson and I think I felt it start to click a little bit. I did the last maneuver I need to practise: reverse around a corner. Which I couldn't see myself ever needing to do in practise, but if they want me to do it on the test then so be it.

Got through a fair bit more of the script for my next video about motivational baddies in games. I was mulling over one section in particular which I might have to axe now since it feels like I'm going off on a tangent. Aiming to have it done tomorrow though so I can start making the video.

Making of 'The Odd Bunch'

Two years ago today, I woke up a little earlier than I wanted to (especially considering I'd been to a Halloween party the night before) so I could go and shoot the first scene of my short film 'The Odd Bunch'. Or the short film I made in my final year about a man who was in love with a satsuma.

It remains one of my favourite films I've ever produced, and I certainly remember feeling very proud whenever I showed it to anyone. I wanted to take it's anniversary as an opportunity to break down the entire development and production process of the film, most because I'm feeling nostalgic, but also because I thought it makes for a genuinely insightful look into what is required to make a short film. I'm basically doing a DVD special feature here, so strap in and turn back the clock with me.

One of the unseen promo pics for the film: Mitchell taking a selfie with his beloved Claire

Concept and Development

Probably the most asked question I get asked about the film is 'How did you come up with this idea?' I always answer with 'I just really like oranges.'

In truth though, boredom and daydreaming was how I got the idea. I think I was in an especially tedious lecture and the mental image of a guy dating an ornate made me chuckle. I wrote it down and just kinda forgot about I. Funnily enough, I never actually gave the idea much credence beyond the initial concept, I thought it was a one-note joke and I couldn't do too much with it. At this point at uni, we all had to come up with an idea for a short fiction film or documentary so I tried brainstorming for more ideas, but the orange one stuck out for me, and after actually giving it some thought, I felt that I could make it a pretty funny mockumentary.

Research

I took the idea to my tutor who agreed it was quirky and he sent me away to check out some other great mockumenatry films/series like Documentary Now and Best in Show. I switched on for the first episode of Documentary Now ready to take notes.

It's hard to believe I gleaned anything useful from this show exclusively based on this screenshot

The episode was basically about two elderly sisters living together, In their childhood they were Hollywood darlings but they are now washed up and staying in the house where their mother raised them. Bill Hader and Fred Armisen play the old ladies, and you can already see how it's not even remotely meant to be taken seriously. One of them can't hear properly, and the other is self obsessed so a lot of the comedy revolves around that dynamic. The thing that struck me was around halfway through the episode, in the midst of the gags and the screeching was a very genuine moment that made you feel a little bit sorry for the characters. It blind-sided me because it came from a genre that’s exclusively about the laughs. After that the episode just got far too silly, but I held onto that last bit.

By the way Best in Show is also a fab mockumentary, but I only got the chance to see years after I made the film. It's not riotously funny, but it somehow feels true to itself and it's characters so it ends up being pleasantly heart-warming – I really recommend it.

Wholesome little mockumentary

From there I wanted to look into people who were genuinely in relationships with inanimate objects. You can go ahead and Google them and you'll find articles and lists of people in love with their cars, roller coasters and even The Eiffel Tower. Here's a link to one of the articles I read.

On a first read, its quite easy to discredit them and laugh it all off, but what stuck out to me is how well they are able to speak about their odd relationships. Most of them acknowledge its weirdness, and defend their affections, Tracey Emin famously married a large rock from Hong Kong and said this:

'...But maybe it's an anchor for me, something I can identify with. No matter how mad my life might be or what may happen that stone is stability and comfort.'

Obviously, Tracey Emin is going to be a bit more eloquent and, dare I say, pretentious about this topic. But most other people in relationships with inanimate objects share the same philosophy: The want love just like everyone else, often because they find it difficult to understand the hearts of others.

It reminds me of that Alan Moore quote about people who believe in outlandish conspiracy theories:

'...Conspiracy theorists actually believe in the conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is chaotic.'

By loving inanimate objects, they choose to believe in a relationship that doesn’t really exist because real love is never as simple as it seems. These people find comfort in something that can't harm them like another person can. They desire the fairytale version of love where everything ends happily ever after.

While I couldn't 100% empathise with their beliefs, their views on love resonated with me. I decided I wanted to make my mockumentary not only feature jokes, but to take you through the same stages I did about researching into this topic. First I felt like pointing and laughing at the freak-show, then I realised how human their feelings were. It just fascinated me how far they were willing to effectively lie they tell themselves just to feel an emotion that everyone deserves to feel. 

In some cases though, the above sentiment gives them too much credit. One bloke just goes around and rubs himself on classic cars. Obviously this is much closer to a nasty perversion, I wanted to focus more on understanding the arguably more wholesome individuals.

Armed with this new-found appreciation for the power of mockumentary and 'quirky individuals' I got to script writing.

Writing

Character is king in films, and even moreso in mockumentary. Before writing the script I wrote up a quick character bio for 'Mitchell', the main character of the film. Basically he's a hopeless romantic who recently got dumped by his ex-girlfriend. From there, he's desperate to find something else to pour his love into and convince himself that he is worthy of affection.

You can read the whole bio here:

The entire script was written in an afternoon after I hammered down the beats of the story. A lot of Mitchell's lines were influenced by the real people in relationships with inanimate objects. It was important to portray him initially as if he was someone you would point and laugh at in the street, he makes cringy comments and acts without irony – to him his relationship is pure and he is (mostly) oblivious to the 'weird' element of it.

By the end though I wanted him to almost drop his lovey dovey act and open up a bit about his recent heartbreak which begins to reveal why he's turned to something else to channel his love into. The orange is a safe bet, it will never talk back or hurt him and it appeals to his personal concept of what love is. But again, that's not what real love is, though he finds it comforting to simply feel that his love is being reciprocated. I wanted the audience to stop laughing at him and start to understand his position. Under no circumstance did I think I could make the audience empathise, but they could at least recognise the thought process behind these kind of people.

In a way, the most hilariously tragic part of the story is the fact that oranges really don't last forever – they will deteriorate long before he will – which makes it all the more painful since he's convinced himself this relationship is an undying romance.

I tried to write it so a crack in his undying love appears at the very end and you can start to see it's harder for him to justify the lie he's telling himself. Not sure if that came through all the way in the finished product, but that was my intention.

You can read the whole script here

I realise the above sections make me sound like Spike Jonze in this unsettling interview or like I have some bizarre unrequited love with my lamp or something equally bonkers. I simply found it to be an interesting subject matter and wanted to share my thought process in writing Mitchell's character.

Pre-Production

This whole bit when a lot smoother than I expected. I arranged a meeting with the manager of my local Waitrose supermarket to ask about using it as a filming location. He immediately said yes as they are fond of helping out students – a commendable bit of PR. From there it was just a house location which we lucked out on with Air B&B. We found a small nearby house owned by a young man and his girlfriend. (Come the day of the filming, they just locked themselves in a bedroom and watched Game of Thrones on their laptop which I always thought made for a funny mental image.)

Our actor, Matt, came through to me via Rebecca since she was his tutor in second year. He had a passion for acting despite studying public relations. I went to a script reading session with him and was quickly impressed with just how much he could lend to the role. Often, he made suggestions into how he should read lines and I was always happy to hear him out.

Really glad we found him. I put an ad out for local actors much earlier asking them to send in a small clip of them reading the script and the responses were all pretty dire in comparison. Lotta dark bedrooms and a lot of people emphasised the 'creepy' aspect of the character, which just didn't gel.

Filming

So the day of the shoot comes around and I wake up at 6am to appreciate my local high-street looking like a ghost town. Guess that was God's way of saying 'You should be in bed now child.' 

Winton highstreet looking creepy

 

I had the ever professional Matt Winlow as my Production Manager and chief watch tapper to keep me in check if we ever started going over time. We only had one hour in Waitrose, but we powered through all the shots we needed. While I don't have any storyboards to hand to show here, I cannot stress enough just how useful drawing up your own boards are. Even if your like me and can't draw for toffee, it's worth doing just to free up decision making you have to do in the heat of the moment – they save a lot of time on the day.

Me looking very important in a hi-vis while directing Rebecca on how to pick up a lemon. You know, the important things.

It's also fun to mention that my girlfriend Rebecca stars as the jilted woman in the supermarket. She also effectively served as a production assistant during the day and bought us all Subway lunch – feed your crew folks.

The crux of the film was Mitchell's interview which we did continuously at our second, Air B&B location. Obviously we set up the entire film to be a faux documentary,and as TV students that all came quite naturally to us.

Shoes off in the directors seat

 Finally we cracked on with our fake cutaways to add a bit of visual comedy to the piece. I had a few in mind but my cameraman Tom Goddard had some witty ideas which we used to bulk out our coverage. The sexy bedroom stuff was the most fun we had that day as several members of the crew were giggling and couldn't believe what they were doing.

I should also mention that 2 oranges we harmed in the making of this film. One got a bit too bruised after hours of filming. The second one though, total professional.

Editing

Over the course of the edit, I grew out my beard as part of my 'No Shave November' challenge to myself. If nothing else, it provided an ample home for my hands as I mulled over how best to splice together the final film. 

Beardy and weary.

The uni allocated 2-3 minute length for the final edit. Initial drafts of the film were really pushing it to the limits, but some ruthless chopping got us down to just over 2:30 plus credits. The biggest overhaul we did in the editing phase was bring the bedroom scene into the opening of the film. This was my tutor's idea which I wasn't 100% sure about at first. In edits though I always try to re-order things if needed, and there's no harm in doing a quick re-change to gauge the flow. I was worried that it comes in too quickly and spoils what I considered the funniest moment in the film. As it stands, it quickly grabs your attention, but without an understanding of what’s actually going on, the scene lacks something when it's at the beginning.

One of my favourite touches to the entire piece is the music we got for the credits, a melancholic rendition of 'My Darling Clementine'. Of course, the pun is brilliant, but the tone of the piece really fitted with the ending. More time than I care to admit was spent deciding when the music should start to fade in.

Overall the edit was completed over the course of about three long afternoons. There was a slightly late night working on the export and upload, but not quite 4am levels of awful like my grad film.

Watching it back now, the film is a little uncomfortable to sit through. Matt does a lot to make the character as socially awkward as possible and they are exacerbated by the long silences. The gags aren't laugh out loud funny, and some are perhaps a little too obvious, but the film doesn't feel like on joke that been stretched too thin which was certainly a concern of mine before I even started to develop it.

The shift in tone towards the end is the stand-out moment for me since it accomplishes what I set out to do. I'm still not sure if the ending feels slightly forced or mawkish, but there is a tangible moment where the jokes end and things get a little more serious.

Conclusion

The purpose of this post wasn't meant to sound like 'everyone, let me explain why this is an underrated gem that you'd be foolish not to love.' The film is not a masterpiece, but it was one of the first films I properly did some research into and I wanted to translate my findings into a character we have a shifting relationship with.

I guess one of the biggest things holding it back as a third year project is it's lack of physical ambition – it was a single bloke talking to camera between two locations. I guess I just wanted to experiment a bit with dialogue writing over camera techniques.

but hopefully, if you didn't know already reading this can help you appreciate just how much attention to detail and thought goes into movie making in general, this is just a 3 minute short too, so imagine the effort required for a feature film. That's crazy.

Anyhoo, here's the film again: