Sunday, May 16, 2010

Timeless Films Blog Reviews Circumference

bill & pumpkin

This November 2009 review on Circumference was brought to our attention recently and it was very kind so we thought we would repost it here to save for a cloudy day:

"Allow me this time to deviate from my original form of exclusively discussing graphic design and I will be venturing into the art of cinema. Now as one who prides himself on his knowledge of film and everything surrounding it, I was surprised to find that I had not heard anything about the filmmaker C.J. Wallis until recently. So my guess is that there is a very high probability any who are reading this will not be familiar with his work either. But let me share with you one of his most original works. It is called Circumference, created in 2006 and shot entirely in HD.
It was created on a competition basis being chosen out of over 80 pitches in the Crazy8's competition. It challenges filmmakers to make a short film entirely within 8 days on a strict budget of $800 and only allowing you 30 minutes of raw footage to be shot. While all that is a separate task in itself, the astonishing thing about this film is that it is seems as one 10 minute long tracking shot that takes you through the story.
Now it is not exactly one entire tracking shot as they did need to take multiple shots and cuts, however they use extremely hard to replicate editing techniques to blend it all together and make it seem like one fluid tracking shot. So you might see the main character walking in and closing a door which appears to be a film set, but when someone else walks outside it is now the outside of someone's house, and when someone walks back into that door again it is the inside of an office building.
Frankly, I am still trying to figure out how he did it. You certainly can't just pick up a camera and wing it with that huge of an idea. Most people wouldn't be able to do what he did period, but the fact that he was able to accomplish that cinematic feat all under those competitive restraints shows how much careful planning and design went into every little detail before they could start shooting.
Furthermore, he is one who's style I will be looking out for, because his display of talent is very promising in my eyes. So if you can spare about 10 minutes to be amazed, I would seriously recommend you checking out the film, and I will even provide the link for you... http://vimeo.com/5148021
Hope you enjoy!
_

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