However we felt that using the extreme long shot of Lewis running was a much more effective opening as it pretty much summed up the entire short film in one shot. The still camera and vast area reflects the idea of loneliness being a possibly never-ending thing while the small, lonely figure darting across the scene represents the attempt to escape and also the futility of this.
We then have a blackout. "Blackouts" are used throughout the film as a way of linking disparate sections of the film while making the viewer feel a little uncomfortable. Having the screen go fully black without a real explanation is usually a fairly uncomfortable experience.
The first shot after the blackout is an establishing shot of the environment. We used a fade in to convey that this was the start of a new section and hopefully give the idea that this is a more complete section. Almost as if to say "this is actually the start of the film".
The next shot is of the landscape and also establishes the area for the viewer. The cloud's slow movement shows the passage of time in this section of the film a something almost excruciatingly slow.
Next we see the protagonist stood in the arch of this tree. We chose this location because of how distinctive it was. This was what gave us the idea that we could return to the location later in order to imply the cyclical nature of what was happening. We corrected the brightness on this scene and others in order to make sure that the cuts between them were not too jarring.
Ths use of landscape shots surrounding this give the impression that the protagonist is surveying his endless landscape. The low clouds cover moving through the hills was probably the most interesting thing about the weather and area on the day we were filming and so we got quite a bit of footage of it and they fit perfectly into our film.
The next few shots before the next blackout are of Lewis walking alone through the hills and streams surrounded by more vast landscape shots. We wanted these takes to be generally very long in order to, again, accentuate the idea of the excruciatingly slow passage of time.
In the scene of Lewis walking next to the stream we used a cross disolve to show this passage of time and almost show Lewis as a sort of ghost aimlessly wandering through this landscape.
After the blackout we used a shot of a focus pull on Lewis' face in order to show the transition to a new part of the film. It displays a new mood and can be said to be representing Lewis' renewed focus in order to escape this lonely, aimless wandering.
From here the pace of the film picks up significantly. We juxtaposed very fast shots of Lewis running in different locations against the image of him stood against the door, defeated.
We also cut shots of Lewis arriving at the door and attempting to get in by knocking furiously in order to hammer home to the audience the idea that the images they are seeing are not necessarily in any chronological order while the do tell some kind of narrative.
The fast editing is obviously a contrast to the much slower pace of before and after this section and is supposed to be fairly exciting and engaging. Perhaps there's not quite enough of it for that to be the case, but I think the contrast makes it work fairly well.
The tracking shots and chasing shots are extremely frantic and handheld which, along with the editing, create a sense of pace.
We deliberately used the fast-edited static shots of Lewis running, followed by the handheld tracking and chasing shots and finally followed by the, again, static chots of him hammering on the door in order to create a sort of distinct rise and fall in the pace of the action.
After this there is another blackout and we then return to a slower pace and return to the same, distinctive tree from earlier in the film. We see Lewis return to this tree and his confusion is supposed to match the viewers.
We then have what is essentially the exact same shot of Lewis from the beginning of the film, completing the cycle. We end on another blackout just as Lewis turns to look at the camera as if he almost reaches out to the audience, but is cut off from other people once again.
