The Reprieve

This ten-minute experimental film in 35mm Cinemascope is choreographed as a single long camera move descending from the sky like a silent observer, and floating around the fate of a condemned White Russian officer. The film drifts between black and white and color as the drama unfolds, before re-ascending to the heavens. Lind the student director (and professional editor) embarked on this style to challenge the time worn technique of parallel action in editing for creating dramatic tension. This cinematographic choreography was only possible through the use of the Mobius-Wesscam system incorporating a module enclosing a Panavision camera on gyroscopic stabilizers, and suspended from an industrial crane. If anything went wrong during the very long takes, they would have to go again from the actual start of the film. Filming was completed in one day.