INNER CIRCLE - Teaser Behind the Scenes

Both teasers have utilized visitor-uploaded, publicly available TripAdvisor photos, with tweaks by me.

For the most recent, I removed GIRL 1, removed GIRL 2's face, and increased the contrast.

Then the photo was printed on 4x6 photo paper, and stuck to my wall with putty.

I filmed it so that the reveal it is actually a physical, printed photo would be a visual surprise. This works best on Instagram because there you get the added effect of not even realizing it's a video at all.

This was always the first shot of the film (with a different photo). It is very important in that context so now I can't decide whether to replace it or not.

A couple of details. The way I grab the photo is very important. At first I ripped the photo off by the corner without you seeing my hand. So it just disappears and you see the wall. But this was visually confusing. You're sort of like, what just happened? I don't get it.

So by slapping my hand on it and holding it there for a second, you get the first part of the reveal which is that you're looking at a physical photo. You have a microsecond to process that. Then you get the second piece of information, the ripping off the wall. It happens very fast, so giving the audience that millisecond in the middle to process it is crucial, I think. Additionally, I found it was important to crumple the photo. That way you see my hand interact with the object. And you brain can see, oh yes, I know what that is, that's a piece of photo paper, I know because I have also crumpled pieces of paper before. Rather than simply pull it off and it disappears.

There are a lot of visual surprises like this in the film. Something I've learned a lot about through making content primarily based around images and shorts on social media feeds is how to communicate as much thematic information as possible, in as little visual information as possible. The audience needs to see the first frame and immediately have their bearings. We've all seen pictures of by people by a pool before. Got it. I know where I am and what's going on. This was the mistake I think I made with the first teaser. There was way too much going on that also wasn't interesting.

Then came the sound. As you know from the previous behind the scenes videos, sound is very important. Just like the visuals, the sound is broken up into two pieces. The SLAP, and the RIP... During one take, when I quickly ripped off the photo, my hand accidentally hit the microphone as I pulled it off. I ended up loving this. Because the microphone being bumped gave it a really visceral impact sound that wouldn't happen in real life, but FEELS right.

I'm still not done talking about this 6 second video clip. While filming, I left on the camera's AUTO exposure, and AUTO focus. So when the picture disappears, it adjusts both to the new subject which is the wall. Like the sound, this technical detail enhances the impact of the surprise, because it mimics and compliments the adjustment that your brain is making to the new visual info at the same time.

The Times New Roman title also appears as soon as the photo exits the frame. But since it's white, it appears to gradually fade in as the brightness of the wall decreases. I just thought this was cool.

Anyway, hopefully this will help you understand why the full thing is taking so long. These details are very very very very important.