Elixir - ID# 64
Barrington
Cinematography
Entry Description
“Elixir” is a short film following a girl’s journey with an unhealthy coping mechanism and the dangers of all-consuming daydreams. Shot over several months, it is also a love letter to the beautiful city of Chicago.
Copyright Info
Recent Teacher Comments
- 4/14 9:18 am - Pros: Composition & Visual Storytelling – (0:10, 0:23, 1:01) From the opening frame, you immediately establish visual intention. The center-framed overhead at 0:10 feels controlled and stylistic. 0:23 uses symmetry and contrasting textures beautifully. Creative Use of Camera Movement – (0:37, 1:12) The slow, creeping push-ins and dolly shots are purposeful and build atmosphere. The movement at 1:12, with a rotating light source casting dynamic shadows, is especially effective in heightening tension. Improvements: Lighting Continuity & Contrast Control – (0:47, 1:20) A few scenes suffer from overly low-key lighting. At 0:47, the subject is lost in shadows — a small bounce or rim light could define the face without ruining the mood. The shot at 1:20 could benefit from more fill for texture. Focus Accuracy During Motion – (0:58) At 0:58, the focal point drifts slightly as the subject turns and light flickers. It's a tricky shot, but rehearsing the rack or using a slightly deeper depth of field could improve consistency. This piece is visually rich, intentionally styled, and creatively shot. With a few tweaks to lighting balance and focus consistency, this could easily stand among top-tier cinematography reels. There’s clear vision here - keep pushing that bold style with continued refinement of technical execution.
- 3/20 8:58 am - Because this is not a traditional cinematography reel and a completed short film it's a little bit harder to gauge the fundamentals of filming in the way that we do it with the others. Once we leave the coffee shop the filming and the locations start to pop a little bit more with more careful framing and intentional lighting and exposure. Some of the lighting back in the coffee shop, however, includes backlit scenes, and in a cinematography reel, does not display lighting fundamentals. Also, your use of ADR/ foley rather than location sound results in scenes where key characters cannot be heard even as their lips are moving. Your use of close-ups does help push the story forward, but I do think your choice to submit a finished film does not necessarily highlight your cinematography skills the way that a traditional montage style reel would.
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