Dots Play Beautifully

The Approach

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Dots were the prominent visual motif in our film. We played beautifully with the language of our camera, envisioned the way our character experiences her performance within a perfectly ordered dreamscape that’s both lushly imaginative, yet guided by a clear visual language of circles and light. Whether it’s the spherical competition ball, round sequins on our gymnast’s costume, hypnotic camera strobes, out-of-focus dots of light representing audience members, or bokeh lens elements captured in and around our gymnast’s other-worldly routine, perfect circles were the constant visual touchstone in our storytelling.

There’s something almost ritualistic in the repetition of these circular elements in our frame, mirroring the meditative quality of the Dots game. After all, if our character is dreaming — she’s dreaming in the world of Dots. The language of light is as important as that of movement here.

The glowing competition ball — which was outfitted with a remote-controlled LED system that could change colors and pulse — was as much the hero of our film as our performer herself. Pin LEDs representing the crowd created a twinkling sense of atmosphere that surrounded and energetically fed our hero.

Camera strobes further fed the narrative with the element of light, adding to the stylized beauty of our world. They also represented the magnitude of the gymnast’s competition, alluding to the vast amount of media present. We used backlighting, rim lighting, and long exposures to create gorgeous, brightly beautiful imagery filled with artful framings. Anything that wasn’t a glowing orb or a cinematographic trick that simulates one was richly shadowed, creating a thick atmosphere in the space that allowed the light to feel completely controlled, even at its most dynamic and fluid state.

The Adventure

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The story line of traveling to Mexico City for a week with two of your dearest and most talented friends is rich with enthusiasm, laughter and fond memories. The three amigos had to adapt on the fly to collaborate with an unfamiliar crew, trying their best to pull off a live-action miracle within the restrictions of an unexplored culture. They had Rhythmic Gymnastics legend Laura Zeng flown in from Los Angeles, and captured her talents on a rather modest production budget 10 strict hours of shooting, working incredibly hard to maximize the opportunity.

Live-Action Direction and Production is full of these scenarios where you and your people collaborate in rather unique conditions and schemes to milk the best and most artistic results out of whatever you're dealt with. Without that spirit of collaboration and problem-solving in a pinch, and the homies to support each other, shoots like these would never be successful. Extra special thanks to the Dots Team, Tonic Films, Tool of North America and everyone else whom was involved in a rather unforgettable ride.