Speaking of watching films instead of camera tests, we've got another short curated by the wonderful people at Short of the Week. If you haven't been following the site, one of the creators of Short of the Week, Andrew S Allen, was involved in the design of a beautiful iPad app called Paper that we reviewed here at No Film School. The Division of Gravity, embedded below, is a short film directed by Rob Chiu. With gorgeous cinematography and moving performances, we're taken on the journey with the characters from the beginning of a relationship all the way to the bitter end.

The Division of Gravity, directed by Rob Chiu:


While it is more music video/montage than short film, in the end, the work as a whole deserves more than a simple classification. You can certainly see inspiration from the work of Terrence Malick, but there is a bitter reality to the relationship of the characters that lets this piece stand on its own and avoid such comparisons. The voiceover is the poem “After A While” by Veronica A. Shoffstall, and it lends itself very well to the imagery.

What camera was this shot on? DSLR, Alexa, RED? Truthfully, it doesn't really matter, because when such care is taken exposing and composing shots, you can make any new camera look amazing. In fact, a wonderful post on the framing and composition of the short was done by a website called Cinema Shock. Camera tests might be fun, and they can surely save you some money from buying something you don't really need, but by using the right tool for the job (even if that means saving up some money and renting), we can achieve fantastic results. Speaking of camera tests, the next round of the 5D Mark III/D800 review should be up tomorrow. I've taken all of the suggestions and comments and incorporated them into a revised version of the candlelight video.

What do you guys think about the short? What about the use of voiceover narration, did it add or detract from the experience for you?

Links: Rob Chiu - Vimeo & Stink - Rob Chiu & Cinema Shock

[via Short of the Week]