The Essay (Ciana Russo)

CHAMPAGNE PROBLEMS

'The Essay' is a micro short that follows a student, Gracie, through the night of an essay crisis. With minimal dialogue and only three locations, this was a logistically simple shoot to organise. We had skeleton crew due to the small size of the sets and one primary cast member. 

I was the Director of Photography and therefore designed the shot list. The script focused on actions and emotions, so there was a lot of room to play with different shots. I decided that the majority of shots should be filmed on a shoulder rig  – with subtle movement and shaking – to convey the character's stress and growing delirium. As the film progresses, the character begins to drink and becomes drunk – I added even more movement and tracking shots to this segment of the film. This contrasts with the more serious final scene, where she hands her essay to her tutor. The shots are more stagnant and fixed to reflect this seriousness. 

Despite being a five page script, the shot list was extensive – the script contains paragraphs of action with no dialogue. It took us three days to film the whole short. 

The first scene was filmed in the Christ Church college library. A stunning location for a shoot but simultaneously limiting, as there were students present during filming. The Director and I were the only crew present for this scene to reduce distractions to students. We had a mini tripod, but I filmed most of the shots freehanded. We also had a small mic (no boom pole) to capture sound. 

Most of the film is shot in a bedroom, which gave us more freedom to play. The biggest logistical fail of the film was a prop: the Director, Ciana, purchased pink Prosecco for the actor, Gracie, to drink, completing forgetting that Gracie should not drink alcohol when filming. Gracie certainly became a lot more natural in the role and immersed herself in the silliness. There were no accidents and it was a fun evening, but it is important to acknowledge that this is a health and safety issue. Nevertheless, it undeniably made the scene more convincing.

The film reflects a stress the cast and crew are all very familiar with. I am very excited to see the final product. The set design and costumes were beautiful (we rented a regency gown from the National Theatre) – our inspiration was Sofia Coppola. I'm also curious whether the narrative is as relatable to someone outside of our Oxford bubble. Is this a universal experience or have we been driven mad by the pressures of this infamous institution?