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1. Solitude

2 years ago

Solitude
A universal feeling

A long journey in solitude searching for hope.
A film that communicates in aesthetic pictures poetry and emotion, to explore a new experience in Cinemato Graphy.

Created and directed by Robin Risser
robndesign.com

Entierly filmed with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II

shortoftheweek.com/2009/08/24/qa-with-robin-risser-solitude/

Credits

2,502 Likes

katie kim
1 day ago
aliA
2 days ago
Marangvla
3 days ago
Marangvla
3 days ago
Mike Culver
5 days ago
Kent Harkey
5 days ago
Valentina Kova
5 days ago
Hassan Syed
5 days ago
David Kelly
6 days ago
adam noir
6 days ago

Tags

Jonathan Sarago 2 years ago

Que dire, la beau de l'image s'exprime d'elle meme .... GRAND BRAVO .... de très beaux paysages... de tres très belles compositions.....
Stephen Lewis 2 years ago

I literally yelled "Woah!" at 5:08!
Eugenia Loli 2 years ago

That particular scene seems to have been shot with the 24mm tilt shift lens. Notice how the trees are straight, even if the camera is pointed up.
robin risser 2 years ago

No tilt and no perspective correction on this shot !
Seph Skerritt 1 year ago

so funny - just reading this and realized i paused for a screenshot right there too.
robin risser 2 years ago

Thank you very much for your comments.
Karen Abad 2 years ago

Fantastic...thank you for sharing this Robin. This cinematography, production design, and the locations are breathtaking.
Gavin Owens 2 years ago

That is so beautifully filmed. There is nothing I could criticise, even if I wanted to........
Your "Flower" must be pleased with the dedication.
Really great stuff!
G
Martijn Doornenbal 2 years ago

beautiful shots and amazing locations! Really nice. I like the mood of this piece.
Regis Hervagault 2 years ago

excellent !
Zack McTee 2 years ago

excellent locations. where was this all shot at?
robin risser 2 years ago

It was filmed in the Charente region of France.
Karen Abad 2 years ago

That's it...I'm moving to France.
Cheng Ka Chun 2 years ago

excellent details.
duder. 2 years ago

beautiful, didn't want it to end (yeah, where is this magical place?)
Juan C. Suárez 2 years ago

Gorgeous work, really amazing. I'm thinking on getting one of those 5D MKII.
Any info you can give us on lenses or filters you used?

Cheers!

EDIT: Nevermind, I found your answer on another group.
Sam Davis 2 years ago

Could you direct me to this answer if possible? I'd really like to know what lenses and filters were used as well.
diala chinedu photography 2 years ago

this is SICKNESS
cea wall 2 years ago

this is *splendid*
Michael Duval 2 years ago

Those are some beautifully desolate places. I love the locations & those gloves, so cool. It's amazing what the 5D II is capable of in the right hands. Great work!
Rakesh Erukulla 2 years ago

one of the best cinematography work see....bows...
Daniel Hayek 2 years ago

simply lovely.
Tobias Lang 2 years ago

Excellently!!!!!!!!
Deji Outlandish 2 years ago

wow. Beautiful.
I was wondering whether to keep checking for 5:08 or go back at the end once I watched it all through. I knew however as soon as it came on.
Inspired to continue striving with my 5d.
Well done.
Caleb Vinson 2 years ago

wow!!!
Matthew Bennett 2 years ago

Incredible design and lighting, what a class act, I tip my hat :)
Matthew Bennett 2 years ago

One thing though .... did you use the Akvis enhancer on these images.. or something similiar... some of the edge characteristics have that soft halo kind of look...
robin risser 2 years ago

I didn't use this kind of enhancer on the film.

At the begining of the shoot I tried the sharpening of the 5D but I was not satisfied with the result. It made this sort of artefact.
Soeren Mueller 2 years ago

robin, great clip! do you recall what picture settings exactly you used most of the time? did you record more of a "flat" picture so you had more freedom in your compositing app? did you turn down the sharpening in the camera completely or only a little bit?
robin risser 2 years ago

I use the neutral setting with some adjustements.
I low down a little bit.
"flat" picture ?
PKSellers 2 years ago

Great images! Beautiful!
Manuel Alejandro 2 years ago

Amazing Work!
Jon Coy 2 years ago

This is easily one of the strongest films I've seen on vimeo in a long time. The structure and editing of the film were so precise and deliberate. The more the character seeks, the less he finds. Paradoxically, this also might be false.

The cinematography and staging of each solipsistic image was breathtaking. An inspiration.

It says an immense amount about space, occupation of space, and coexistence. I felt the film teetering on a type of surrealism present in many of David Lynch's films (especially the whishy/whooshing sound design; very Lynchian).

The actor's walk was extremely effective. It's a simple mannerism, but it was strong and passionate.

A visual poem dabbled with philosophy and living instinct. Excellent work!
The Laughing Stoic 2 years ago

I certainly second your praise of the film.

I'm curious to know whether you think solitude implies solipsism? Interested to hear your thoughts.

With the exception of the young birds in the beginning, the actor seems involved in modern ergonomic tasks (reading a paper, examining a watch, soldering a circuit board). He abandons this to go in search of something, and ultimately revels in a natural thing -- the flower.

You wrote that "the more the character seeks, the less he finds," and I find myself struck the same way by the film. Pleasure to hear your perspective.
robin risser 2 years ago

The film is for those who seeks to find. Its interpretation is open to everyone.

I am impressed by your neatly observation. As you noticed each scene of the film has been thought through.
Jon Coy 2 years ago

Hmm...I don't necessarily believe that solitude is unwaveringly representative of solipsism, but I do feel that this film implies very subtly the idea of solipsistic existence. Every human is seeking truth, companionship, and reason on one level or another, and this film hits that right on the head. But the fact that the character is always alone leads a person to imagine a number of scenarios. It's a surrealist representation of the feeling of loneliness and isolation, while simultaneously displaying the character as the only in existence, hence the solipsism.

A beautiful film, to say the least. :)
Jon Coy 2 years ago

Laughing Stoic, I'm glad you brought up the juxtaposition of modern mechanical conventions to natural objects. The fact that the character becomes enamored by a beautiful flower hints at a character so lonely in his cold, paper-and-metal habitat that he requires the company of something living and thriving like himself.

I must ask, was Melville's "Le Samourai" an influence on this film?
robin risser 2 years ago

It's always a pleasure to read your thoughts.

I'm afraid, i never seen "Le Samourai". But I will, soon as possible.
Jon Coy 2 years ago

I'm always happy to contribute feedback.

Your character shares a lot of commonalities with Alain Delon's character in "Le Samourai." I highly recommend it.
Govind Krishna 2 months ago

readin this comments were really amazing.

Watched the film again to understand it better...
Better_World_Inc. 2 years ago

Simple, efficace et beau! Félicitations!
Cela me donne envie de tourner un court-métrage au 5D mII, étant déja habitué à la gamme SLR Canon Eos, en tant que photographe.
David Bridle 2 years ago

What lens did you use? Absolutely amazing. I am sold on the Mark II, just need to find the money.
robin risser 2 years ago

I was using a 50mm, 35mm and a very bad 55-200 f/4.5-5.6 lens. They are all Canon lenses.
APHAKAI 1 year ago

Which 50mm and 35mm lenses? L series or not? Thanks!
Paul Kroeker 8 months ago

what kind of primes? L?
David Bridle 2 years ago

Another strange question, what font did you use for the credits?
robin risser 2 years ago

It's an Akzidenz Grotesk.
J. C. 2 years ago

Which Helvetica is based on. So if you have Helvetica, it is just like AG.
Marc Malkowski 2 years ago

Congratulations!

I would love to know what lenses / filters you have used :)

But all in all, impressive. That's what a well made motionpicture should be like, every frame would be worth being used as a photography!
Robert Marks 2 years ago

I believe it's known as the "Awesome Filter." Just came out. Check Ebay for deals. Be careful though, I hear it's a very difficult filter to master ;)
Gilles Guerraz 2 years ago

Du travail d'orfèvre... bravo.
Alain Robert 2 years ago

Bravo ! Superbe travail de compositions et d'ambience !
David Brown 2 years ago

One of the best things I've seen on Vimeo. I was amazed how gripping the silence in the beginning was...it pulls you in.
William Wilkinson 2 years ago

Fantastic. Unbelievable locations.
Luke Pygman 2 years ago

I love the field scenes, especially in contrast to his black apparel and umbrella.
The Laughing Stoic 2 years ago

The images are fantastic. A testament to the necessity of a gifted way of seeing, and talented hands to boot.

I aspire to capture something like this with my own Mark II.
camila agustini 2 years ago

Great photo!! Great movie! Thank you! I am curious to know more about the director. There is another movies? Is he a french filmmaker? where i can find more info? thanks.
robin risser 2 years ago

It's me the fimmaker and I'm french.
I'm an Art Director and Photographer.

You can find more about me on my brand new website robdesign.com and my blog robnpainting.blogspot.com
Monkeyskull Production 2 years ago

Pursuit of happiness.. spontanious reaction of the movie.
Great shots and editing.
Derryck Menere 2 years ago

Took a while to load but it was certainly worth the wait. Some beautiful compositions and colour. Loved it!!
Cnes 2 years ago

damn. that was great!
Robert Marks 2 years ago

Fwicked.
Tima 2 years ago

well, very nice job !!
Matos Silva 2 years ago

De très belles compositions.....Bravo !
Quoc Lieu 2 years ago

I love your locations. I wish I could film something in environments like that.
MUZIEKTELEVISIE.NL 2 years ago

This might be the best I have seen on vimeo. It has the quality and feel of a major production, but you made it entirely by yourself as I understand. My compliments, your eye for detail is unbelievable.
Travis Guerra 2 years ago

A one of a kind!
bob lorrimer 2 years ago

Cinematography ...
Dave Hackney 2 years ago

inspirational; palette & composition of frame.
BKS Crew Productions 2 years ago

Absolutely beautiful piece of work. Stunning images. Excellent pacing.
Shrinivas 2 years ago

Whoa !! breathtaking. every frame could be an artistic masterpiece !! lovely work !
looking forward to seeing more...

cheers
tech2005 2 years ago

I am speechless.. bravo!
Austin James 2 years ago

What a stunning work, worthy of all the praise.

If the story line was still open to editing, an effective emotional device at the end would involve the man taking off his gloves to touch the flower. But then again, the tension that is maintained by his gloves could be the author's intention.

One of my favorite moments is at the beginning when a slight shift in the man's position is accompanied by the creaking sound of tight wood.
PCZ 2 years ago

Genius!
Jon Keyo 2 years ago

for me the best on this video are the nearly perfect landscape shots ... it looks somewhat like really good photography, but its alive ... these shots would create amazing live wallpapers ... or it would just be great to have long footage of such a shots just for pure relaxing ... i mean to use same idea as when there are natural enviroment audio tracks ... oh ... and i dont know exactly why ... but the movement of every single thing in this video looked for me a lot better than i ever known
Scott Gold 2 years ago

Textures...colors...sounds....galore! It's a media feast!
Loved it...thanks for sharing!
Benoit MILLOT 2 years ago

bravo tres beau travail
Aeryn River 2 years ago

i skipped the stuff at his home, but the outdoor scenes were really great, there is some reaching out, touching, smelling, experiencing nature aven though he still walks in that silly way he at least goes out there and brings back a small piece of that beautiful countryside :)
Mark Cade 2 years ago

sense-ational
Robert Brunton Productions 2 years ago

absolutely beautiful.
Nicolas Hesson 2 years ago

The framing in all of this was phenomenal! Great work! I absolutely LOVED the lighting indoors. Felt like Revolution Road.
rickflick 2 years ago

Makes me happy.
mamojo 2 years ago

This is amazing. Each frame could be a photo. I can't believe you shot this entire thing with a SLR. lol. Kudos!
Rob Beckett 2 years ago

Fabulous
John Neff 2 years ago

Amazing and inspiring work! great acting and great technique!
Janaka Jayawardena 2 years ago

Spellbinding! It's great to see the 5D getting an excellent workout in creative hands.
Thinq Design 2 years ago

Outstanding!
Jon Rawlinson 2 years ago

That was incredible.

How did you do your smooth dolly shots? What tripod etc were you using?

How did you colorize the footage?

Really impressive.
robin risser 2 years ago

This film was made without budget !
For the dolly I used a rail for circular saw.
My tripod is a 55XPROB Manfrotto with a 701HDV.
The Footage is color graded in a compositing software.
But whatever the material.
Thanks for all your comments !
Andrew Gentle 2 years ago

That was both the worst soldering and the best film I've ever seen on Vimeo!
Beautiful cinematography, well done!
mike r 2 years ago

very random :)
Aníbal Fontoura 2 years ago

Fantastic...thank you for sharing this with us.
Dan Carter 2 years ago

Thanks for the great adventure..
Andy Wood 2 years ago

I cant't really add more praise than what others have said. Eraserhead came to my mind early in the film ... more for the mood rather than look. A mini masterpiece.
Ozzy Alvarez 2 years ago

I'll be honest with you, I saw this film and though that it must have been shot with something very high end like an ex1 or ex3, then after watching the film, I saw that it was all shot with a 5d and I couldn't believe the amount of detail in this film, how were able to achieve such colors and sharpness, if you don't mind me asking? This film has exceeded my expectation of filiming with DSLR's.
Ozzy Alvarez 2 years ago

sorry, I just read how you achieved the colors, but I still would like to get your opinion in filiming with this camera. Great work once again.
robin risser 2 years ago

Thanks !
To be Honnest with you !
I choose the 5D because I have no money to by an EX1 and put a Kit Mini 35 !
I'm a Graphic Designer and I know how the Depth of Field is important for the good looking of the picture.
The other adavantage of the 5D is the size of the capter and is sensibility in ISO ! No extra light on this film ! only Daylight and Reflector !
I use the compositing software, for reduce the color noise and bring this film the much closer of my Art Director's vision.
Guilherme Meneghelli 2 years ago

beautiful, beautiful vision!
Paul Kroeker 8 months ago

Can I ask how you reduce noise for video? I know how in various photo applications but thats it.. after effects?
Kevin FIGUIER 2 years ago

WOUAH :D

Les paysages sont trop jolies ( Vive la Charente héhé ! ) et le jeu de l'acteur est vraiment superbe ! Surtout avec ce très beau costume :-))

Bravo à vous et à votre équipe !

Vous allez faire concourir ce film ? ( Il le faut vraiment :D )