Framing and Editing Decisions In 'Distance' And How They Helped Tell The Story

A close-up indicates emotion, intimacy, and intensity within characters whereas cuts in editing can bring you closer to or further away from characters or a situation in a scene. With Distance, I analyzed every scene and made decisions in both framing and editing that I felt told the story on a more profound level.

In these particular shots from the very last scene, I felt it was essential to shoot the scene in a wide shot and all in one take. I am confident with my decision and stick by it despite various comments and questions I have gotten regarding this scene. People have asked me, "Why wouldn't you cut to close-ups to get their reactions so you see how they feel?" and "Why did you shoot it so wide? There's so much head room and it makes it almost look flat". In my defense and in the story's defense, these are my reasons:

1. I felt the close-ups at this point were unnecessary. At the beginning of the film, when they're close to one another and in love, that's where I make use of the close-ups because that's when we feel close to the characters as they feel close to one another. 

2. Throughout the film, they become more distant and therefore I translated that into shot composition. The more distant they become, the wider the shots became and less dynamic so that when they finally become so distant and so out of love that they're on opposite sides of  the bed, not speaking to one another, the wide framing really captures not only the huge physical space between them, but the emotional and intellectual distance between them as well. 

With these framing and editing decisions, I feel that you are not only seeing two people falling in and out of love, but also experiencing it. At the beginning of the film, you can feel the burning excitement of being in love and by the end of it, you feel the heartache and dullness of life without love which is exactly what Distance is all about. 

To watch the film, check it out here.