The Stairs:
For my final project, I initially planned to create a music video. However, due to time constraints, I opted to focus on a short skit that can be looped instead. After reviewing my previous projects, I chose to film the skit in my house's basement. Initially, I considered a skit inspired by FNAF, from the perspective of the night guards. However, I abandoned this idea because the storyline was too abstract and closely resembled a previous project of mine.
Story Concept:
The skit features a delivery man retrieving parcels in the basement of a random apartment complex. As he tries to leave with his heavy package, he discovers he's stuck in a perpetual loop. The stairs continually return him to his starting point. Stumped, the delivery man makes several unsuccessful attempts to escape, including walking backward, assuming that this trick will break the loop. He eventually gives up after repeatedly failing to leave.
Creating The Skit:
After extensive research and browsing online, I was inspired by Zach King’s skits on YouTube, which often feature content in an endless loop. I wanted my skit to be short and simple, yet funny and entertaining. Therefore, I decided to center the skit around the stairs in my basement.
To record this specific skit, I had to meet a few requirements. Camera angle and consistency played major roles in the recording process. This was crucial because, for the loop to be seamless, the camera angle had to remain unchanged to allow smooth transitions during the loop.
Everything in the stairway loop had to be recorded in one sitting. I walked up the stairs a couple of times, which would be used for the starting part of the loop. Then, I moved to the other side of the basement, away from the staircase. This is where the loop would end, bringing the character back to where he started. The plan was to do this in one sitting to ensure the consistency of the video
Challenges:
Lighting was one of the key components in my skit, as everything needed to be consistent. A loop is only successful if the surroundings used for a shot remain the same as they were prior to the loop. This consistency allows the different clips in the loop to seamlessly blend with a fade transition. However, in a few takes, the auto-adjust focus tool, which manages both lighting and focus, was not consistent, leading to scrapped footage. The footage from the chosen angle worked surprisingly well. The only issue was that the angle revealed too much of the staircase and the entrance to the basement.
To compensate for this and to make the basement appear larger, I added a dark overlay that obscured the visibly closed door at the top of the stairs and made the hallway much darker. This adjustment allowed the character to loop around the basement instead of seemingly appearing out of nowhere after ascending the stairs
Near the end of the skit, I made a small error that affected the consistency of the film. At the beginning of the short, the delivery guy was shown carrying a large box up the stairs. When he starts trying to escape the staircase loop, he sets the box next to the table. Accidentally, the box was removed near the end of shooting, which resulted in the box disappearing out of nowhere. However, due to time constraints, I had to continue moving forward with the project
For the time loops, I used a fade-in transition between takes. After editing and cutting the footage, I applied this transition for every loop. The most critical moments occurred when the character reached the end of the stairs and where the character should reappear after going up the stairs. The transition was strategically placed between these two points to ensure that the loop was accurate, instant, and consistent
