Navlopomo, Day 4. This one is an edit I did today which combines outtakes from a homework assignment: one single one minute shot, completely uncut, showing cinematic motion.
I had planned the shot to start at the hookah, follow the path of the smoke then dolly out onto the faces of the smokers and finally a reveal of the background film playing on the wall. The film is just a loop showing part of Greta Garbo's dance scene from Mata Hari. I wanted to use the smoke from the hookah with the smoke in the altar in the film clip (which, in fact, I did, as you can see :)
I never got that shot, though. Because as it turned out, I couldn't dolly out the camera because the space was so crowded and busy. Instead, I had to resort to the evil and dreaded zoom <sigh>. Scratch that one.
Directorial lesson learned: check all location details yourself and do not depend on others.
I have never been in a hookah bar, since I am not a smoker, but it was a pleasant mellow experience. This was shot at King's Hookah Lounge in Portland. It was wonderful to be surrounded by mostly Arabic voices, pleasantly chatting away. And the aroma of the air was amazing: fruity and fragrant, almost like incense. The proprietor, Billal, makes his own mixes of aromatic tobacco, specially blended for hookah use. If you indulge, check it out.
[Update: I notice the YouTube conversion has made this incredibly jerky as the camera tilts down. The original is very smooth. Welcome to lousy down conversion...]
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