2016 / SHORT FILM / AL-AMAN ASSOCIATION
Between Two
Disabilities.
A true story. One source of light. Silhouettes carrying what words alone could not.
With almost no production budget, I turned the limitations of location and cast into a restrained cinematic language, alternating a blind girl’s direct-to-camera performance with shadow scenes representing the story.
A face tells it.
A silhouette reveals it.
The film does more than narrate a blind girl’s experience. The young on-camera performer anchors the story in a human presence, while staged silhouettes bring moments of the narrative to life. Moving between the two registers keeps emotion and dignity at the centre.
The film moves across different encounters and settings, held together by shadow and light. Its closing message returns to dignity and the capacity to achieve, instead of defining the person only by disability.
“A face need not be fully visible for a scene to carry emotion.”
When limitations
become visual language.
No green or blue screen was used. I filmed the performers in silhouette against a white fabric surface illuminated from behind, then isolated the dark subjects from the bright background in After Effects.
- The location: I darkened a room and used a simple white fabric screen as the shooting background.
- The performance: Association staff performed the roles rather than trained actors. Silhouettes centred expression on movement, staging and composition instead of facial acting.
- The budget: With almost no spending room, I prioritised controlled lighting and deliberate staging rather than expensive equipment.
- The image: A monochrome grade separated subjects from their backdrop and integrated the photographed actors with the digital environment.
A lit fabric screen.
A constructed world.
No green or blue screen was used. I filmed the performers in silhouette against a white fabric surface illuminated from behind, then isolated the dark subjects from the bright background in After Effects.
Illustrative technical diagram based on the described shoot, not an actual behind-the-scenes photograph.
Backlight
A light behind the fabric creates an evenly bright surface.
White fabric
The stretched material becomes the luminous image plane.
Performers + camera
Both performers and camera are on the opposite side from the light, producing dark silhouettes.
Luma key + VFX
Key the light background by luminance, composite other imagery, and refine the black-and-white grade.
The technique is luminance keying, not chroma keying.
Separation is based on brightness and contrast, not green or blue colour. After isolating the performers, I composited environmental elements and effects including trees, birds and a well into the scenes.
Four compositions.
Four choices.
Selected visual composition boards highlight staging, scale, spacing and interaction between the shadow and its environment. Compare each with the corresponding film still.
Silhouettes in motion.
Short authentic excerpts from the film preserve staging and pacing. They loop silently without intrusive playback controls.
The first setting
Movement shaped by negative space.
The encounter
Actors share a controlled silhouette composition.
Composited world
Silhouette and added environment in a single shot.
The ensemble
Movement, distance and group composition.
I shaped the direction.
And built the means.
I developed the storyboard, prepared the location and lighting, shot and directed the silhouette performances, guided nonprofessional participants, keyed the white background by luminance, created and composited VFX, completed the colour grade, editing and final direction. I also synchronised the young performer’s on-screen delivery with an older character voice.
- Storyboarding and visual planning
- Location and backlight setup
- Silhouette cinematography
- Directing nonprofessional performers
- Luma key and VFX
- Editing and monochrome grade
- Sound-picture synchronisation
- Final direction
Human impact with limited resources.
The aim was to communicate the girl’s story without overacting or production excess. From the audience reactions I observed, the film had a strong emotional effect. I make no unverified viewership or performance claims.
Watch the story
in full.
The full YouTube film will be embedded here once the published URL is provided.
The original short is approximately four minutes long. Images and video excerpts shown above come from the film; the technical diagram and visual presentation boards are explanatory case-study materials.
Have a story worth telling?
I can take a short film from directing concepts and storyboards through shooting, editing and VFX, finding thoughtful solutions within the available resources.
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